Travel Tips: Top 5 Mistakes People Make When Traveling

Sonia's coming at you guys and gals with another great travel tip - How to avoid the most common mistakes people make when traveling.

[jelenagveric]

#2 about copies, take screenshots! I do it even for maps!

[PerfectLittlePlanet]

A common mistake I'm almost always in danger of making is killing time on my phone on layovers or before boarding (without being able to plug in) and then being dangerously close to a dead battery when I arrive. I always have my tickets/hotels/directions saved on my phone, but it'd be useless if my phone is dead.

[lizzykittylover]

One thing I dislike is when people souvenir shop instead of actually sight seeing... I understand the need for it--I Iove shopping--but GO and explore and take advantage of being there first, and then.... afterwards you can go buy some things. :)

[lalilulelo]

- Trying to do too much in a short amount of time. Example: 10 cities in 3 weeks! For me, 1 week = 1-2 cities.
- Just sightseeing and eating.
- Only visiting famous tourist areas.
- Not befriending locals and other travelers.

[peterk]

As someone who travels 200 times a year one Cardinal mistake I see people make is that they don't select a seat when they book their ticket and end up not flying because the flight is oversold

[solyzayed]

I personally did all these mistakes hhheee, i 'm Egyptian where there are no strict rules .. When I travel to the developed countries, I discovered I do lots of disasters .. Thank u Sonia❤️❤️

[nancyclaire]

I'd say that a big mistake that people often don't even think about is leaving valuables in the luggage instead of with themselves and the luggage for some reason doesn't arrive the other end and the person is left without their stuff. It happened to my cousin and its not nice..

[JustKevYTP]

Yes, I agree wholeheartedly with this!

[Kaybemr]

Thanks for letting me know that there is an express line for people who have already checked their bags online. I'm flying for the first time alone in many years so there are so many things I'm just now learning.

[LeighAnneMarie]

Great tips, Sonia! So simple but they'll save a lot of people a lot of time and hassle! Especially the visa one. I had a friend once who thought that since he was only going to China for the weekend that he didn't need a visa...umm nope! Luckily he was able to expedite the visa service, but otherwise it would've been a very sad rejection at the airport!

[evawilhelm]

I've traveled the world and I love your advice and yes- don't over

[SallyCreations]

The most common mistake that I see lots of people do is not checking the rules for the carry-on you bring with you in the cabin. Man, it drives me so craaazyyyy that I have to stand in line at security check, waiting for someone who has a giant bag, or full sized toiletries, or sharp objects like scissors and kitchen knives ecc...

[kuasadunia]

another tip: never change your money at the airport or at the destination youre travelling!

[suebailey]

Firstly thank you for all your wonderful tips. I assume that this information is for overseas travel. I live in Australia and some are still valid from here. When I book my flights, travel insurance, hotels, I do it all on-line. Then your tickets, etc confirmations 'should' be sent to you by e-mail. Most will send you a PDF copy. Download the PDFs and save them to your 'Travel' folder on your computer, then you can put them onto your SD card for your mobile phone/tablet, then all you have to do is open the documents and voila, they're there, happy faces all around. Don't rely on Dropbox to keep your documents in. It needs internet access, so if you save them to Dropbox, copy and paste to your 'My Docs' folder on your phone/tablet. Over packing & Visa requirements are very valid comments. Phone plans are a different kettle of fish, it all depends on where you're going. If you have a phone that's 'locked' to your home network, when you arrive at your destination you can purchase a cheap phone for the country you are in. In some cases, you may need a 'local' phone number for your bookings, so pre purchasing a SIM card may be better, then you can quote it in your booking. My overseas travels, are usually around 12 weeks. I usually make up a diary and have the booking information for each leg of travel and hotel in the diary. It also has the train/bus timetables from home to the airport and from the airport to the first accommodation I will be staying in, and the return journeys. I know I'm a 'control freak' when it comes to having information at hand, but it's best to do so and not have to worry when you don't have access to the internet at the airport, etc to look up your information.

[Febieananda]

Omg Sonia, thank you for your amazing video and i follow your tips about saving money. Now my husband and i can travel to a lot of place.

[niamhmone]

Hi Sonia! I have a couple of suggestions:

1. How to pack for a trip with different stops that include different climates (e.g. I'm doing a whole US trip in November which includes stopovers in Vegas and Boston)
2. What to pack when you come home from a year abroad, how to bring everything home etc

And thanks Sonia for all of your videos! You are making my life much easier.

[Pohnpeibabii]

I've never traveled by myself and I'm kind of freaking out about it. And by kind of, I mean definitely. :) I'm taking a month long trip to Utah next month and I'm really nervous. I know you did a video about the benefits of traveling by yourself, but can you do a video about getting over the nervousness of getting through the entire process from checking in and finally arriving at your destination?

Thank you. I'm so so glad I found your channel. It's made me feel so much better. You are awesome!

[michelcastro]

Can you please please do a what to pack for universal studios and what is the most important things to have in a backpack that you're carrying in the park thank you :)!

[ameliar]

Your videos and voice are so nostalgic for me cause I was addicted to watching your videos in November and December in preparation for my lovely Christmas market trip to Brussels with my boyfriend. Thanks to you, our first trip outside of the UK was a complete success!

[caratcrochetCoUk]

There's so much to think about, especially travelling to a different country.  I'm a relatively frequent traveller to the States and actually pleased to be able to say these five things are always at the top of my to-do checklist.  Thanks for your great videos.