How to Travel Smart

Traveling to a new place can be an incredible or even life-changing experience, but preparing for your journey isn’t always so fun. Thankfully, there are a number of tips and techniques you can use to save money, cut down on pre-trip stress, and ensure your travels go as smoothly as possible.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Planning for the Trip

1. Plan your trip during off seasons to save money. Once you know your travel destination, search online to find out when its primary tourist seasons are. Businesses increase their prices during these times, so try to schedule your trip during the remaining parts of the year. Off seasons will vary by location, but some common ones include:^[1]
   
   • Times of the year when there’s a lot of rain.
   • Seasons where there’s a higher chance of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters.
   • The weeks immediately after major travel holidays like Christmas.
2. Create a travel budget to keep your costs down. To make the most of your trip, create a full travel budget that breaks down how much money you can spend on transportation, lodging, food, entertainment, and miscellaneous purchases. When you’re finished, add at least 10% to your budget to account for unexpected fees and emergencies.^[2]
   
   • Visit https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ to find out how much various goods and services cost at your travel destination.^[3]
3. Get physical copies of any important documents you’ll need for your trip. These documents may include your government ID, passport, travel visa, health insurance card, and travel tickets. If necessary, apply for new copies of any documents that you can’t find or have already expired.^[4]
   
   • Some document applications take a long time to process, so apply for them as far in advance as possible.
4. Inform your bank of your upcoming trip. A week or 2 before you take off, contact whichever bank you have a credit or debit card with and let them know about your trip. This keeps them from putting unnecessary holds on your account.
   
   • If you’re traveling abroad, see if your bank charges foreign transaction fees. If so, ask if they offer a special card for travelers that waives these charges.^[5]
5. Check online for international travel advisories if you’re going abroad. Before heading to a new nation, check your country’s state department website to see if there are any travel advisories listed for your trip destination. If there are, take any necessary precautions recommended by the website.
   

[Edit]Finding Transportation and Lodging

1. Buy your transit tickets early to get the best prices. If you’re taking a plane, train, ocean liner, or other form of public transportation, try to buy your tickets as early as possible. Most transit tickets go up in price over time, so purchasing early helps you lock in a cheaper rate.^[6]
   
   • To save even more money, try booking your transportation during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or another flash sale.
2. Make hotel reservations early to ensure you get a room. Unlike with transit tickets, hotel prices go down over time, meaning you’ll often get the best rates if you reserve a room right before your trip. However, booking your room early ensures that you don’t run into any availability issues that could throw your whole journey off course.
   
3. Compare prices online to find the best deals. Before purchasing airline tickets or making hotel reservations, visit price comparison websites to see how much different companies charge for their services. In many cases, you’ll find a better deal that will open up additional funds for the trip itself.^[7]
   
   • Popular comparison websites include Kayak, Fare Compare, and Mobissimo.
   • Some airlines and hotels offer competitive discounts through their official website, so make sure to check there as well.
4. Pay for cancellation insurance in case your plans change. When purchasing your tickets, consider paying a little bit extra to get cancellation insurance. This type of insurance lets you change your trip date without having to buy entirely new tickets.^[8]
   
   • Though it may seem unnecessary at the time, cancellation insurance can be a lifesaver if you run into unexpected personal, work, or school conflicts right before your trip.
   • For hotel reservations that require a down payment, ask about the hotel’s cancellation policy and whether or not there are any cancellation fees.
5. Make use of travel points and other special promotions. If you have leftover frequent flier miles, credit card points, or other promotional rewards, consider cashing them in for your trip. Doing so can help you save a significant amount of money and, depending on the promotion, may introduce you to additional travel options you didn’t know about.^[9]
   
   • Make as many trip purchases as you can using a rewards credit card. This will help you save up points to use down the road.
6. Apply for security pre-check access if you’re traveling by air. Depending on how busy the airport is, you can lose hours waiting in line to receive security clearance. To avoid this, go online before your trip and apply for TSA Pre-Check or your country’s own equivalent program. Though not free, these programs will remove some of the stress involved with traveling.^[10]
   
   • These programs are especially worthwhile if you plan on flying multiple times throughout the year.

[Edit]Packing Your Luggage

1. Bring only the things you need. When deciding what to take on your trip, try to pack items that have at least an 80% chance of being used. This includes things like your major clothing items, personal hygiene products, and important electronics. If you don’t think you’ll use something, leave it at home to make your suitcases lighter and easier to handle.^[11]
   
   • This is especially important if you’re traveling by air since airports have incredibly strict weight requirements.^[12]
2. Pack interchangeable clothing items. Instead of bringing lots of unique outfits, try packing a few interchangeable wardrobe pieces that you can mix and match to create different ensembles. For the best results, bring clothing items that all have similar colors, patterns, or themes.^[13]
   
3. Roll up your casual clothes to save space. When packing casual clothing items like t-shirts, jeans, and pajamas, do not simply throw them into your suitcase. Instead, fold them in half on their longest edge and roll them into tight fabric cylinders. This will prevent creases while opening up additional packing space.^[14]
   
   • Do not use this method with bulkier items like sweaters or fancy items like dresses and blazers.
4. Pack chargers and accessories for your electronic devices. Before leaving, make sure to gather up the chargers, adapters, and batteries necessary to run any electronic devices you’re taking. In addition, grab any memory cards, portable hard drives, and other accessories you expect to use during your travels.^[15]
   
   • Don’t forget to charge your devices the night before you leave!
5. Keep valuable items in your personal bags or pockets. When traveling, make sure to keep extremely valuable items like your phone, computer, wallet, and passport on or near your person at all times. If you let these things leave your sight, you risk the chance of them getting lost or stolen.
   
   • Unless you absolutely have to bring them, leave irreplaceable items like expensive jewelry or family heirlooms at home.
6. Pack snacks to save money during your trip. Depending on where you’re going, affordable food may be a bit hard to come by. You can prepare for this possibility by putting some small, non-perishable snacks in your travel bags.^[16]
   
   • Travel snacks are especially useful when going on long flights and train rides that don’t offer free refreshments.

[Edit]Tips

• To make your planning and booking process easier, consider using an online travel agency like Expedia or Orbitz.
• Splurging on expensive hotels and other luxuries may seem frivolous, but these things often make up for the cost by giving you more for your money.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://travelwiththesmile.com/blog/19-smart-travel-tips/
2. ↑ https://travelwiththesmile.com/blog/19-smart-travel-tips/
3. ↑ https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/
4. ↑ http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/pre-packing-checklist-oct-2008
5. ↑ https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-06-06/how-to-avoid-the-12-biggest-travel-mistakes-you-think-youre-too-smart-to-make/3
6. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/82684
7. ↑ https://travelwiththesmile.com/blog/19-smart-travel-tips/
8. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/82684
9. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/82684
10. ↑ https://www.tsa.gov/precheck
11. ↑ http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/tips/g577/15-ways-to-packing-perfection-16101/
12. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/82684
13. ↑ http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/tips/g577/15-ways-to-packing-perfection-16101/
14. ↑ http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/how-to-pack-in-five-easy-steps
15. ↑ http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/pre-packing-checklist-oct-2008
16. ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/82684

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