Travel is largely a lot of fun, but it’s not always a walk in the park from beginning to end. When you’re leaving your home and exploring somewhere new, then there’s no shortage of things that could go a little wrong. The good news is that you don’t have to just accept that you’re going to be well out of your comfort zone when you’re travelling. That should only be a thing that you voluntarily submit to. With a little bit of planning, you can take steps to keep any of the potentially problematic issues at bay. In this blog, we’re going to run through some of the most common travel problems that people experience. Make sure you’re not guilty of any of them!
*This is a collaborative post.
*This is a collaborative post.Complicated Flights
Many travellers are looking to save money wherever possible. However, there are some areas where it’s not recommended to simply take the cheapest option available. This is the case with flights. You might be able to save some money, but you could pay in other ways. For instance, the flight time could be extremely long or involve many layovers. By the time you arrive, you’ll be exhausted — and may need several days to recover. Instead, try to find the balance between cost and convenience. It’s often worthwhile paying slightly more just to ensure a smooth start to your trip, especially if you’re not going to your destination for too long.
Entry Issues
You probably haven’t thought all that much about entering a country in the past. If you’re a British passport holder, then you’ll have one of the most powerful passports in the world. It’ll get you into most countries without a problem. However, for some destinations, you’ll need to do a little bit of work before you travel to ensure you don’t have any issues entering the country. For instance, while Brits can travel on the VWP to the United States, they’ll need to apply for and receive an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) beforehand. You can find all the info you need about the ESTA by visiting esta-america.com. It’s likely that arriving into countries within Europe will become slightly more complicated in the future, too, thanks to Brexit. This is just a common travel problem that’s likely to continue.
Staying Far From the Action
While it’s exciting to visit a new destination, the fact is that it is still a new destination — and that means that it’s possible that you’ll make some mistakes. You just don’t have enough information. One such threat is that you’ll book a hotel that’s far from the action. Like with flights, it’s tempting to book the best deal you can find, but it’s worth looking into why it’s such a good deal. It could be that it’s so cheap because nobody wants to stay in that area. It’s sometimes easy to convince yourself that staying away from the centre is a good idea, but it rarely is — you’ll only end up resenting having to take taxis or public transport all the time.
Language Difficulties
Brits are lucky in that English is the de facto language of the world. In many tourist zones, you should be able to manage ok with your native tongue. But it’s important to remember that most parts of the world are not tourist zones. If you’re planning on going anywhere even loosely considered ‘off the beaten path,’ then you might find that the availability of English is in short supply. It’s good to do some research before you set off. If English is not widely spoken, then invest in a translation book, and pick up a few good phrases. You won’t be able to hold long conversations, but you’ll be able to get by.
Health Matters
You can get sick or have other physical issues no matter where you are. Indeed, sometimes it’s even more likely when you’re travelling, since you’ll be faced with the unknown (such as drinking water). While you can’t always prevent yourself from falling sick or getting injured, there are things you can do to ensure that it won’t impact your life any more than it has to. Research where the nearest hospitals are and make sure that you have comprehensive medical insurance for the destination that you’re visiting. You’ll hope that you won’t need to use it, but you’ll be extremely thankful if you do!
Local Problems
Nowhere is perfect. Even the greatest destinations in the world have common travel problems. You can minimize the risk of these issues from impacting your trip by doing some research before you fly. You might find that there are common scams to be aware of or that there can sometimes be extreme weather that arrives out of nowhere. In the olden days, you’d have to just learn about these things the hard way. But in the age of the internet, there’s no reason for that to happen. Do your research!
Lost Luggage
Yes, it sucks. You’ll have to put pressure on the airline to get it back. In the meantime, save yourself some hassle by packing some clothes in your carry-on bag.
Travel Companions
Finally, let’s think about who you’re travelling with when it comes to common travel problems. They do say that you don’t know if you like or dislike someone until you’ve travelled with them. There are things you can do to ensure that your trip is not rudely interrupted by arguments, however. One such idea is to plan some alone time into the schedule. Tensions usually arise when you’re spending all your time together. If you have a couple of hours to yourself each day, then you’ll have that little reset. You’ll probably find that you’re excited to see your companion again, even if you’ve just been apart for a couple of hours.
This is far from an exhaustive list of all the things that could go wrong while you’re travelling. But they are among the most common issues that travellers face. Make a note of them, do what you can to make sure that you don’t suffer from them, and you’ll be well on your way to having a memorable and fun trip!
What common travel problems have you experienced? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post. This post has been pre-written.