Off the Grid: Avoid These 5 Travel Mistakes or Else
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the reason is that we’re stupid and make bad decisions. This is true for life in general as well as travel. While away from home, we often self-impose our own misery.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little discipline, self-confidence and homework, you can bypass the following mistakes—the most common travel blunders with the resulting negative consequences.
Following the Herd
Look, there’s nothing inherently wrong with herds. People are social creatures after all. But there is a problem with falling in line because everyone else is doing it. Repeating this mistake usually leads to meaningless adventures and annoying crowds that limit your ability to experience landmarks, cultures and attractions. By all means, don’t let the herd keep you from seeing things that matter to you—worthwhile tourist traps very much included. But wherever you go, go with all your heart. And if at all possible, book your tips in the off-season.
Over-scheduling
As mentioned before, over-scheduling is problematic for three reasons. 1) It’s exhausting and being exhausted usually isn’t fun. 2) It implies that if we hurry, we can see and do it all (hint: we never will). 3) It limits our ability to call an audible and explore the world in spontaneous ways, something that can’t be done if our mornings, afternoons and nights are always pre-determined. Since most over-schedule, it’s better to err on the side of under-scheduling. So plan on accomplishing only one or two things in an entire day, then adding side-missions as you feel like it.