Have you ever seen #TravelFail while browsing social media? Maybe you have been a victim of a travel fail. Travel fails happen to everyone, and unfortunately, mistakes and failures happen, even to the best of us.
You might think you are prepared for your next trip, but are you really? Mistakes happen, but with a little guidance and travel advice from those of us who have earned our wings in the air, you might be able to avoid the dreaded #TravelFail tag on your next trip or vacation.
What Is a Travel Fail?
Okay, so first you may be wondering what exactly is a travel fail. Well, a travel fail is a mistake we make that can be avoided. And usually they cause us trouble during our trip or vacation. Sometimes these failures are out of our hands, like plane trouble, lost luggage, or missed connections. But often, travel fails are things that could have been avoided had we thought things through before hand and paid attention to what was going on around us. (And yes we totally understand getting wrapped up in the beauty of scenery or the idea of looking our best for a night on the town.)
#Travel isn't always plain sailing… We asked our staff and contributors to share their travel fail tales, and what they'd do differently if they could start over. From questionable love hotels to severe heatstroke, learn from our mistakes… https://t.co/o3mugQGotu #travelfail pic.twitter.com/nTvOveZBub
— Lonely Planet (@lonelyplanet) August 29, 2018
Travel Fails to Avoid
So now that you know what a travel fail is, you need to know how best to avoid them. Here are some tips and tricks for having the best possible vacation with as little mishap as possible. And while things do happen, we hope we can help you avoid some of the more obvious travel failures.
- Risking Your Safety or Anyone Else’s to Get the Perfect Picture – Pictures and selfies are a great way to capture your vacation and the beauty of your trip. But it is also a great way to get hurt if you aren’t being careful. Pay attention to things like roads, cliffs, and other hazardous areas. If you are so focused on getting the perfect picture, you may miss the fact that you are about to fall off the side of a cliff or walk into on coming traffic. Nothing ruins a vacation quicker than an injury.
- Inappropriate Footwear – We get the idea of looking good and putting your best foot forward, but the wrong shoes can spell disaster. From stilettos to flip-flops, knowing your setting is important. The last thing you want is to twist an ankle because you were wearing wrong the shoes on a cobblestone path. Besides, there is also such a thing as comfort and it is important to be comfortable if you are doing a lot of walking, climbing, and other sight-seeing activities.
- Dumping Trash on the Side of the Road – The world is not your garbage can. In fact, find one of those and get rid of any trash you have lingering around. Not only is it rude and impolite, but it makes you look like you don’t care about the beauty around you. And even if you aren’t in a pristine location, that doesn’t mean you should be dumping your trash willy-nilly.
- Pay Attention to Trails, Street Signs, and Any Other Path Markers – It is important to be mindful of any and all marked signs. Stay on any trails as they are marked. Make sure you pay attention to directions and locations. Getting lost or getting hurt is a sure way to ruin your trip. You aren’t the next great explorer, don’t go so far off the path that you end up needing to be rescued.
- Don’t Take Anything That Doesn’t Belong To You – In general this is a solid rule, but we also mean in terms of things you may find at historical sites. The last thing you want to do is to find yourself in trouble with the law or the locals. Besides, we all want the chance to enjoy these things and we don’t want other people ruining it for us.
- Losing or Not Paying Attention to Tickets and Times (Including Flight and Train Times) – Perhaps one of the biggest things is paying attention to your tickets and anything you have scheduled. You don’t want to miss a plane or train because you didn’t properly plan things. At the same time, you don’t want to miss out on any opportunities because you weren’t looking at a clock (at least once in a while).
There are plenty of other things you should pay attention to when it comes to traveling, but these will certainly help to make sure that your next trip doesn’t include a travel fail. Plus, these tips will help ensure that you have a good time, too.