Have you ever thought about how travel is actually the most relaxing yet stressful thing, all at the same time? Over the past 5 years, I have been blessed enough to over a hundred plane flights and many trips. From visiting Russ in college, to flying around Europe, and so on, I have started to round up a lot of my top travel tips over time.
1. Roll Your Clothes
I always tell myself that this is in everyone’s top travel tips, but am always so surprised with how many people don’t do it. Granted, I pack…a lot. So, I have strategies to make more room. However, it is the best strategy to get all your clothes in your carry on. Plus, if you’re traveling with someone, you’ll win brownie points for packing everything in that bag. Fun fact, I worked so hard to impress Russ with how small I could pack, that I ended up training myself to pack less and fit everything into small bags. If you are looking for a good carry on bag, I am so in love with my Patagonia one. Seriously. My older sister told my parents to get it for me before Italy so I didn’t have to roll/carry a bag around (it has backpack straps) and now, we have gotten one for my little sister and Russ’ little sister. They are the BEST.
2. Check In Right When You Get The Email
This may seem silly, but it’s so important if you enjoy not being squished in a middle seat. Checking it helps for a handful of reasons. First off, it helps you lessen the chance of getting bumped off the flight. But, most importantly, often you can get a better seat. For example, on our flights to Hawaii, I checked us in right when Russ got the email and we ended up being able to move up to the exit rows (6’3” boys love legroom) and get a window seat. Plus, often people stray away from exit rows so they are usually not full. We got the row to ourselves!
3. Plan...But Not Too Much
Everyone has different opinions on this, but I think this is one my favorite top travel tips. When traveling, make sure that you have things to do, of course. Plan a little for each day so you don’t wake up and waste hours figuring out what is open, what sounds fun, etc. However, don’t block out everything hour by hour. It creates unnecessary stress and keeps you from being spontaneous. When you plan out everything, you automatically can’t enjoy something that runs a little too long because you’re worried that you’ll miss your next event. Plus, giving yourself a couple of free hours lets you take the scenic roads, eat the extra ice cream cones and continue those longer conversations.
4. Beat The Jet Lag
It can be so easy to fall asleep right when you get somewhere to align with your past time zone, but, stick it out! I promise, it’ll help you so much. No matter how hard it is to stay awake and keep going. So, whether you have to go to bed right when you land because you’re flying west to east or you have to stay up because you’re flying east to west, make sure you do it. I am the queen of naps. I love sleeping and am legitimately sad when I don’t get enough sleep. It might be pathetic, but it’s true. So, staying awake when I am really tired is hard. But, it’s SO WORTH IT.
5. Pick Outfits Before Packing
6. Plan Your Favorite Destinations Early
This is one that I have definitely learned over time. Now that I take my own vacations without family, I have to budget a lot more. One of the things I have noticed is that, by the end of a trip, I just want cheaper food and less card swiping. Traveling can be expensive! So, I recommend going to the pricier restaurants in the beginning of the week or budgeting out for them. Whether you go to them in the beginning or wait till the end, the main point is to budget them out early so you know which places are must do’s.
