A holiday is something that should make us feel happier. If it turns out to make you in a bad mood, there must be something wrong with your holiday.
Let’s think about it, what could possibly make your holiday a hassle? Did you pack the wrong things? Or you got no internet connection because you forgot to rent unlimited Wi-Fi modem?
To avoid those mistakes, you can check out these tips below to get an exciting holiday without complicating things.
Preparation Is Important!
Wherever you go, you can’t neglect the preparation, even for a short distance holiday from home. If you have a far destination, your preparation should be more thorough. Here are a few things you need to prepare:
- Get as many information as possible
If you want to visit a destination for the first time, you must gather as much information as you could possibly find. For example, what are interesting places in the city? Or the characteristics of the locals where you want to stay. Learning about these things could prepare you from culture-shock when you get there.
Don’t forget to find information about local transportation to get around the holiday destination. Especially when you want to have a family holiday abroad where transportation can be very different from your home country. Find out what kind of transportations you’ll use to get you to tourism destinations there.
Make sure to check how much visiting a certain tourist attraction would cost you, such as the transportation fare and ticketing fee. You might also want to make food budgeting. This way, you can choose your meal in your budget range and avoid spending too much.
- Do check the weather to know what clothes you should bring and wear
Your holiday destination could be in a different weather condition from your hometown. Particularly if you plan to go abroad, you must pay attention to the weather and climate. Be careful to not bring the wrong set of clothing because of not knowing the weather condition in your destination.
You can get the latest weather information through the internet. Upon getting the information, adjust your clothing in accordance with the weather condition in your destination. This way, you can plan and pack your clothing effectively.
Say you want to go to Japan in the spring, you don’t need to bring a thick jacket or coat. Also, you may not be able to go to the beach to swim in autumn, so you don’t need to bring your swimsuit.
- Bring everything you need to stay connected
It wouldn’t be fun if you can’t connect to the internet and share your holiday activities through Instagram or other social media. You might want to update your latest holiday pictures right at the moment. Especially if you are a travel vlogger who needs to update frequently.
For all those things, you need a sufficient internet connection. A portable unlimited Wi-Fi modem can be a great option to keep you connected. Especially during your holiday abroad, it’s more practical than using provider’s data plan that might costs you a higher fare.
Another thing you need to prepare is the plug/cord types for the destination country. It’s something simple that often overlooked. Imagine if you realize later on that you can’t plug your phone charger because the socket has a different shape.
If you are not sure what type of plug you need, you could always bring a universal charger to be safe. Don’t forget to get a power bank too!
- Food and accommodation
Many travelers are too focused on their destinations and activities that they forget to think about what to eat. When they feel hungry, they don’t know where to find the best place to eat.
Make sure you get enough information on what you can eat during your holiday, especially if you are a Muslim. By finding information about food, you can also take note of the price to avoid spending too much on expensive menus. Don’t go over-budget for food!
The same principle applies to accommodation. There is no such thing as booking too soon. By booking accommodation earlier, it’s highly possible you would get a cheaper rate. It’s not recommended to book hotel right when you arrived, especially during high-season. Even though you may find a room, the price may be very high.
4 Packing Hacks for A Hassle-free Holiday
To get rid of all the possible problem, these are four things you need to carefully prepared before going on vacation.
- Clothes
It’s impossible to go on vacation without bringing some extra pair of clothing unless you prefer to buy new sets of clothes to wear at the destination place. Thus, you have to be clever when packing your clothes.
Sometimes when you think you have just what you need, they seem too many. At the same time, you still need to pack other things in the luggage. The solution to this situation is zip-lock plastic bags.
Put your clothes in the zip-lock plastic bag and make sure to take out all the air inside. Upon the air is taken out completely, close the zip-lock. You can press the clothes to make sure the air is not returning.
This method is proven to be helpful to pack clothes neatly and save space. Besides, this method helps to protect clothes in the cargo.
- Toiletries and Cosmetics
Most hotel prepares basic toiletries by default. Unless you need specific products or special treatment, it’s okay not to bring your own toiletries. However, if you must bring toiletries from home, make sure that you put them in a small bottle, less than 100ml. It’s better to use traveling kit bottles you can find in supermarkets.
You can do the same thing with your cosmetics. Don’t forget to create labels for each bottle. After that, put those bottles in a zip-locked plastic bag.
- Electronic Gadgets
The most common problems with electronic gadgets are the cables. Be it the charger, earphones, or power bank, those cables usually entangled with one another. The best solution is tying those cables with a rubber band to keep them separated from one another.
- Important Documents
Again, the zip-lock plastic bags would come in handy to deal with your important documents. Put your ID, passport, and other important documents inside it. Make sure you always carry and keep it in a place you can easily access.
Read More: “Internetan Praktis di Mana Aja Pakai Wi-Fi Portable”
5 Practical Holiday Tips
After understanding packing hacks you can use to prepare for your holiday, it’s also important to know these practical tips below.
- Get Used to Light Travel
Avoid adding more burden to your vacation with overload luggage. Keep in mind that later at the destination, you might go shopping and bring more things back home. You need some extra spaces to store them. Avoid taking unnecessary things and make sure everything you bring is vital for your vacation.
Get yourself used to light travel by only bringing one handbag or backpack, along with one luggage on vacation. Be sure to pack important things and documents in your handbag/backpack. That’s why it’s important to plan which one needs to be put in your handbag, and which one in a luggage.
- Make an Itinerary
Although you are an experienced traveler and backpacking all the time, an itinerary is a must. Itinerary make it possible to maximize your holiday and keep you on schedule. Just make sure you stick to your schedules.
Limit your time when you visit a place. It’s important to make time for other places too so you can experience more things during vacation.
- Learning Local Phrases/Idioms
Nothing wrong with learning one or two local common phrases or idioms. Learn the most common and basic sentences such as greetings, numbers, and asking for directions might help you to get around more easily. You can download the offline version of Google Translate to help you learn the local language easier.
- Digital Map
These days, walking around with a physical map is quite unpractical. The best way is to have a digital map on your smartphone. If you have a limited data plan, you may consider downloading the offline version. To stay connected, you can even bring along an unlimited Wi-Fi modem.
- Find Out Tourism Objects Entrance Fee
Get information about all the tourist attractions you want to visit. Find out the entrance fee and transportation fare to get there.
Calculate them and make a budget estimation including food cost, accommodation, flight tickets, and emergency cost. The total is your traveling budget during your holiday.
Those are several tips to make a hassle-free holiday, away from troublesome experiences. Don’t forget to rent unlimited Wi-Fi modem before you go. Happy holiday!