OUR TOP TIPS FOR TRAVEL
- Full Steam Ahead Travel
- Apr 4, 2024
- 7 min read
Over the years we have gained experience that now means we have strategies, some of which are firmly entrenched, that allow us to be more methodical in our approach before we leave.
Along the way mistakes have been made, but these have made us wiser and more confident in many aspects.
The following tips could be of use to you too to help you make better equipped decisions before your trip!!
We always endeavour to learn some phrases in the native tongue of the country we are visiting. Even if it's only the basics such as ordering food, asking for directions or where the toilet is, locals will appreciate the effort and it's a great way to be more interactive. Not everyone speaks English!
2. Travel insurance
This may sound obvious, which it is, but it's imperative to get the right insurance cover for your trip. For example, if you are intending to do some water-skiing, standard insurance isn't likely to incorporate this, so in this instance it would be necessary to find an insurance policy that would cover this aspect.
We usually book our flights and then assess whether we need to include an extra suitcase afterwards. Whether we do or not depends on our destination and the season. Lisbon at New Year for four nights, meant that a fifteen kilogram suitcase was a necessity, whereas Ljubljana for three nights in the summer only required our carry on rucksacks due to less clothing needed. Less luggage equates to a less expensive flight, but we have seen other passengers on different flights having their luggage measured (in those contraptions at the gate desk that make us nervous just to think of as their dimensions always seem impossibly low!), and consequently charged a hefty extra cost for breaching the size parameters for their baggage. Think ahead!
As stated in our Bilbao blog, we often try and book hotels that include breakfast. A room with breakfast is likely to be more expensive than just a room, but you can usually eat as much as you like and that will satisfy our appetites until well into the day (unless pinxtos or other local delicacies present themselves!). In addition to this, some hotels might offer shuttle services to and from the airport, early/ late check in facilities, a restaurant and bar or even organise excursions, all of which could be of benefit and convenience. In Lisbon, our friends' hotel had a very impressive New Year's Eve dinner and party laid on if guests chose to partake in it.
5. Get some local currency in cash
As discovered in several cities, debit/credit cards aren't always accepted, which shouldn't really be surprising, even in twenty twenty four. How developed a country's economy is can often determine the likelihood of your card being taken as a method of payment for goods and services. Examples of recent trips where our cards were either rendered redundant or difficult to find a proprietor that accepted them, are Cuba and Cape Verde. With this in mind, having various denominations of local currency could be necessary, even in European nations.
For safety reasons it's not advisable to be walking around with large sums of cash on your person, but if kept in a money belt, money being in your possession is far better protected. As well as cash being vital for purchases in the aforementioned countries, if you're buying souvenirs or food on the street from informal vendors, or wanting to tip for service in a restaurant, cash can sometimes be king wherever you are.
6. Uber app
This tip will likely save you money in larger cities where transport is necessary, as they are, in our experience, cheaper than on-the-street cabs. Public transport is even more cost effective but isn't always the most convenient option due to time constraints, a language barrier or having the knowledge of navigating timetables and systems.
Uber, or an equivalent taxi app, will enable you to know how long you will wait, how much your journey will cost and will usually collect you from wherever you like. They're also safe for peace of mind and, once you've downloaded the app, you can use it anywhere that the Uber service exists.
7. Base your trip on your interests
The reasons why people choose a destination varies from person to person. For us the factors usually revolve around the culture, places of interest, the history which encompasses an old town and, increasingly, a well recognised food and drink scene. Bilbao has many virtues but the pinxto aspect was a big sway.
As we've matured as travellers, we've also put more emphasis on trying to seek out places that could be considered to be off the beaten track, such as Albania and Cape Verde last year. Seldom is anywhere a destination that someone you know won't have already visited, but some are less well trodden paths than others.
8. Find out what's on during the time you intend on being there
It would be remiss not to check if there is something major occurring whilst you want to be visiting your destination. If there is, for example, a festival of some description that attracts people from far and wide, this could be an advantage or a disadvantage for you. If you feel this will enhance your experience, then venturing there when the festival is on, would be great. Taking this into account, though, you might want to book your flights well in advance to avoid upwardly spiralling costs.
However, you might not want to contend with the additional number of people at festival time, the potential for increased accommodation costs, less availability in everything from tables in restaurants to rooms in hotels, as well as more expensive flights driven by extra demand.
We have been regular attendees at the highly recommended Cork City Jazz Festival over the years, so always look to book flights six months prior.
9. Have a loose itinerary but allow time for adhoc exploration
Most people will have a reason why they're going on holiday to a particular destination, and within that will have some specific sights, attractions or landmarks they'd like to see. So, based on that, making an itinerary of what you'd like to see could be useful. An instance where a little more research would've benefitted our itinerary was while visiting the Basilica in Bilbao. The Basilica was the reward for a fair trek upwards into the hills, but unbeknown to us, it had closed for the day to visitors not long beforehand. It didn't ruin our day but it would've been nice to see inside.
That said, we try not to be too regimented with our travel schedule because we like to have time factored in for ad hoc exploration. Something unexpected might catch our attention (we are always hoping for this as it's one of the beauties of travel!), and we like to wander without the pressure of having to tick off a host of things and feeling like we didn't achieve what we set out to do if we don't.
10. Book excursions in advance
This isn't necessarily always the best option, but if you want to secure a spot on an excursion that you've always wanted to do, booking beforehand is advisable. It can also transpire to be cheaper to do so.
That said, there have been occasions for us where we've booked an activity online prior to leaving the UK, only to find that you can haggle locals down whilst there.
11. Book accommodation based on proximity to what you want to see
By doing this, you're likely to be more centrally located. Accommodation in such areas might cost a little more than on the periphery, but you if the sights or whatever you want to see in the city are close to where you're staying, you won't need to pay extra for transport costs. The step count will be boosted too!
12. Early inbound/ late outbound flights
For us, time is precious, so we like to book flights that enable us to stretch out our trip to the maximum. Early morning flights on the way and late afternoon/ early evening flights coming home are what we aim for. Granted, this may not always fit in with certain permutations, but if they are feasible, they can also work out cheaper, especially the earliest flight available in the day. Yes, this entails an early rise to catch the flight but for us that is offset by the fact that we're excited about being on holiday and seeing as much as we can, plus, if you get an evening flight into a country, you'll be paying for a night's stay in a hotel without the benefit of seeing where you are for that day.
13. Make copies of documents, eg passports
In the unfortunate event of you losing your passport, having a photocopy of this could be the difference between you catching your flight on time or not. At the very least it will make a visit to the embassy a much swifter affair.
Also, a print out of your flight tickets would be prudent if you lost your phone and you're a traveller who tends to have all of your documents on your device. If you're not solo travelling, ensure that you've emailed flight tickets between each other.
14. Remember medication/supplements
Although this might seem obvious, this is a mistake we've fallen foul of previously. Medication for some people is essential so mustn't be forgotten, however vitamin/ mineral supplements etc might not be as apparent in your pre-trip planning. They are now in-built into our thinking and we always bring a few extra of each supplement in case of delays (which have afflicted us!)
15. Invest in a bumbag!
Regardless of its reputation for safety, nowhere is immune from the common pickpocket! Indeed, some destinations carry more of a risk than others, but the fact is that if you're visiting somewhere new or that you're not overly familiar with, you could be a target. Pickpockets' methods normally mean you don't even realise you've been robbed. A bumbag for essential belongings, or better still something similar like a money belt, greatly decreases your chances of being a target and the distress this would cause!
