Travel is one of the most fundamental ways we open our minds and unwind, but it’s not without its difficulties. Too often are our adventures hampered by unexpected issues, the totality of which can serve to harm the overall experience. Drawing from common obstacles, we want to investigate where these lie. What steps can be taken to mitigate future risks, and which little things can add up to something more?
Ensure a Backup for Necessities
We’ve mostly enjoyed good fortunes when it comes to necessities and travel, but it only takes one bad day or broken item to completely throw a plan out of alignment. One of the most common problems we’ve seen in this regard is with damaged or misplaced smaller items, such as glasses.
For this example, finding professional repair or replacement in a new city or rural area can be difficult, or impossible. Protecting against such issues can be as simple as stocking up with alternatives, such as buying contacts online before you leave. Whether you’re going for a week or months, planning can prove a godsend, and in some cases, disposable replacements can be even more useful in rugged experiences than more strictly long term items.
Download Offline Maps
Traveling before the age of mobile maps was, to put it diplomatically, a nightmare. Unfortunately, today’s systems aren’t flawless, with the best like Google Maps often requiring active connections to stay accurate. To combat this, work with the understanding that internet outages are inevitable, even if they aren’t, and shore yourself up with downloaded maps.
There is a range of different software available to accomplish this goal, all of which can work fine with just GPS. As GPS works by a different set of systems that internet data, a solid signal to the sky is all you’ll need to always know where you are. Whether in a new city at night or in the wilderness, offline maps are a must.
Learn a Few Words
With translation software so powerful today, it can be tempting to completely ignore learning some key phrases to save time. However, just this small difference in learning when you don’t strictly need to can set you on a different level than the average tourist.
Hello, thank you, yes please, no thanks, many of these simple words can help ingratiate you to the locals on a different level than a standard tourist. This is always helpful but can be even more so if you intend to stay in one place for a few days or more. More than once we’ve had locals warm up to our efforts, which can not only generate a more authentic experience but can also occasionally pay off in terms of favoritism and special deals.
Be Prepared to be Caught Off-guard
No matter how well you prepare for travel or a trip, there will always be something about your destination that you didn’t account for. Whether it’s humidity, the crowdedness, the smells, or how you’re treated, there will always be something for which we didn’t consider. It may be a cliché, but you always need to expect the unexpected, as oxymoronic as that sounds. Give yourself time, realize your opportunities to learn, and your experience will be all the better for it.
Photo by Rana Sawalha on Unsplash
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