By Lauren Juliff
Student Travel Expert, about.com
Everyone's new to travel at some point in their lives, and everyone makes mistakes. One of the great parts of travel is getting to figure out what you're doing wrong, and solving the problems as they appear. There are, however, a few things you can do before you leave in order to make your trip a little easier.
Avoid these five mistakes that every student traveler makes:
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Planning Too Much
Planning
is one of the best parts of travel, but if you do too much of it, it's
sure to ruin your trip. Take a look at a map, and I'm sure you can find
yourself listing hundreds of destinations you'd love to visit off the
top of your head. When it comes to choosing where to visit, it's hard to
think realistically.
When you're coming up with a list of
destinations to visit, keep in mind that you're not going to want to do
something every single day. Take into account transportation days, too,
as you're probably not going to be able to work up much enthusiasm to
see and do anything on those days, either.
Additionally, while you're getting accustomed
to a new country, it's likely you might find yourself with a few sick
days, where you won't want to get out of bed.
So how much is the right amount of planning? Have a rough idea of which places you want to visit before you arrive but don't book in advance. Bookings will tie you to a fixed plan, which you may end up regretting.
[post_ads]Packing Too Much
It
can tempting to back everything that makes you comfortable when you're
going traveling but resist the urge! Remember that you have to carry
everything you own on your back -- often for an hour at a time if you
can't find your hostel -- so you want it to be as light as possible.
Take
a few outfits that you can mix and match and wear for all occasions.
Pack a sarong to jazz up the outfits. Choose your footwear carefully --
do you really need to travel with big hiking boots when you've never
hiked before in your life? Leave the medications at home and just take a
travel first aid kit,
as you can get most things over the counter in the developing world,
and everything you'd be likely to need from a pharmacy in the developed
world.
Buy a small backpack,
around 40-55 liters in size and this will help limit what you decide to
travel with. You won't be tempted to overpack if you don't have
anywhere to put it all!
Worrying Too Much
It's
natural to be nervous before heading off on a big trip. You'll be
visiting new countries and immersing yourself in new cultures, and even
the food will be unfamiliar. And when you go traveling, things always go
wrong -- and it can be hard not to worry about what specific things
they'll be. But if you spend all of your time worrying about what might
happen, you won't spend enough time experiencing your trip and creating
happy memories.
Stay on your guard in case things go wrong, yes,
but don't let it interfere with your trip. Relax, don't panic and enjoy
the ride.
