Smart There are better and worse ways to travel. That’s likely why you don’t walk to a country overseas while carrying luggage in both of your hands. There’s no shame in convenience, connection, and curating something of a trip around your movement.
Yet it’s also true that within the usual confines of what the “done thing” is getting from A to B, there are many hidden trips you only learn after you’ve traveled quite some distance within those parameters.
These are the tips that seasoned travelers often use because they are familiar with given routes, or have preferences and comforts they like to rely on. In this post, we believe some of those suggestions could be provided with care and clarity, to the point where if you’ve been dreading an upcoming commute despite the recreational activities planned, you may find it appropriate to apply the below advice for added convenience:
1.Stay Somewhere You’re Willing To Come Back To Midday smart
We tend to think that as long as we have a clean space to sleep and crash after a long day exploring, that’ll suit us just fine. Sometimes it absolutely does. But the more you’re in motion, the more important it becomes to have a base that feels like a true retreat.
While some hotels and rentals are chosen just because they’re cheap or near a train line, over time that does wear thin when you’re roaming for hours and need a break that isn’t a bench in a park, or if you have loved ones with other needs to consider.
You may find that learning to backpack and stay in hotels is good, but once you have it out of your system, having a self-catered room you can enjoy with your family is absolutely fine.
2.Exchanging Currency & Cash Can Be Helpful, But It’s Less Common
Swapping cash at the airport or lugging around bundles of converted currency isn’t as helpful as it used to be, and that might sound crazy to someone who hasn’t traveled much in the last five years, but believe us, it’s a trend that’s moving forward.
These days, most seasoned travelers use fee-free international cards or banking apps that offer strong rates without the service window rigamarole. This means you get local currency at the till without the overhead, and tracking spending is simpler too. Carrying some cash is absolutely smart and remember this doesn’t work in most countries, but hoarding bills can be more trouble than it’s worth. Use a banking app or service that allows you to immediately convert and pay digitally and you’ll find yourself with more convenience than you had expected.
3.Use Train Stations As Touchstones
Larger train stations often come with hidden benefits, as they not only amazing transfer links, but places like Gare de Lyon, for example, have decent restaurants, quiet lounges, and also convenient services like Gare de Lyon luggage storage so you can drop your bags and head into the city without dragging half your wardrobe behind you.
These services mean you can stay in another city but still explore outward if you hope to, using the train stations as quick means of getting around, seeing the countryside, absorbing the culture, giving you time to read your phrasebook, and arrive for a day of adventure. They can also open up breathing room between check-in times, allow you to travel on your own terms, and remove that constant need to “watch your stuff” while just trying to enjoy the day.
4.Avoid Over-Planning, Especially For Arrival Days
It’s easy to think that the more you travel, the more focused you are, as if you become something of a military planner who can perfect a trip with various strategies and decisions immediately. But remember, you get to relax, too, and the first 24 hours in a new city are rarely your most productive.
It’s nice if the flight was smooth and the queue short, but your body and brain are still playing catch-up, especially if you’ve traveled a fair way. Cramming in tours or dinner reservations on arrival day tends to be more stressful than exciting, especially if you just want to throw your bags down and collapse on your hotel bed for a bit.
You might get through it all, but you probably won’t remember much of it fondly. It’s usually better to allow the first afternoon or evening to unfold naturally. Grab food, take a walk, maybe find a shop for snacks or a local SIM. That sort of soft landing tends to serve you better than ticking off three items from a bucket list before sunset.
5.Comforting Dress Is Always The Move
The idea of dressing as smartly as George Clooney in the movie “Up in the Air” is pretty smart tempting, but after a long journey, the comfiest clothes become something you really do appreciate and rely on.
Having one full outfit that’s been kept fresh, ideally in its own packing cube or bag, will help smart you feel like a person again after two layovers or a sweaty train carriage, or a long delay, or a heavy drive, or all the discomforts that come with travel in many different ways.
6.Consider Any Medications Or Supplements You May Need
It’s good to plan any supplements or medications you need in advance, make sure you can declare them clearly and with confidence for customs, and have it carefully packed in your hand luggage.
It’s helpful to consider the measures by which you relax and what may help a commute feel more doable. That’s not to say you should eat sleeping pills before a flight, but perhaps a herbal valerian root tablet (speak to your doctor before taking anything new), will help you calm your nerves.
If you have allergies, preparing for that is important too. Before long, when traveling, bringing together a helpful travel kit filled with small conveniences will become a no-brainer, and something you do as naturally as you pack your trousers. Part of smarter, better, and more comfortable travel is having this habit, knowing what customs will accept in the country you’re going to, and taking the edge off travel through little harmless creature comforts you’re happy with.
7.Choose Just One Or Two Apps That Handle Everything
There are apps for navigation, dining, translation, ticketing, and on it goes. Even then, there are more and more, with reward apps, holiday booking platforms, even more apps that a certain brand might ask you to download for reward points, and we never seem to see the end of it.
It’s clear to say that too many tools can make things harder, not easier. As such, it’s worth smart testing a couple of multi-use options before your trip. That should include a solid maps app that works offline, and a translator with photo utilities as well. If you can book all within one app, or use a digital smart wallet like Apple or Google to hold your tickets, that can all be helpful.
As you no doubt know, the fewer things you have to bounce between smart while standing in a crowded terminal, the better. Some apps even show what outlets are nearby or when local transit will smart arrive in real-time, and so look for those with features you appreciate and feel support you in the way you like to travel.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily enjoy better, more comfortable, and smart most of all smarter international travel.
