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Travel is a trend that is catching up fast. Social media is filled with people showing us different exotic locations to travel to. Even doctors have started recommending travelling as a perfect remedy for perturbed souls. But most of us have no clue how to get started.
Following are some tips that you can follow if you have recently discovered your passion for travelling:
Start Easy
If this is the first time you are about to leave home for an international trip, you must not get over-ambitious. Sure it will be great to climb a huge mountain or travel to a far off island but you must carefully analyse whether the plan is executable or not. As it is your first time, it may help to select a destination which is easy to access and travel around.
Sort out your Phone
If you have an unlocked smartphone you can make the most of it by putting in a local SIM card. It can be of great assistance to you while travelling as you can access the internet with greater speeds and at reduced costs.
Luggage
Unless the activities you want to participate in require you to carry a lot of bulky gear with you, you should avoid carrying too much luggage. Big suitcases are certainly not worth the trouble and the same is true for hybrid backpacks or rolly bags. Travelling with minimum but necessary items gives you greater freedom to move around.
You should not carry more than a week’s worth of clothes. Unless you are planning a wild expedition into the mountains, deserts or jungles you will get the necessary provisions to do your own laundry.
Gear
You should make a list of things you simply cannot live without. Now it wouldn’t help to include a hundred things on the list but those that are absolutely important for you. If you are fond of clicking photographs a camera becomes an important item. If you like listening to music, headphones are something you will make space for no matter how cramped your bag is.
The important thing to remember when packing is that you may have to give up on the urge to pack everything. The most common thought that enters our mind when packing is ‘what if I need this too?’ We give into the thought and the next thing we know we have a human sized bag on our shoulders. If you are carrying many electronics you should aim to keep your luggage under 30 pounds. If there are few electronics you should set the limit at 25.
Cloud Data and Apps
If you have been clicking photographs you may want to take regular backups. If your gadget meets with an unforeseen incident, such as theft or water damage, you may lose out on a lot of important data. Not only are cloud backups an efficient storage technique but they are also cheap and easy to use.
Applications like Google Photos takes automatic backups of the pictures you click provided an internet connection is available. You should look for similar applications which can be extremely helpful during your travels. One such useful app when travelling in a foreign country is Google Translate. It offers you the option to download foreign languages which can then be used without an internet connection. You may also want to download offline maps as they can be a great and helpful tool when navigating through streets you’ve never walked down before.
It is also a good idea to be connected with your world even when you are away from it. By using applications such as Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook etc. you can give important updates about your movement. If you are a solo-traveller being connected with your friends and family gives you the mental strength to keep going. It may also relieve your friends and family of the anxiety that they could be experiencing regarding your whereabouts.
Accommodation
Most people refrain from travelling as they believe that accommodation alone can place a dent in their pockets. But one doesn’t necessarily have to spend a lot to find good places to stay. AirBnB offers cheap and affordable accommodation options in nearly every country on Earth. You can also try local hostels as they offer us the opportunity to meet new people.
But remember, travelling is all about making memories, not just taking photos. If you dream of seeing the world or seeking adrenaline from the non day to day things, yet cant afford to go exploring the world right now, try your hand at a fun activity centre instead!