The prospect of travel, especially to a place you haven’t been to before, can fill you with a great sense of anticipation. Even when it’s a work trip, your mind can’t help but think about all the sights and sounds you will experience in the evenings and weekends. But travel can leave a bad taste in your mouth.
Sleep deprivation, piling bills, a scarcity of time and, to top it all off, a depressing bout of diarrhea or flu. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Seamless travel, just like everything else in life, comes down to smart planning. We look at some proven tips that can make your trip memorable for all the right reasons.
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1. Delegate
Giant corporations can be run efficiently because each member of the team executes the task assigned to them as required. Can you imagine what would happen if, hypothetically speaking, Boeing fired all its employees and contractors and remained with just the CEO? Total chaos and instant collapse. It’s impossible for one man to run such an enormous and complex entity.
That may be an extreme example in the context of your travel plans but it demonstrates just how much efficiency you lose when you do everything on your own. Look at what tasks you can pass on to someone else. It doesn’t have to be to a commercial service. Talk to relatives, friends and co-workers. All you might need to pay for is an order of their favourite pizza.
2. Have an Itinerary Folder
Many people who read this suggestion will probably first think about creating a folder on their smartphone, home computer or in the cloud. That would be an excellent idea but as most of us know all too well, technology can fail in the most crucial moments.
Ergo, once you have finalized your travel plans, print out the itinerary including directions, phone numbers and any other detail you will need. It may be time-consuming and add to your hand luggage but this one act can protect you from needless stress and delays later on.
3. Pack Basic Medication and Supplements
A couple of days before your departure, head to the pharmacy and purchase the medication you’ll need. That includes refilling any prescriptions you are currently on, as well as buying precautionary drugs to mitigate against illnesses common in the area you are travelling to.
If you are on a journey to the tropics for instance, you’ll want to take an anti-malarial drug. During a business trip, vitamin supplements may be helpful since work pressure may mean inadequate time to consistently eat balanced meals. Consult with your doctor before buying any drugs or supplements just to be certain that they pose no harm to you.
4. Pack at Least 3 Days Before You Travel
If you are like most people, you have realized during one of your work or leisure travels that you had forgotten a crucial item but do so when it’s too late to turn back. Whereas this can happen to even the most meticulously planned trips, the odds are greatly reduced when you pack your bags several days before.
Except in the rare instances where you’ll have just a couple of hours’ notice to travel for work, there’s no reason why you should leave packing to the night before the trip. Doing this early gives you a couple of days to go through your list to confirm that you indeed have everything you require. You also have more time to, where necessary, arrange for luggage shipping.
5. Charge Your Electronics
Travel service providers have made great strides in making the travel process conducive for consumer technology. But you don’t want to be too dependent on a third party in this regard.
If you are flying halfway around the world and won’t be in your home or hotel room for 24-48 hours after departure, your electronic devices could run out of power when you need them the most. Make sure your phone is fully charged before you start your journey. Do the same for your tablet and laptop if you’ll be carrying them too.
