Today's Art Planet Tour will give you 10 Travel mistakes that can ruin your trip, for this list we're looking at avoidable blunders that could ruin a travel vacation.
1.Visiting During Peak Season
There
are some places you don't want to visit during certain seasons,
minnesota is a summer paradise but lake minnetonka is only good for
classic ice fishing during the winter, conversely phoenix arizona is a
great place to escape the snow during the winter but summers are brutal,
traveling during a peak season can also backfire however, you will
probably find out that a lot of tourists have the same idea as you
booking their trips when the weather is at its nicest and the most
activities are available with such large crowds your experience may be
spoiled by lengthy lines and fewer resources to go around it's best to
travel between peak season and the off-season when the weather is solid
and the crowds are less overwhelming,
2.Failing To Check Visa And Passport Requirements
If
you're used to traveling within the confines of your own country you
likely have little experience with visas or passports but you can have
your flight booked be ready to board the plane and then get turned away
because you overlook the visa or passport requirements, you may also
land at your destination but then run into problems with immigration
because you don't have the proper credentials you need to keep track of
expiration dates well in advance, if the expiration is just around the
corner you might assume you're solid if you're only staying in a country
for a week even with that short window though a lot of countries won't
accept passports that are set to expire in six months or less
3. Not Confirming Luggage Rules
There
are some forbidden items that most people have the good sense not to
pack in their carry-on however you might be surprised by some of the
things that can't be brought on board airports are especially picky
about liquids and gels, often making travellers discard large quantities
before passing security while water and shampoo bottles aren't a huge
loss what if you purchased a tall expensive bottle of wine you wanted to
save for future occasions, you should be able to check it assuming the
bottle doesn't exceed the 70 alcohol limit, there are also items that
are accepted in some countries but aren't allowed to travel overseas
this ranges from certain fruits to vegetables to plants to gold coins
and even to pet fair
4. Picking The Wrong Activities
Whether
it's italy china or hollywood you might find yourself asking what the
fuss is all about if you don't select the right activities you're primed
to assume the leaning tower of pisa the forbidden city and the walk of
fame are must visits because they're on the travel brochures however
many hot spots wind up being crowded repetitive and over-hyped in some
cases you'll spend more time simply getting to a tourist hotspot than
you'll spend at the destination itself seek out activities that might
not be on everyone's radar or that will appeal to you the most you
shouldn't feel obligated to do something just because all the other
tourists are the best destinations will offer enough variety to appeal
to everybody
5. Over Scheduling
It's
always good to travel with a schedule but even that can backfire when
you're in a place for the first time odds are you'll feel compelled to
see as much as humanly possible no matter how meticulously you plan
things out though transport delays unexpected weather and flaky travel
companions are hard to account for even if you check off everything on
your to-do list you might find yourself rushing to get activities done
to make time for others and thus not fully experiencing everything if
your trip mainly consists of crossing items off your itinerary it'll
feel less like a vacation and more like being back at work save some
activities for your next trip and on occasion put the schedule on hold
to just go with the flow
6. Not Getting Medical Or Travel Insurance
When
you buy a car you want it for the long haul so getting, so getting
insurance should be a given when you're taking a trip though travel
insurance might sound like a needless expenditure after all you'll only
be gone for like a week but that would be a huge mistake a lot can go
wrong in that short amount of time you could lose your bags your
passport could get cancelled at the last minute and your credit card
might not be accepted in certain places worst of all you could come down
with an illness making medical insurance especially vital the further
you travel the more essential insurance is younger travellers really do
need to keep this in mind and not skimp on this essential protection
7. Not Checking Flight Times Dates Or Airports
Getting
to the right airport on the right day at the right time sounds simple
enough right but we're only human it's easy to get the flight time mixed
up with the boarding time you may arrive under the impression that your
flight is taking off at 7 00 am only to suddenly realize that you
purchased the ticket for 7 p.m a specific departure date might be etched
into your consciousness but it's not uncommon to accidentally book the
flight for another day big cities such as los angeles are likely to have
more than one airport few things are more frustrating than taking a
taxi to burbank when you're supposed to be at lax consult your itinerary
a few times before leaving the house
8. Over Packing
Even
when you're traveling you want to feel at home so we can't blame you
for wanting to pack everything you use on a regular basis when you're
gone for only a week though there are many items you can do without you
can probably go without a hairdryer for example if you're camping at
yellowstone national park we get wanting to be prepared for anything but
an overpacked bag will just slow you down literally if you pack your
carry-on luggage to the brim it might not fit in the plane's overhead
compartment or under the seat and then you'll have to check it at the
last minute which can ruin your whole trip if the airline loses the bag
so you end up bringing everything and winding up with nothing
9. Not Accounting For Time Between Connections
Unless
you have no alternative to find a great deal we'd suggest avoiding
connecting flights when at all possible not only does it add more steps
to your journey but layovers can go wrong in so many ways if you have a
half hour between flights it might sound ideal however delays can turn
that half hour window into 20 minutes and then 10 minutes and then you
miss your flight entirely and the connecting flight may not be at the
same gate where you landed either you could rush all the way across the
airport only to find that your next flight already took off stuck
between your home and desired destination you may wind up spending the
night in another state or even another country before we get to our top
pick here are a few honorable mentions letting your phone roam not
securing shampoo lids not letting your bank and credit card company know
your travel plans wearing uncomfortable shoes.
10. Forgetting Essential Items
Sometimes it only takes one misplaced item to make an entire trip implode at airports be sure to have your driver's license or another valid form of id if you're traveling out of the country double triple check that you have your passport it's not like a boarding pass that you can print out at the airport or download on your phone speaking of which in a digital era your phone is the last thing you want to forget or lose while traveling aside from having your flight info your phone might be the only way for you to access emails reservations and even currency at least for those who have gone completely digital on top of all that you won't be able to call anybody to let them know what's happened.