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General Guides

5 Most Common Travel Mistakes to Avoid

by gezielciniz August 30, 2015

Sometimes even most seasoned travellers make these travel mistakes. Though it is easy to avoid them once you know, if you ignore them they have the power to ruin your trip, cause you stress and cost you money. But actually they are very easy to take care of and as your travel embassy it is my job to present you with friendly reminders about them.

These are my list of top five of most common travel mistakes I saw around.

1- Let’s start with a “things we think it is true but it is actually not” example like “Last minute tickets are cheaper”. I have no idea when this was in fact a fact but statistically “chances of your ticket price going down last minute” is a slim one. Usually tickets are cheaper when bought couple of months ago from your travel date, especially true for international flights. Actually there are some research numbers like buying 34 days or 49 days prior are the cheapest time but it changes according to where you are going, date, other circumstances so I don’t think they are even worth using as a general guide. But one thing for sure is that as the date of your travel gets closer likelihood of your ticket prices going down is less than it is going up. And even more, assuming you are a very lucky person and really found a cheap ticket last minute, do check ticket conditions such as what time is it, allowed baggage weight etc., because it is unreal enough that you manage to find a cheap flight last minute, let alone it will be a good flight. Frankly only thing I saw cheap tickets are when airlines made promotions and it is usually months before the flight date. This method can only be helpful if you are, like me, one day planning to do this cool conversation at the airport ticket line; “One way ticket please”, “Umm, sir/madam where to?” “Cheapest and nearest flight please”

2-It is true you can find many alternatives in good prices thanks to increasing number of airlines that compete with each other. But that also means pricing policies differ from one airline to another and that may mean some flight factors are not included in the ticket price. For example allowed luggage weight and in-flight meals are extra things now. So don’t forget to check your flight’s total cost. If your flight price is especially low do check luggage allowances first. Because otherwise, like it happened to me in China, you will need to pay for luggage fee even for a normal one piece of luggage less than 15 kg and that will make your flight cost same as a not so cheap option. Also check your arrival airport because sometimes your cheap flight may land to a further airport which will cost you additional time & money to your hotel and make it not worth the price difference.

3- Don’t be overly optimistic about connecting flight times and never ever book connecting flights in separate tickets/reservations. Seriously this one is very important. If you don’t book your connecting flights in the same booking airlines have no responsibility or what so ever even if you miss your connecting flight due to inbound delays. But if you book them in the same ticket they will have to rebook you in such cases. And while booking them, I know nobody wants to spend extra time at the airport waiting for connection flight but don’t forget to be realistic. If time between your connecting flights is under one hour, think twice. Busy airport lines, big terminals that you may need to cross are likely and even small delays will stress you.

4-Overweight or much more than you need luggage. Best luggage is the lightest. Internet is full of resources on this topic, including couple of my own words, but seriously people don’t underestimate this one. Even if it is just between airport and hotel travelling with stuff you don’t actually need is a burden and it sucks. Get better at preparing your luggage.

5-Over plan your travel itinerary. Yes I know, sometimes you just have a couple of days to discover a city and you want to do as much as possible. But don’t forget travelling is about enjoying the journey and if you don’t give yourself time enough to experience the ambiance, if you are schedule is too busy even for a coffee break or doesn’t allow to drink a second if you feel like it, it is time to reschedule. That kind of itinerary won’t let you truly “see” the city or place wherever you are. Only plan for really must do things and allow flexibility for your trip to truly enjoy it.

August 30, 2015 0 comment

General Guides

Best Luggage is the lightest

by gezielciniz August 4, 2015

written by gezielciniz

Planning travelling is all fun and games until you realize you have to actually decide what to take with you and what to leave behind, and more than once preparing your luggage is a total dread.

A heavy luggage, even if you only need to manage between your home and to your car is troublesome. Best travel luggage is a light luggage (or if possible none but we wish…) Also if your luggage preparation skills are too low believe me it will make your trip miserable as well as it will cost you money. In my first travels I was like a luggage monster, I wouldn’t decide what to leave so I would take much more than necessary with me with never ending ” what if I need these, what if I do that, what if I go there…”. But in time, with real experience and some research I started to be more accurate on assessing “what if” questions of my trip and successfully manage to prepare my luggage for the occasion in couple of hours and even if it is multiple countries over 2 weeks trips I can handle it with just cabin size luggage and a small backpack. And that small backpack, it is usually empty to make space for what I’m about to return from my trip.

Gotta admit, lots of my experience comes from not only my causal trips but my business trips as well. Sometimes I can prepare a one week luggage under 10 minutes and then I kind of feel awkward wondering since as awesome as it sounds, it also feels a bit lonesome because it shows leaving home frequently and that’s not always a good thing.

So anyway, don’t say I can never travel with a light luggage and hear me out. Seriously best luggage is the lightest. But there maybe a point where you have to put that third pair of shoes inside and we will get to that, don’t worry 😉

*First of all, start with a small luggage, preferably cabin sized. Start as if you can only take this size with you as it would raise level of your answer to “Do I really need this with me” question higher. You can always go to one bigger size but if you start with the bigger size you are gonna end up filling it without noticing.

*Do not forget to leave space for what you might buy on your travels. If your luggage has no space even for another pair of socks, either go one size up or take a backpack with you. Buying backpack/luggage on your travel is also an option but do you really need/have space for yet another luggage where you can effectively handle it before. And you may not found one you like it or you may found it far more expensive than you would like. I usually go with small luggage and half empty backpack. This way I don’t stress about if I have space for my new city shirts or mugs in my luggage.

*Put these in a small separate part of your luggage or in a small bag; band aid, painkillers, antiseptic cream, sun cream (yes even in winter you should put on), and any other drugs that you need to take daily.

*Before starting packing, you have to look up how weather is going to be during your travel. Choose your clothes according to the forecasts. Packing lightweight things that you can wear layer by layer are always a good idea.

*Your luggage main ingredient will be clothes. So do not just fold them and put inside! There are different ways to use your luggage space and rolling your clothes is a really good one but you don’t need to roll all of your clothes. After deciding what to take with you, you decide to fold or roll them. Internet really has a vast resource on this topic but basically I fold some of them and roll others. You wouldn’t believe how much rolled up things can be put sideways of your luggage. But main event is deciding what to take with you, let’s handle that first.

Here is what I do;

First considering weather and what I generally plan to do with my trip I separate what I could take with me from my wardrobe (When doing it for the first time you may notice that you almost took the wardrobe itself with you too, its ok, in time even your first selection will get more on point)

With these separated clothes, I make combinations on my bed for each day of the travel. For example if I’m going to a 5 days trip the clothes on my bed should be enough to be combined differently every day at least changing upper or lower part. (Notice I still haven’t added special travel conditions, like maybe you scheduled an opera and need a night out dress, these will be handled after you took care of the general trip) For the 5 days trip I would take one or max two jeans, maybe a skirt/short depending on the weather and 4-5 t-shirts. T-shirts are the single thing I put extra because you always use them. They took less space and lets you combine more. It may not be a good option for gentlemen, but dresses are very effective too, saving ladies trying to match an upper-lower combination. And if you happen to choose that dress something bordering casual and classy, you can also use it with accessories as your night out plan. Then have a look at your chosen clothes with “what if I don’t take this with me will I die” mentality. Seriously, look at your favorite seen better days t-shirt. It is nice but frankly it doesn’t go well as a combination with other clothes. Drop it or change it with a one that is more combination friendly. I usually decide 2-3 “never without these key pieces” and build up min combinations accordingly.

After I choose my daily combinations, if I have special attraction for that trip (special evening, night out..) I put what is necessary for that. My special evening formula is a dress and I would suggest a “you can wear me to work” shirt for gentleman combined with a good belt and shoes.

For private wear, take one for each day of you trip. And if you have space, take 1 or 2 extra. Ladies this is for panties, you can take fewer bras with you and fill up your bra with socks or rolled up shirts to protect its shape and save space.

*Here comes the shoes part. Dear god, this is where I struggle a lot 🙂 Obviously I have one most comfortable shoe I have piece for the travel. But if it is not a good combination for the rest of the trip clothes of for the special occasions, I had to add new pairs to it. I try to limit myself with one comfortable and one comfortable but “you can use me more than casual shoes if you combine wisely” shoes with me. Choosing second shoes is especially tricky for ladies, because if you don’t have a pair which won’t make you question your decisions in life after a good long exploring of the city you will likely end up carrying flip flops and flats with you additionally.

By the way flip-flops are a good idea most of the time because you can wear them if weather is nice and if your hotel doesn’t provide you with slippers. But somehow I always end of buying new flip flops from where I go!

*Towels; is probably one of the things that take too much space on your luggage. But likely place you are going will provide them for you so if you are not sure ask. And unless you are too fixated on using your own towel if it’s provided do not take one with you.

*And if you don’t want to end up buying a new one like I am in almost every country I visited, take a plastic raincoat with you. They take almost no space. But if you forget it is ok because if you caught up in rain, it is likely that somebody is selling these stupid raincoats nearby and they are usually cheap. I have like more than 10 now 🙂

*I know you are likely to have some smart phone or pad with you, but take your travel’s details with you in cold hard paper because your smart friend might be broken as it did to me in China and if you rely only to that you are gonna have a bad time. A small notepad to note reservation and ticket details, hotel address and phone is always a good idea.

August 4, 2015 0 comment

General Guides

Travel Checklist – Last Control

by gezielciniz August 4, 2015

written by gezielciniz

Well, it’s the last minute, it’s probably too late if you forget to put your lucky duck but use this travel checklist to make sure you have these with you before you leave for the airport…

*Passport and ID

*Driving license if you especially going to rent a car.

*Your flight ticket & hotel reservation or any other ticket for that matter (Yeah I know you own a smart phone smartass, but what if it’s broke like it happened to me in China, what if your battery is down?)

*Chargers for your cell phone, camera, video camera, and laptop..(Because it’s likely especially for your cell phone charger to be forgotten on the socket!)

*Socket adaptor (Different socket types is a bummer since our now inseperable parts smart phones needs almost daily charges. Internet has many good guides on which country uses which socket type, so it maybe nice to check them out. Or better yet just buy all in one socket adaptor once and forget about which country use which type!)

*Sun glasses (a must for summer trips)

*Drugs, obviously starting with the ones you need to take daily according to your prescriptions. But also the other generic stuff like band aid, painkiller, antiseptic cream, a tablet for stomach ache… Believe me not that I wish for you have the need to use them, but know that carrying around these can be a bliss!

*Fly repellant sprays especially if you are travelling to areas that has this problem.

So I believe these are the musts! You should take them with you for all your trips, and for the rest you can handle somehow. Of course if this is a business travel and you forget your suit it will be a real bummer but this travel checklist is just the essentials without your travel’s content. You should plan rest of your baggage according to which season you are going and what you plan to do! I personally even have a piece for “probability of going somewhere fancy”! But still never forget best luggage is the lightest one! So you may want to check how to prepare luggage article as well!

August 4, 2015 0 comment

General Guides

Who’s afraid of the big bad Jet Lag?

by gezielciniz August 3, 2015

written by gezielciniz

Let’s cover a certain concern of travellers whose destination is in a significantly diffent time zone. Don’t underestimate Jet lag because it can turn your honeymoon into a sleepless nightmare and not a good meaning sleepless here.

First things first, what exactly is this bad wolf? Jet lag is your body can’t keeping up with its biologic rhythm that was supposed to be in sync wiht the time zone because you just travelled long distances in short time. So basically it is like your body thinks its morning when it is actually midnight where you travelled to. Because your body adjusted itself to the time zone you live when you change it adaptation to the new zone sometimes can be very troublesome.

Usually jet lag hits you like sleep and eating disorder which adds to the fuel of feeling tired, headaches and performing under mentally and physically. Yeah it is just the thing you need on your travels. Some severe cases are even reported to cause depression but don’t worry not everyone effected as same.

One of the interesting information about Jet lag is that the direction you are travelling has an impact of its effect on you. So if you are travelling to east you are more likely to experience Jet lag symptoms since when you travel to east time zone increases and you end of with living your arrival day as if it was less then 24 hour. Which of course needless to say what throws your body’s biological rythm since it expects 24 hours a day. Though this doesn’t mean you never get Jet lag when you travel to west, but let’s just say that travelling to east makes a better job at confusing your body than travelling to west. Think about it you are making a 10 hour flight to east which at the end you will likely to be somewhere probably having 6-7 hours ahead of your usual time zone. So you took a 16:00 pm flight and when you arrived your body thinks it is 02:00 am where in fact it is 08:00 in your destiantion and people are rising and shining where you just want to fall and sleep.

Travelling north and south doesn’t change time zone so it is highly unlikely to experience Jet lag after your travels even if they were long. So chances of Jet lag is like this; travelling to east>travelling to west>travelling north-south

But there is no certainty because Jet lag doesn’t affect everybody the same. Old people and people with health issues are supposed to be affected more and recent researches even claimed that there are genes which can effect how much we are tolerant to Jet lag but healty young people can be affected just as well…

So what are we going to do? Well to be honest there is no certain cure for it but there are some things you can do the minimize chances of getting it and help your body to adapt easily if not avoid it all.

These are like general good advice you know you should do but conveniently ignore if it doesn’t suit you. It’s your choice of course, but they are not so hard to do so why not give your body a hand? I’ll start with the hardest one 🙂

*Do not consume cafein and alcohol during your travel.

*Drink water

but seriosuly what works best for me and probably for you is

*Try to sleep or not sleep on the flight according to what time you will be arriving

so if I’m landing in the morning I would like to be rested so I try to sleep even though I don’t want to, and try not to sleep if I arrive late so I can sleep when I arrived and adapt to the new zone .

Some people use melatonin to reduce Jet lag effects. That is actually related to body rhthym again. You see melatonin is a hormone your body use to seperate day and night and jet lag occurs mainly because amount of this hormone levels are not in sync with new time zone. But seriously do you really think without a doctor’s help (even with doctor’s help) you can take just the necessary amount to adjust your settings? and why not try less troublesome methods like trying to adjust your sleep time and taking sleep pills instead of playing with your hormones?

August 3, 2015 0 comment