We all love to travel. After all, travel broadens the mind, relaxes the body, and helps build connections with the rest of the World.
Some of us are daredevil travelers who don’t need travel tips, and then some need the tips.
So here is our list of generic travel advice, useful for all kinds of travel & travelers.
Please remember we aren’t trying to suggest that the world is dangerous and you shouldn’t travel.
All we are proposing is to travel safely and get back home safely after your holiday is over.
Travel tips for first-time travelers
These tips are basic common sense – no rocket science at all.
If we have missed any travel advice for people who are stepping out of their homes for the first time, please let us know in the comments section.
1. Get vaccinated for the country of travel
Different countries require different precautions.
Check with your doctor and ask for the recommended medical advice for your destination. Is vaccination needed, or not?
What will the vaccinations be if you need to vaccinate or immunize yourself?
These vaccination requirements change occasionally, so make sure your doctor is counseling you with the most updated/recent health travel tips.
2. Get travel insurance
This is important for all travelers however short or long your travel is.
This is especially important for travelers on adventure travel because the chances of them getting injured are the highest.
You needn’t be on adventure travel to need travel insurance; you can also fall ill and need hospitalization.
Hospital costs can skyrocket in a foreign land, so beware!
Heed our warning, and get travel insurance before you get onto your flight.
3. Keep your money in different places
My father inadvertently gave me this advice when we traveled across the country by train.
He always kept his money in different places (and remembered where he kept it and how much).
Half of his money was in his person and the other half in his luggage.
Even the money in his person was divided and kept in two places.
This is an important travel tip and needs to be taken in the right earnest.
Imagine losing your wallet with all credit cards, ID cards, etc., in a foreign land and not having a single penny to call up your friends.
4. Keep your wallet in the front pocket of your jeans
Many travelers have learned this lesson the wrong way. If you take this hint, you will never part with your money.
Did you know that it is easiest to pickpocket your wallet if it is in the back pocket of your jeans?
If you follow our tip and keep your wallet in the front pocket, it will be very difficult for a pickpocket to take it.
We strongly recommend buying money belts or keeping your wallet in the inside pocket of your jacket or shorts.
5. Remember to glance back
As part of our travels, we will have pit stops – short and long – where we will get into a relaxed mode.
When we leave such pit stops, such as getting up from a table we have been sitting on for an hour or checking out of our hotel rooms, we always glance back to see if we have left something.
This is an important teaching we have learned from travelers before us.
Sticking to this advice may save you the trouble of losing a wallet, jacket, or favorite book.
6. Obey the laws of the land
I learned this from one of my guides. When he took me around China, he said, “Never break the Chinese laws!”
Sometimes your vacations are within your country and sometimes abroad.
If you are traveling in another country, try to understand and respect the local laws.
Never expect to be treated differently just because you are a traveler or a foreigner.
7. Avoid public display of affluence
This is a useful hint for a trouble-free holiday.
Never display your wealth by wearing gold necklaces, rings, or bracelets, wearing costly watches, or carrying expensive cameras.
Public display of affluence during travel can only result in locals getting attracted to your affluence – thus leading to theft.
This doesn’t mean you should keep your camera inside your bag and not take any photos during your travels.
It just means that you keep your camera inside your bag when you are not using your camera.
8. For adventure travel, check the quality of instructors
If you will do a risky activity during your travel, check how qualified the instructors are.
This is a very important travel input about life and death.
A faulty switch here, a loose wire there, or an uncertified instructor can lead you to grievous injury or death, so please be careful.
If you are unsure, getting help from other travelers or locals is better.
9. Don’t leave your belongings unattended
Again, this travel tip was learned from my father.
Whenever he was waiting in a public place, he used to hold his belongings, or he would have the bag’s strap around his legs or the suitcase touching his legs.
So that if anybody picked it up, he would be alerted.
Many people don’t follow this simple suggestion and lose their valuables.
If the bag/luggage is small enough, you can keep it in your lap, which is the safest place.
Travel can be tiring, but that doesn’t mean you return home empty-handed after losing your things.
Recommended Reading
1. How to save money while traveling
2. How to convince your partner, husband, or wife to travel with you
10. Don’t trust strangers easily
As a traveler, you will meet many locals who want to help you.
We wouldn’t want to scare you and say that all locals are out to get you, but we recommend you be on the lookout for troublemakers.
For this, you should rely on your six senses.
This is also an important travel tip because you don’t want to lose all your belongings and be stranded in a foreign land.
Google and find out if popular traveler scams are being reported in the country where you plan to travel and be aware of them.
Try Lonely Planet as well, for they have a good section.
11. Don’t put up a fight when mugged
Here is an idea – try to stay alive to get back home.
When mugged, never put up a fight, for it can mean the difference between life and death.
We counsel you always to give up your belongings when you are mugged.
As you will agree, your money and cards are far less important than your life.
Hint: If you have insurance, they are replaceable as well.
12. Don’t give alms to beggars
This is a very important recommendation, and not listening to this travel tip exposes your wallet or purse to a beggar.
If you decide to give alms, you will open your wallet (or purse), and the beggar who has nothing to lose can snatch it and run away.
Being a tourist, you won’t know your way around as well and won’t be able to chase them down.
In short, don’t give away money to people on the street.
Of course, you can help them if you want. One tip we can give you is to take the beggar to a restaurant and buy him (or her) food.
You can also donate some money to a charity at your travel destination.
13. No credit cards at browsing centers/Internet cafes
In many countries, Internet cafes or browsing centers are the only way to access the Internet.
Our travel tip is to use your mobile for all your internet needs.
If you don’t have that option, the least you can do is NOT use your credit card in Internet cafes.
Computers in Internet cafes may have software that logs keystrokes, exposing your credit card number to fraud.
This lesson, which many have learned the hard way, can save you from huge financial headaches.
14. Don’t play with stray animals
It is very tempting to pat or play with stray animals such as dogs, cats, or monkeys, but I strongly advise against it because they may be carriers of diseases.
This travel tip may help save your fingers or calf muscles from angry dogs.
15. Stay in touch with family & friends
It may not look cool, but share your itinerary with your family or friends – at least one of them- so they are aware of your whereabouts.
This is a key life-saving travel tip that comes in handy in situations we can’t imagine.
Recommended Reading
1. Avoid getting robbed while traveling overseas
2. Safe places in Asia for solo travelers
3. Tips to save money to travel the world
