2024: Best Travel Tips For Beginners, Pregnant Women, And On A Budget

“If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?”

This question has led to the start of many journeys, vacations, and destination trips. But it’s not enough to have an open book; you should know certain travel tips and tricks for seamless trips, to avoid getting lost, swindled, or even jailed in a foreign country. This article explains the best travel tips in 2024 in different categories:

• Travel tips for beginners/first-time travellers
• Travel tips for packing
• Travel tips on a budget
• Travel trips for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and parents with toddlers
• General useful travel trips
• Conclusion

Best Travel Tips For Beginners in 2024

Dos:

1. Do your research. Don’t go to a place just because everyone is going. Find out:

• The food they eat
• Their weather, especially on the day of your trip
• Their dressing style (this is a good indicator of their weather)
• Mobility. Can you move around easily? Do they have ride-hailing apps? Do you need a tour guide or personal driver?
• Their laws
• Their internet service. Would you need to pay for a bundle? Use a wifi?
• Reviews of others who’ve been there. This prepares you the most for the social media vs reality stage. Quora is one of the best ways to know this.

2. Make extra copies of important documents. Have them in soft copies in an easily accessible folder. You can scan them to a USB drive, your Google Drive account, or iCloud. Extra documents can range from your passport to your driver’s license, identity card or more.

3. Have a travel budget for:

• Activities
• Food
• Souvenirs
• Transportation
• Accommodation
• Tips and other extra fees.
  Travelling with a travel company or working with a travel agent can help you tackle this.

4. Always carry some cash on you. Change your monies at your local bureaus before travelling, and always have some cash on you. It will come in handy during emergencies if there ever is one, or other minor reasons.

5. Get travel insurance. You may think you don’t need one but you do, especially for international trips. You might face sudden cancellations, diversions, or emergencies. Don’t leave it up to chance. Take caution.

6. Pack light. I know you want the perfect Instagram selfies but packing light is better than carrying a shit load of stuff you may never use. Pack your essentials first and every other thing second. This will save you extra fees for overweight luggage and ease your movement. You can also go shopping at your destination. Research stores there and see what you can get.

7. Check in with family and friends even if you want to stay off the grid. Make sure somebody, preferably a kin, knows your whereabouts and conditions. Share your location and leave it on.

8. Learn some basic words! Although Google Translate exists, you must learn simple greetings: hello, how’re you, please, good morning/day/night, I want…, where can I…, sorry, and help, are some basic words you should know.

9. Ask for free wifi spots. At the international airport, your hostel/hotel/AirBnB, restaurants, public libraries, etc, but avoid doing bank transactions because your private information can be easily stolen through public wifis.

10. Buy a small but useful weapon in your destination country. The world is full of sunshine and trees but it’s also full of shadows lurking underneath the trees. Having a small weapon like pepper sprays and tasers keep you in the sunshine.

Don’ts:

1. Avoid packing at the last minute! This is not an assignment you have to turn in by 11:59 pm. You’re going to an unfamiliar region. Do all the packing 3-4 days before the trip and cross-check your luggage the night before.
2. Don’t drink local water or eat certain foods that may activate your allergies. You don’t want to be sick on a trip that should be fun!
3. Avoid acting on assumptions. If you’re unsure about something, speak with the locals or tour guide, especially in countries with heavy religious and traditional inclinations.

Best Travel Tips For Packing

Dos:

1. Browse the prohibited items list for carry-on and checked luggage. This will guide your packing list and save you time at the airport.
2. Make a packing list. Yes. no matter how urgent the trip is or how retentive your memory is, having a packing list will help you keep stock of all you need or don’t need.
3. Use packing cubes. It’s usually advisable to pack light but if you must carry the weight of the world in your bag, using packing cubes will compartmentalise your items and give you enough space.
4. Seal your liquids…firmly. Who knows if TSA might want to do a double/triple search? You don’t. And who wants their lotions and creams splattered all over their clothes? Definitely not you.
5. Layer your items. Put heavy items at the base and lighter ones, including liquids at the top. This is advisable for travellers without packing cubes.
6. Roll your clothes before packing them. This will give you space to cram in other important items.
7. Choose the right bags. Put your liquids in a small separate bag. Pick the most appropriate suitcase, and always consider the bag check procedures at the airport. Having the right bags makes it easier for you.
8. Pack your essentials in a small toiletry bag you can carry on the plane/train/bus; eyedrops, headphones, tissues, wipes, chargers, wallet, card holder, floss, etc.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t overpack—shoes you might not need and cute but unnecessary dresses should be left at home. Only add secondary items if your bag is spacious enough.
2. Don’t pack liquids above the 3.4-ounce and under TSA rule. Carry only the important liquids. What is the 3.4-ounce and under rule? Check here.
3. Don’t put all your devices in one bag. And if you must, make sure the bag has compartments that allow you to bring them out easily.

Best Travel Tips On A Budget

Dos:

1. Set a budget and don’t exceed it unless it’s absolutely necessary. This makes or breaks your trip.
2. Travel out of season. Christmas, New Year, and school holidays are some periods to avoid travelling. If you must travel in those seasons, book months ahead of your trip to avoid inflated prices.
3. Pack light. The lighter your load, the easier your mobility, and the less you have to tip for extra luggage.
4. Travel to affordable countries. Great joys can be found in small places. Visit countries you can afford. Research their standard of living, accommodation costs, food, transportation and more.
5. Travel in a group or with a friend. This is one of the best ways to travel on a budget. You split the costs, and the best part is that you have company! So, plan a trip with your friends.
6. Pick free activities. The point of going on a trip is to have fun, but if you’re travelling on a budget, you might want to pick free activities or the cheapest one to maximize your fun.
7. Make money while you travel. So many travel companies are seeking content from different places around the world. Buy a digital camera or a good phone and take awesome landing-pages-worthy pictures. Videos too. Speak to the locals, create content and share on a YouTube platform or send a pitch to travel companies and influencers.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t book expensive flights. Look out for discounts, and sponsors, and use promo codes.
2. Don’t travel without booking your accommodation first. Call the hotel, restaurant or any place you visit to enquire and book beforehand.

Best Travel Tips For Pregnant Women, Nursing Mothers & Parents With Kids Under Two Years

For Pregnant Women

Dos:

1. Dress comfortably. This goes without saying. You must be as comfortable as possible, especially if you travel by bus or your flight is long.
2. Stretch before the day of your trip. This will release the tension in your muscles and increase your comfort.
3. Pack all your essentials in your carry-on bags: your snacks, medicine, support belt, eye masks, headphones and others.
4. Check airline policies for pregnant women. Most airlines have different policies for each trimester. Pick the one that best suits you.

Don’ts:

1. Avoid gassy foods, tap water, and carbonated drinks. Some of the recommended medicines for stomach problems are not advised to be used during pregnancy.
2. Avoid travelling during the first trimester (first 12 weeks). You stand the risk of battling nausea, vomiting, and worse, miscarriage.
3. Don’t just get vaccinated, consult your doctor to know if you can get vaccinated.
4. Avoid group road trips or long car journeys for the sake of comfort and risk.

For Nursing Mothers & Parents With Toddlers

Dos:

1. Put you and your baby’s most important stuff in a carry-on bag; toys, snacks, diapers. You don’t want to miss any essential items or deal with your restless toddler.
2. Do you know that gate-checking a stroller or car seat is free? Attach the car seat(s) to your toddler’s plane seat for comfort.
3. As a parent’s quote from Buzzfeed says, “When flying with kids, if possible, have Dad take the kids and Mom do the luggage. Dads get more sympathy with kids. It’s sad but true.”
4. Get to your gate before boarding to give your kids time to eat, play around and get familiar with travelling.
5. Take the earliest flight. The kids are usually groggy by this time, and if it’s a short trip, all that energy can be used when you get to your destination.

Don’ts:

1. Don’t give them screen time the night before the flight and while waiting at your gate. Save them for later during transit.
2. Don’t give them sweets or sugar before your trip. However, feed them to help with the ear discomfort.
3. Don’t do anything last minute. Kids are generally unpredictable so plan and prepare beforehand.
4. Don’t worry too much about people’s comments. Be patient with yourself and your kids. They see a different world from the one you do.

General Useful Travel Trips

• Make a budget.
• Research your destination, whether you travel with a travel agency or not.
• Pack a week before the trip and crosscheck your items 2-4 days before.
• Use travel cubes and appropriate luggage.
• Prioritise comfort if you’re pregnant. Prioritise affordability if you’re on a strict budget. Prioritise order if you have toddlers.
• Create content and memories. Know the distinction between the two.
• Book the earliest flight if possible.
• Make copies of your documents and have soft copies on your phone.
• Always have a little bit of cash on you.
• Mind what you eat. You don’t want diarrhoea on a flight or a bus.

Conclusion

Travelling will always be in style, on-season and off-season. But not everyone has the same experience, and this article gives you the best travel tips you should know in 2024. I hope you have the best trip ever!

Check out our article on 10 easy ways to make money in 2024 here.