Especially if you have never traveled much before or not yet, you will make a lot of travel mistakes. When I started traveling, I did pretty much everything wrong you could do wrong.

It is common that travel mistakes are something that’s impossible to avoid. But there are a lot of travel mistakes that lead to wasted money, lost time, and missed opportunities.

So, learning the hard way is not the ideal way to avoid travel mistakes in the future. Therefore in this blog post I am sharing some of the things you shouldn’t do during your trip, so you’ll be traveling cheaper, smarter, and longer.

Traveling with a suitcase instead of a backpack

If there’s one thing I’ve learned during my travels, it’s definitely: Travel with a backpack instead of a suitcase. Both are incredibly heavy, no question but a backpack can sometimes be transported easier than a suitcase. Especially when it’s a lot uphill or downhill, you’ll notice that a heavy suitcase can take up your powers quite a bit more then a backpack. In addition, many hostels or accommodation do not have a lift. With a backpack on the back, the many steps to your room can usually be mastered easier than with a suitcase.

Living on social media during your holiday

Of course, you want to post all the beautiful photos you take every day on social media. But Instagram, Facebook and Co are not going to run away from you. Try to put your phone away and enjoy the moment. You probably won’t come back to these beautiful places so soon. So try to soak in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of your holiday not through the lens of a phone.

You can still post your pictures in the evening just before bedtime or a few days later when you are waiting for your next flight at the airport. It’s also safer if you hang back with your posts a few days. So no one can track your exact location.

For more safety tips during your travels, please read my blog post Solo Travel Safety Tips.

Staying on the beaten path

Don’t try to do what everybody else does. Don’t try to follow the crowd and visit one tourist attraction after the next. It’s one of the biggest travel mistakes you can do. Because these places are usually crowded with people, cameras and mobile phones. Finding a place in the water at the waterfall will be hard, because someone will always step on your feet.
Instead, try to listen to the tips of the locals or just explore the area on your own without having a goal in mind. So you will have your own experiences and not experience what everyone else has done anyway. The most beautiful experiences and adventures are hidden off the beaten path.

Booking Tours instead of exploring on your own

The same rule applies to tourist tours. Of course, it’s easier to book a tour and let someone else organise everything, but organising your days and your trip yourself should be part of the experience. With a tour group you only have a set time at the places and you can’t stay longer if you like.
Besides, you arrive at times in places where everyone is there. Therefore, the places are overcrowded with tourists. If you do your route without a tour, you will also have the opportunity to visit the tourist hotspots early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the tourist crowds.

Not Printing A Copy of Everything

Nothing should be more important to you than your passport. Because without it, it will be impossible for you to leave the country you are in. But no matter how well you take care of your documents, there’s always a chance you’ll lose something. In order to still be able to identify yourself, it makes sense to have a copy of everything with you. This also speeds up the process of applying for a new passport, for example. It makes even more sense to scan the documents and send them to yourself by email. You can always access your email account, not just from your own phone.

Not backing up photos

Especially if you are in different places every day, sharing a room with several people, or staying in large crowds of people, it can happen very quickly that you lose your phone or camera. So get used to regularly backing up your pictures to a hard drive or to places like Google Drive. It would be a shame if all your beautiful photos and memories were lost.

Not notifying the bank that you will be overseas

Before you start your journey, you should definitely inform your bank that you will be abroad. A lot of banks will spot the use of your credit or debit card overseas as „unusual activity“ and put a hold on it. So if you suddenly find yourself alone in a foreign country without access to your account, it can become a very big problem.

Packing too much

Everyone will certainly have experienced it before, that you have once again packed much more than you actually need for your holiday. But especially when traveling, all the luggage you don’t actually need will be a huge burden. You will need to change your hostel or accommodation every few days or regularly run long distances to the nearest bus stop. The heavier your luggage is and the more you carry with you, the more nerve-racking and exhausting your journey becomes. So try to limit yourself to the bare minimum of luggage.

Not Reading Reviews

It’s not all gold that shines. The pictures of the accommodation you want to book may look so nice and the description of the tour may promise so much. If this does not correspond to reality in the end, you will be bitterly disappointed. Besides, you’re wasting a lot of time and money.
Therefore, always read the reviews of your hotels, tours, transportation options, etc. It will save you from a lot of disappointments and bad decisions.

Using a bank card where you have to pay fees

Nothing will cost you more money, then the constant fees you have to pay to your bank every time you make a payment. In the beginning, 3% more with a $5 payment may not seem much to you, but in the long run it will make itself felt in your bank account.
Therefore, check with your bank beforehand what options you have to avoid the fees. In addition, there are also many banks that offer free overseas payments.

Plan too much in Advance

At the beginning it may sound super relaxed to have your entire trip planned and booked for the day and not have to worry about anything during your trip. But trust me, it’s one of the worst travel mistakes you can do.
Especially when traveling, your plans change every day: you meet people with whom you would like to spend more time, you arrive in places where you feel uncomfortable and want to leave as soon as possible, but your next flight doesn’t leave for 5 days…  And then you have to rebook your entire trip. And believe me, this is far more difficult than being spontaneous and open to new adventures that you may not have seen coming in the beginning.

Not Checking the Voltage & Plugs

Each country has its own sockets. Imagine you arrive in Australia after a long journey with an empty cell phone battery and your charging cable does not fit into the socket.
So find out before your trip, which kind of plug and voltage each country uses. There are also worldwide adapters that fit the sockets in almost every country. You can also charge up to four or five devices at the same time.

Not Checking Visa Requirements for Each Country

Each country has its own entry rules. So be sure to check beforehand which visa you need for your stay and whether you have to apply for it in advance. Many countries offer tourists the visa on arrival. This may sound easy at first, but sometimes you have to apply online in advance.
Therefore, research at least one week before your arrival which visa you need and how to get it. This saves you a lot of stress at the airport.

Only using one credit card

It is not uncommon for credit cards to be stolen or lost while traveling and you have to block your credit card. If the only credit card you carry is then blocked, you will no longer have access to your money. So always have two accounts for emergencies, so you won’t be without money anywhere.

Not Having Local Currency on You

In European countries or Australia, you won’t necessarily need cash. But it makes sense to always have some cash with you.
In other countries like Asia, credit cards are not really established yet, so you have to pay pretty much everything with cash.
Even if you are often discouraged from withdrawing cash at the airport due to the high fees, it may make sense to withdraw a few dollars in cash there. For example, you won’t have any problems getting to your accommodation if the taxi drivers only accept cash.

Not Buying Insurance

If you don’t want your trip to end in a total disaster, then you definitely need travel insurance. In particular, you should invest a little money in liability insurance, health insurance and luggage insurance. At the latest, if your expensive camera is lost or you break your leg and need surgery, you’ll be grateful if you don’t have to pay the heavy bill yourself.

Booking flights too close together

It will happen again and again that flights are delayed or you are stuck in security for longer than expected during a stopover. If you have very little time between your flight and your connecting flight, you will quickly get nervous if your flight does not take off at the specified time or if you have to wait longer than expected for your baggage.
So plan at least three to four hours between your flights to save yourself a lot of stress.

Forget to calculate time zones into your trip

Never forget time zones! Especially when you book a connecting flight, taxi or bus, pay attention to what time you book it. If you expect the wrong time, you may miss your connecting flight. Avoid such travel mistakes by always considering time zones when you’re planning your flights.

Trying to do too much in a short time

8 Countrys in 8 Days may sound good at the beginning but it can also count to the biggest travel mistakes you can do. Try to take enough time for each country and place and explore everything in detail, instead of wanting to do too much in too little time. Maybe you’ll have to postpone a few things for your next trip. But those who just try to check everything as quickly as possible and rush from one place to the next will never really get to know the country and the adventure.

Not enjoying the moment

Life is now! Don’t think about tomorrow, your next destination, all the things that are still on your to do list… All these things can wait. Try to be in the moment! Put your phone away, don’t look at your watch, just enjoy life for a minute. Jump into that water and get your shoes wet (they will dry), have that random conversation with the stranger you will never see again and climb up this hill even if it‘s super exhausting… You won’t regret it.

For more tips for your trip please read my blogpost 26 amazing travel hacks for everyone.