Pre-Trip Planning: What Not To Do

Planning for a trip can take a long time and a lot of effort, especially if it’s an extended trip like my upcoming RTW adventure. And planning can be a lot of fun, although sometimes a little stressful, which can cause our brains to do silly things. So here’s my list of what NOT to do when organising your next trip away (and I’m speaking from experience of doing all these things at some point):

– Spend money on stupid things like travel sink/basin plugs or special tiny bottles of shampoo. Most hostels have a laundry room and when you do need to do you washing in the sink, then i’m sure you’ll find something to plug it with. Also one big bottle of shampoo will last you much longer than 10 teeny weeny ones.

– Leave everything until the last minute (i.e. vaccinations and visas). You need a number of weeks for certain immunisations as there can be 3 or more boosters required before you leave (e.g. Hep B & Rabies), and with visas, well, that’s just common sense.

– Stress too much about what you are or aren’t going to do in a certain place. Just chill…what will be will be.

– Leading on from the last point – don’t plan too much…obviously you’ll want to have some things sorted before you arrive, but leave other things to spontaneity. You never know who you’re going to meet and where you’ll be told you absolutely HAVE to go.

– Book and pay for stuff you aren’t really sure about…if you change your mind at the last minute you’ll be out of pocket.

– Load yourself up with countless guidebooks, they’re heavy and you can always buy them while you’re away. If you have to, just take one for the first country you’re visiting.