Habits of Effective Travelers

One blog post is not enough to share all the effective ways to travel. However, these are some simple tips from the moment you start to plan your trip, till the end of your vacation. Taking a few minutes to plan the small things will not only make your travels more fun, but will also help you stay proactive and stress-free. 

1. Packing Smart - Most people like to carry their whole world with them while traveling. However you might notice the most effective travelers (and travel bloggers) are able to pack a week work of clothing into just a carry-on. Now if that is an ambitious feat for you, try to at least keep it to one check-in bag maximum. You can checkout my travel related posts for in-depth posts. In short the smartest way to pack for me is to carry basics (solid tees and tops) which can be paired jeans, and skirts alike. To add variations, I would suggest layering. (I will be doing an exclusive post on layering in following weeks.)

2. Calling Your Credit Card Company - Inform all your financial institutions (banks, credit card companies, travel insurance) regarding your travel plans so should there be any illegal activities on your account they know you are not in the country. Also, so to that they do not freeze your account for 'unknown location use', especially when traveling internationally.

3. Doing Your Homework - Even if you do not like to plan your trip, and prefer to explore as-you-go, it might be a good idea to do a little research on the destination, so that you know their culture, and lifestyle. Also, it might be a good idea to locate where your country's embassy, police station, etc. are located in case you are traveling to crime sensitive locations. If traveling with kids, find out where the closest convenience store, medical care etc. are too. 

4. Being prepared for security check - At the airport, the TSA security check is an anxiety increaser, but not if you’re prepared. Take off all jewelry, remove all items from pocket, take belt off, all prior to getting in line. Put all of the items in your carry on, and this way, you’re not rushing to remove everything while everyone behind you is waiting on you. It’s the little things that alleviate stress!

5. Building Downtime Into Your Schedule - Often travelers (tourists!?) cramp up their itinerary with too many things-to-do and what was supposed to be a vacation, ends up being even more stressful than daily life. If you are short on time, then you have to make peace with the fact that you cannot see 'everything' there is in the city. Choose what matches your interests the most, and spend sometime (30% of your travel time) relaxing and soaking in the culture, sipping coffee at a local cafes, reading a book by the lake (my favorite), etc.

If you are still looking to indulge in more travel content, you are welcome to checkout my previous travel posts. Or keep up with my adventure by following the tag #TanviOnTheGo on Social Media.