Everyone loves a holiday, but poor planning can turn what should have been a relaxing getaway into a total nightmare. Even spontaneous travel requires a solid foundational knowledge. Fennec has put together an essential list of tips and tricks to decrease the risk of travel disaster, to make your holiday a highlight rather than a hassle.
Timing, Timing, Timing
Thinking about travel dates and times is crucial for holidays big or small. When it comes to flying, avoiding peak travel days will result in a much lower airfare as well as less commotion and shenanigans at the airport. This will allow you to sit back and relax beside an empty aisle seat rather than in a plane packed to the brim with other stressed holidayers.
If you are holidaying locally, timing is even more important. Are you heading down south for a weekend in the snow? Or maybe you’re going to road trip north to enjoy the beautiful beaches up the coast? Either way, spending what should be a leisurely drive stuck in traffic will turn a casual journey into a sweaty and stressful catastrophe. Even if you are travelling on a busy day, avoiding heavy traffic flows can be as simple as timing your travel. Starting your journey early in the morning or later in the evening means you will avoid the bulk of the travel traffic, helping you save on petrol and quelling potential road rage.
Sort your Documents
This tip is particularly important if you are heading overseas or partaking in a longer holiday. Between flight bookings, accommodation receipts and transportation tickets, you are sure to be bringing a mountain of paperwork with you on your trip. Losing any of these documents can be extremely stressful and can wind up costing you money as well as time.
Taking the time to sort and properly store these documents could save your future-self potential grief. Travel Wallets are a handy way to keep all your paperwork in one place, keeping them safe and sound as you move from location to location. They also make for a cute memento at the end of your trip, as they end up stuffed full of stamped tickets and passes to all your holiday highlights.
Ask Around
From hotels to restaurants, from beaches to theme parks, with so many options knowing where to take the time to visit can be tricky. Sometimes the most well-known locations can be disappointing, and hidden gems can end up being a highlight. So, before you throw your time and money at a place you know nothing about, do some research!
There are plenty of travel review websites about which host real-life reviews from holidayers like yourself. Taking the time to find out what’s worth your while will ensure your trip is filled with fun and surprises rather than mundane or disappointing encounters. Additionally, many of these sites contain real photos taken by guests, allowing you to a get a feel of what your trip may really look like, rather than relying on posed and edited images supplied by the destination.
Be Smart with Money
When it comes to money, there is so much to consider while on holiday. But perhaps the most important piece of advice we can give is: Keep it safe! Travelling with a wallet full of cash is incredibly risky as it could easily get stolen or go missing, leaving you stranded. Likewise, keeping your entire budget in one account puts you at risk of theft or fraud, once again leaving you stranded.
But not to fear, there are plenty of precautions you can take to keep your precious holiday budget safe. Keeping the majority of your funds in an account inaccessible by your EFTPOS card is the best way to keep your money out of the wrong hands, then transfer or withdraw money for each day of travel, rather than taking it all out at once. This means that if you did happen to lose your wallet or have money stolen, you are not left high and dry, reducing the potential loss.
Accidents happen, so it is better to protect yourself from the worst of the damage than just hoping it doesn’t happen.
