Smart Travelling
Exam is just around the corner. Everybody should be busy preparing for exams at the moment. This also means that summer holiday is approaching too. I thought of something which could be beneficial to those who likes travelling. A guide to travel smart.
These days, travelling is not like it used to be. You can’t just grab a few shirts into your luggage and move straight to the airport (Err, of course you can if you have lots of money and time to spare) People are getting more affluent and hence travel more often. There are a few points to take note like the crowd, accomodation and etc.
Based on my experience last time when I travel to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Macau (You can read my previous post entries here), I feel that there are some points worth taking before you go for your trip.
Here are a few points:
1) The Internet preparation
If you are unsure where to spend your vacation, you can surf the Internet and visit the airlines’ or travel package websites. They often offer travel trips. One such website is Contiki. There are travel tips about beach resorts, heritage sites and sometimes you can even customise your trip.
2) Travel Insurance
Before you travel, make sure you purchase decent travel insurance. Trust me, you should get one so that you have less things to worry during your trip. If you travel often, get a yearly plan or something similar. This is from my own experience; my camera was damaged during my China trip. Luckily the insurance covers damages to my personal belongings. So, the repair cost was fully covered. It’s not cheap though, about one sixth of my camera price.
3) Avoid Peak Season
It’s always advisable to avoid holidaying during peak seasons unless you really want to join the crowd, pay extra for accomodations and restaurants. I prefer to go when the crowd isn’t there so that I can take nice scenery photos.
4) Pack Light
Get a good cardigan (if cold destination), miniature toiletries (get those travel pack), some clothes. Tell yourself that if you need anything else, you can always buy it later. But one MOST IMPORTANT thing; pack along some medications. You’ll never know when you need ‘em especially during emergency.
5) Luggage Space
To iterate point 4, save a considerable amount of luggage space. Bring along a spare foldable bag because you’ll most likely end up on an overseas shopping spree.
6) Holiday promotion
Do keep an eye on joint airline-hotel promotions. You can save quite a lot on that. Do book your hotel well in advance and confirm your reservations a few days before arrival. Print a copy of the e-mail confirmation. You don’t want to end up sleeping at the train station or airport.
7) Safety personal purse/bag
Don’t keep all your money in your wallet neither do you keep them at your luggage bag. Keep with you at all times. There is something like personal purse where you hang around your neck inside your inner clothing. You can keep your passport there too. When you need more cash, just go to the washroom.
8 ) Camera
Do remember to bring along your good camera. I’m sure there are a lot of photos to take during your trip. If you don’t mind carrying slighly more, you can bring a tripod along. It’ll be very handy when you cannot find people to take photo for you. A long battery life and additional memory will be a plus.
That’s all I can think of for now. Oh ya, when you plan your trip, draft out your route. When you reach the destinations, there are usually maps and brochures available at airports. It’ll be very handy. Hope these tips are useful. Have an enjoyable trip everyone!!