We’ve all made mistakes while traveling. Though I don’t think we’ll ever be flawless, more often than not, there are ways to avoid these common travel mistakes. Sure, it might be way more fun to talk about all the room upgrades we score, the elite status benefits we enjoy, or the deals for flights that DIDN’T get away, but let’s face it, we’ve all made a bunch of mistakes. So let’s air them out, have some fun laughing at ourselves and commiserate with each other a bit. Here’s Part 1 of the series if you’d like to start from the beginning.

Most Common Travel Mistakes To Avoid

No matter how much we plan or how well we assume we’ll carry out our plans, there’s always a lot that’s not under our control. I started asking around and found that some travel mistakes are more common than others. And some people agree on how best to avoid those mistakes, but not always. Based on my own experience as well as that of many other frequent travelers, here are some mistakes to look out for and how to avoid them. There are so many of them I’ve actually made this a three part series!

1. Not Printing Travel Details

I’m pretty conservative when it comes to printing paper, but there are still times when I do. Print items such as your travel insurance, copies of your passport and you visa information. It’s not that I don’t trust technology. But particularly when traveling alone, I just feel better knowing that I have paper copies of some items.

2. Spending Too Much Travel Time In Transit

I first learned this lesson when I took an overnight sleeper train in Europe. It was so great to sleep on the train and wake up the next day in my new location. It makes good sense not to spend the main parts of the day transiting from one location to the other. I’d rather be out seeing the sites, and you probably would too!

When possible, traveling early in the day or later in the evening makes more sense. Of course, if the transit trip is part of the experience, then daytime hours can lead to some amazing scenery. Considering transit times helps maximize your days so they aren’t filled with being at airports, train stations, or on buses.

3. Not Having The Best Credit Card For Travel

Many credit cards charge a foreign transaction fee. Those fees add up! Get a card or two without foreign transaction fees.

4. Paying For Car Rental Insurance When You Travel

Always check to see whether your credit card or your own car insurance covers rentals. Often coverage is on a country by country basis, so check this as well. There is no need to pay for unnecessary car insurance, but you must do your homework. It pays, literally, to know the answer as to whether or not you’re already covered.

5. Paying For Rental Car Damage

Pre-checking a vehicle seems to be the car rental company norm these days. So make your norm a defensive one. Take your own photos of the car and make notes if you see any damage. These kinds of steps help you avoid any hassle later on. No one likes to be scammed when they travel!

6. Setting Expectations Too High

It’s a challenge to travel without any expectations at all. We’ve spent money, time, and energy to make travel happen and we want a return on that investment. But I find that people who set their expectations too high often spend more time being disappointed than enjoying their trip.

Hotels, restaurants, and sites can all be misrepresented online, so best to keep your expectations modest. Then you can be pleasantly surprised!

When you find yourself in the situation where your expectations aren’t met, you can always think to “upgrade” your travels by finding new restaurants or check out luxury services like Limo Find, where you might discover that a taxi ride isn’t even that much cheaper than traveling by limo!

7. Too Tight Connection Time

Thought this sounds like a great name for a rock band, making connection times too tight is risky. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t made this mistake. It’s a biggie. It can have you sprinting and sweating, or, even worse, spending the night in the airport having missed your flight.

It’s tempting to schedule tight connection times because as I mentioned before, spending too much time in airports isn’t much fun compared to being at your destination and enjoying the sites. But all you have to do is test this once and have it backfire on you and you’ll never schedule a tight connection again.

8. Packing Liquids & Other Valuable “No-Nos” In Your Carry-on Bags

You would think everyone would be aware of these restrictions by now. I once forgot to remove my small Swiss Army knife from my carry-on luggage. That was a hard lesson to learn. Pay attention to your carry-on items so you don’t have to forfeit them.

9. Hanging Your Purse Or Backpack On A Chair In A Restaurant

I’m always aware of where my backpack is. Even at home, it’s a good practice not to hang valuables off the back of a chair in a restaurant. I once saw a guy lose his camera bag like this. Stay vigilant and be sure to always keep your items in your line of sight.

The Upshot

It’s true that these common travel mistakes can often mean learning the hard way. But it’s the learning that’s important! Creating strategies to avoid travel mistakes is an ongoing process. Have you made any of these mistakes I mentioned? How do you avoid them? Stay tuned for more on the best ways to avoid making travel mistakes!