There are plenty of travel tips out there that are either excellent ways to enhance or improve your travel, or can be ways to potentially stop your trip from becoming a nightmare. We’ve gone over some of them in the past:
- Ways to override hotels’ pre-set electronic thermostat settings
- Why your hotel/cruise safe is not safe
- The most brilliant travel question I’ve ever heard
However, there is plenty of travel advice, sometimes even offered by the so-called “experts,” that you can really disregard or ignore entirely. Generally speaking, they usually have limited value (although the reasoning for that will vary). Here are a few of them:
Don’t travel during peak season
People who suggest that you not travel during peak season mean well – they’re trying to help you avoid the crowds. But for some things, peak season may be the only way.
- Want to see the fall colors of the Northeastern US, the cherry blossoms of Japan, or go skiing in Utah? You’re going to have to go during peak season
- If you’re a school teacher and want to go to Disney, your job may give you no other choice than to go when you and everyone else is off from work/school and want to go to Disney, too
The sooner you book your flight, the less it will cost
There was a time when airline prices used to make sense. They’d book “so many” seats at one price, “so many” at another price, and so on. So in the simplest terms, if a plane had 100 seats, the first 10 seats sold in coach would cost $400 each, the next 10 would be $410, etc.
Of course, airlines don’t do that anymore. With dynamic pricing in play, a seat that cost $200 for one person could be $100 (or $300) two weeks before the flight. You might get a better deal if you bundle your flight with hotel and/or car rental. And the same flight could be a different price if you book on the airline’s website vs. booking with an OTA.
Travel insurance is a waste of money
Like any insurance, travel insurance is something of a gamble. If you don’t need it, you’ve been fortunate. But if you’re in a third world country and break your femur in a freak accident…or you get notice that a loved one at home only has hours to live…you’re going to want to get home NOW.
And THAT is when travel insurance is 100% worth it.
Make the most of your time & plan every moment of your trip
There was a time when I was that person. I’d plan every minute of a vacation, with little to no downtime. And I’d get home more exhausted and in need of a vacation than before I left.
Nowadays we take our time. Only pick 1 to 3 things to do each day, and savor them, instead of rushing through to get to the next thing on the list. Sometimes we even plan for naps during our time away.
And if we don’t get to see everything, it gives us an excuse to come back someday.
Never check a bag; only bring carry on
Of course, there are times when most people can travel with only a carry on; maybe they’re just traveling for a few days for example. But for most people, traveling with a checked bag is the way to go. It makes packing easier, gives you more room to bring things home, you name it.
Some people will say to only bring a carry-on bag because you don’t have to wait for a checked bag to be unloaded from the plane. I say that the time it takes to streamline what you pack so it’ll all just fit in a carry-on bag can be more time than it’ll take to wait for your bag to come out on the airport carousel.
The best place to get your money exchanged is at the airport
Well, it’s certainly the most convenient. But if you’re looking for a decent exchange rate, exchanging your money at the airport is probably the worst you can do.
Hop-on hop-off buses are a touristy waste of money
I’ll be the first to admit that hop-on hop-off buses are touristy. That being said, if you’re in a city that you’ve never been on before, they are an excellent way to get your bearings and learn the popular sites of a city. That way you can go back on another day and visit what interests you. They’re also excellent for the day you’ve arrived and you’re just too tired to start exploring on foot.
And now that they’ve updated their payment system, they’re even easier to use.
What are some other travel tips that people are safe to ignore?
Let us know in the comments!
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