Plan Your Next Adventure Like a Pro with These Insider Tips
At any age you deserve to live your best life (#LYBL). If you want to travel full time or part time now or in the future, you’ll find these travel tips helpful. If I can help you plan your next travel, please email me BabZ@WheresBabZ.com.
Do you have some travel tips you find useful? Please add them to the comments so we can share our travel tips.
Where to go?
The world is a big place. Here are some questions to narrow your decision making.
What’s your travel budget? Do you have points or frequent flyer miles you can use?
How long do you want to travel?
Are there locations you feel safe or comfortable and others not so much?
Is solo or group travel more your vibe? Traveling alone or with friends?
What’s your preferred mode of transport, car, ship, plane, train?
Are you working through your travel bucket list?
Is housesitting something you’re comfortable with or want to try?
Other considerations for travel overseas:
Look at your currency rate. Is there a location with a favorable exchange rate? This allows you to travel farther and for longer. I use the XE Currency app to check when planning and traveling.
How long do you want to travel to get “there”? Flying 36 hours with short layovers maybe cheap but is physically and mentally painful – especially that last 12-hour leg. Think about breaking the trip into segments with time to breathe fresh air and sleep in a real bed. I use ResortPass to reserve a day at hotels near airports to take a shower, use the gym, jump in a pool and have real food. I have also used it just because I want to spend a day at a rooftop or beach hotel with great food, music, service and amenities for a day.
Are you comfortable where your native language is not common at your destination?
What kind of travel experience are you looking for?
Active travel can include a long or short bike tour, climb or hike through mountains, snorkel in warm waters and more.
Cooking and eating with locals can get your tastebuds going. Being a foodie opens all sorts of opportunities from living with the chef and cooking all day to market tours and half day cooks ending with a communal meal. You can even work on a farm, cook and enjoy the locals view of the area.
Beach or warm travel locations can be found everywhere. Having grown up in the Midwest, I highly recommend the “follow the sun tour”. I move between hemispheres to stay with the sun.
Refresh your life, get fit, eat well, and reset? You can find yoga practices, health spas, juice cleanses, writing retreats and luxurious weight loss locations everywhere for any length of time. I’ve enjoyed them in the US, Thailand and Australia. It is a great way to clear your head and get out of your own way.
How do you want to get there?
This decision will become apparent based on where you’ve decided to go and how much time you have.
Road trips became a thing during the pandemic and now. Today, you can rent a camper or a car. Is your own car reliable and ready for a couple thousand miles? I have a 5-hour limit plus breaks in my car. What’s yours?
Planes have been the way to travel between cities, across a country or ocean. It’s certainly fast but recent weather and security has added hours and stress to plane travel. Planes can be really expensive or cheap depending on season, when you’re buying your tickets and if you have points you can use. Do you have points earning credit cards? See my video on how to leverage them for travel.
Trains are a way to get around in many continents. Europe and Japan have efficient train systems. It is one of my favorite ways to travel as you get me meet and chat with fellow travelers and locals. If you have the time, think about how it may fit your travel.
Cruises can be controversial and seems to have lovers and haters. I am on the lover side and recommend repositioning cruises when cruise companies shift their fleets depending on the season. Two people can certainly travel for less than a solo traveler – but savvy research makes it possible for everyone. My 28-day cruise from Sydney to LA was much more enjoyable than 14 hours on a plane. Like trains, I enjoy the opportunity to make new friends as a solo traveler.
For more on cruise planning, roll calls, hacks and count down to the sail away party search “cruise”.
