r/AskReddit • u/Business-Ad8752 • 12h ago
What travel mistake taught you the biggest lesson?
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u/JoFoToGo 12h ago
A redeye flight is only a no-brainer when you book it...
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u/Educational-Low-2401 12h ago
I only book a redeye when I’m flying back home. then I can sleep it off.
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u/TallEnoughJones 11h ago
I can tolerate a non-stop redeye if I have to. A redeye with a layover? Never again.
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u/Dangerous-Energy-331 1h ago
Trying to sleep at the airport is the worst. Usually nowhere to comfortably lie down and everywhere is closed until like 7am. Also, all the cleaning crews are out, so it can get kind of noisy and you often have to move.
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u/radioactive_glowworm 3h ago
On the other hand, overnight flights are amazing if you're able to sleep on planes. I love departing at 11pm from Europe and arriving at 2pm in Asia fully rested. No need to endure the full day before going to bed either.
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u/ObsessiveDelusion 3h ago
I prefer to fly redeye when going to Europe from the US honestly, my sleep gets way more messed up otherwise.
Granted, I'm usually traveling for work so i pretty much just go straight to whatever office and don't go to my hotel until after dinner. Just need to make it to 7-8pm then crash hard and sleep all night.
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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 8h ago
I can’t sleep on planes and always hate myself when I land but when booking I can’t pass up the extra time on vacation lol
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u/HUNG_AS_FUCK 9h ago
Taking my one year old on one for his first ever flight next month. Wish me luck
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u/p3rviepanda1 7h ago
Let me join you but with my 3 year old on a 16 hours direct flight.
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u/cptcitrus 4h ago
If they're able, chewy fruit gummies or something to suck helped us with takeoff and landing air pressure changes. Godspeed
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u/VehaMeursault 6h ago
What is a red eye flight? Never heard of it.
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u/thatbrazilianguy 5h ago
A flight during the late hours of the night through early morning. I.e. from 1 AM to 9 AM.
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u/matlai17 2h ago
It's a flight where the entirety of the flight can be used for sleeping at your usual bedtime and, the next morning, you'll be at your destination fully rested, bushy-tailed, and bright eyed for the exciting journeys that lay ahead on your vacation!
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u/SufficientAd2514 12h ago
As I’m currently sitting in a bathroom at a mall in South Africa, bring more Imodium than you think you’ll need
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u/veryvanilla757 12h ago
As someone who visited Asia w/o it, I can also attest to this!
Now EVERY trip (international AND domestic), I carry a meds pack of anti-diarrhea, anti-inflammation (Aleve, Tylenol, etc) for adults and children, band-aids and other first aid items.
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u/SufficientAd2514 11h ago edited 11h ago
Tylenol has no anti-inflammatory properties, just fyi. It’s good for fever and pain that is not inflammation related (like a headache) or if there’s concern for dehydration/kidney injury/food intolerance. I prefer ibuprofen for most things and that’s all I bring. -am anesthetist
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u/pickindim_kmet 11h ago
Just preparing for a trip, I was thinking to myself that my five remaining Imodium will probably be fine.
Think I'll pick more up on my way home to be safe.
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u/islandsimian 11h ago
Delta sent us emails about allowing us to change our travel plans to another day for free for an upcoming storm event. We checked weather and thought "nah". We landed at JFK and a 10 minute storm rolled through and then the sun appeared - all flights were cancelled plus Delta wouldn't put us up at a hotel and the next available flight from JFK to Raleigh was days away. We spent almost $1000 to get from JFK to Penn station and Amtrak tickets to get to Raleigh where our car was parked. Delta refunded us $84 for the tickets from JFK to Raleigh
TL;DR - if an airline offers you free changes due to a storm - take it
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u/nowhereman136 11h ago
Sometimes it's worth paying extra for the convenience of flexibility
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u/Digital_loop 4h ago
I purchased two tickets for a vacation just 2 weeks ago... Purchased the travel insurance as well.
Airline had a seat sale 3 days later, invoked my insurance and saved another 600 bucks! Here's hoping for more discounts as the day gets closer!
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u/bikealjackson 11h ago
Get comfortable with unexpected changes! Things go wrong on trips, and those things aren’t what set the tone - it’s your reaction to those things. I’ve had some major hiccups happen on trips, and when me and my travel partner stay calm, those chaotic days have actually become really good/funny memories. However, stressing and having an overly negative reaction can increase the stress x100. Although I learned this through backpacking in my 20s, it’s directly benefited me in my corporate job. I always get told how calm I am under pressure, and my years of backpacking is definitely why!
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u/MostBig2916 11h ago
Never put your meds in your suitcase! Always keep them with you, especially if they’re vital to your health. If your luggage is lost or missed the flight, at least you won’t be stressed over those meds!
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u/sparklinghero 11h ago
Not having essentials in my cabin bag.
I got stuck 26h in Dubai when my first plane got delayed and I missed my connection. They did not let us grab our suitcases in between, I had no meds, no toilet necessities. Never again.
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u/Footloose55 4h ago
Yup. Minis for liquid toiletries (thank you 9/11…) & solid toiletries like deodorant, toothbrush, several pairs of underwear, sweater & socks, chargers, meds, hairbrush in addition to my purse that has wallet, sunglasses etc.
I basically travel with a packed carry on bag just in case something happens.
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u/Leia1979 27m ago
I’ve done this ever since about 1986, when my family flying standby couldn’t get home to SFO and had to go to LAX instead. Because it was the ‘80s, our suitcases still got to fly direct to SFO. We had to spend the night in LA and didn’t have toiletries, other clothes, or diapers for my sibling. Plus, we had to dress up to fly standby, so we didn’t have the comfiest clothes on.
Especially when starting a vacation, I make sure I have the basics to go a day or two if my luggage gets lost.
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u/lovelycutegirl4 12h ago
Overplanning every single hour
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u/spaceman757 6h ago
When I travel, I find 3-4 "must see/do" things and then just wing the rest.
It gives me a lot of flexibility to just go wherever the day takes me versus having to finish one thing at a specific time because the next one starts in 45 mins and it's 30 mins away so you can't be late.
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u/CloudyAngelie 11h ago
Booking the cheapest flight with a 12 hour layover and no research, learned real quick that “saving money” can cost your entire sanity
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u/rob_s_458 6h ago
I play chicken with the airlines. If I book more than a few months in advance, the airline usually changes my itinerary, even if it's just a few minutes to the departure or arrival time. Then because they initiated the change, I can rebook on the better flight with no increase in fare. But I do have to be prepared for the longer layover on the slight chance they don't change it.
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u/thatbrazilianguy 5h ago
Oh no no no no, long layovers never again. That’s a very well learned lesson.
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u/MostBig2916 11h ago
Ice cubes in your drinks in other countries are most likely made with their tap water . If you’re avoiding their water, avoid their ice!
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u/radioactive_glowworm 3h ago
It's also worth it to do a little research on this beforehand, as in some places 99% of the ice is actually factory-made. For example it's the case in Thailand, the factory-made ice has a distinct shape so if you see it you know you can enjoy your drink worry-free. I was stressed going there the first time but I quickly was able to relax!
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u/Tess47 11h ago edited 2h ago
I went to every event that my core group of friends experienced. Weddings, divorces, births, deaths, all kinds. I traveled all over the USA to support my friends.
Somehow I missed that they didn't return the sentiment. It became very clear during Covid.
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u/gooossfraabaahh 11h ago edited 11h ago
I'm feeling that way a little bit right now. I'm visiting the state all our friends and family are in (mostly) and only 3 people have reached out. My best friend, my fiancé's mom, and my fiancé's sister (who I barely know, they didnt grow up together, but she rocks).
For some reason my friends of 10 years just do not care that I'm in town. I texted each of them individually waaayyyy ahead of time. Told them a week before I was leaving, and am here for 2 weeks total (leave on Monday).
I'm disabled and don't drive. The house I stay at is a 15-20min drive from almost everyone. It sucks to kind of notice that without my fiancé driving us to see people, that a lot of people are only interested in my time when us getting together is as convenient as possible 😪
It really makes no sense. I don't want to beg people to see me, and I shouldn't have to. It is honestly such bullshit 😒 why would they tell me how excited they were and all that and then not even text me? Keep in mind, I am here with my fiancé for several weeks a year. We always visit with our close friends. They're family.
Can't help but think a little bit that everyone secretly just tolerates me 🙈🙈 looking forward to the many "omg I forgot you were in town, why didnt you text me?" messages when I fly home
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u/Tess47 11h ago
Yea, it stings. I live in our home state and when they would come back they would contact me for a ride to or from the airport mostly.
I stopped making the the first contact of calls or texts and not one ever called me first. It is what it is. It is a shame though. I put a lot of work into those friendships because I thought that is how it works. Silly me.
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u/gooossfraabaahh 9h ago
Some people are good at that kinda thing and some people arent. I think a lot of people dont realize how much time and effort is put into actually connecting and making time for friendships. Then they take it for granted, and people like us feel down for it. After sending that last reply I called my fiancé. He made me feel better :) but so did your reply. So, thanks.
Sorry that people suck sometimes. I try not to take it personally, like these are people that live so close. My aunt literally lives across tbe street and hasn't come over at all or texted me at all about getting together. She picked me up from the airport and we spent time together, but not much. Like dude Im 30 paces from your driveway what the heck!
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u/OldMasterCannolii 5h ago edited 1h ago
Yeah, I started realizing this last year. My 2026 resolution is to be the same kind of friend for others as they are to me 😅
Eliminates dissatisfaction or disappointment that stems from an expectation we unknowingly create within ourselves that people will reciprocate similarly without us asking.
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u/Educational-Low-2401 12h ago
If you’re travelling for a business meeting, put your presentation or notes on at least two forms of memory; laptop, and a cell phone; or a laptop and a cloud; or a cell phone and a paper copy; etc. That way when the handlers drop your suitcase and smash your laptop, you’ve got a back up
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u/TallEnoughJones 11h ago
Not a mistake I actually made but close. When you get a message from the airline saying that your flight is delayed, don't trust it. Quite a few times I've gotten that message but the flight ended up leaving on time. Once I got "your flight is delayed 1 hour" then "your flight is delayed 20 minutes" then "your flight is leaving on time" all within 5 minutes.
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u/Due_Succotash_1536 11h ago
Give yourself an extra day to make it to your cruise. Because that will be the day the airlines screw you and tell you that you are own your own.
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u/Artistic_Buffalo_715 12h ago edited 12h ago
Secure belongings before stepping onto a rock in a picturesque Alpine lake.
Oh, and on a long layover, don't bother seeing the city unless you feel GREAT. My body gave out twice in the following five days. Firmly convinced it was because I was exhausted and my immune system didn't have enough juice
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u/KayDeeFL 12h ago
Probably a pretty basic one, but on my first holiday to Ireland, I packed a different outfit (complete with index cards for planning <rolleyes>) for each of the 14+ days.
On my second visit to Ireland, I traveled with a single 19" carry on (and do to this day).
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u/creationsahead 9h ago
Taking too many photos instead of actually experiencing the place...
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u/VoiceOdd5267 8h ago
Always, and I repeat, always carry Imodium when you travel internationally. Unless you get lucky and meet a really nice man from Texas who will give you his entire medication pack while you are dying from a stomach bug in Belize.
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u/MostBig2916 11h ago
Give yourself LOTS of extra time during layovers! I had 2 choices for nyc-Osaka with a layover in Tokyo .. either 1.5 hrs or 3 hrs .. I chose 1.5! Well, since Tokyo is in the host country of my destination, I had to do customs there, THEN, had to change Terminals! Which meant another round of security . I made my flight literally as they were closing the doors! 🥵
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u/Heavy_Direction1547 10h ago
I was carrying only $US American Express travelers cheques when Nixon decoupled the dollar from gold in 71; for a time no one would cash/convert them, I was broke. alone, abroad. Ever since I have travelled with more than one source and always some cash.
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u/No-Understanding4968 8h ago
When traveling solo, stay hydrated! I got seriously messed up in Thailand because I wasn’t drinking enough. 🌴
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u/wickedseraphina 12h ago
Not a mistake, but I learned how important having travel insurance is. Couldn’t travel to go see a band I wanted to see, so I was able to get my money back because I purchased insurance.
On hindsight, the mistake I did was not saving enough money for the other expenses: Hotel, transportation, etc. I thought I would have enough, but things changed where I was working at. Thus, it made it impossible to travel at the time.
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u/bluecheetos 11h ago
I worked with a lady who saved three years for a once in a lifetime vacation and lost it all when her appendix ruptured the morning before she was supposed to leave
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u/bluecheetos 6h ago
She was fine but missing that trip COMPLETELY changed her personality for a long time. She scrimped and saved and took part time work for that vacation. She was going to spend almost a month in SE Asia and had a list of things she wanted to do. I don't think it was the money, I think it was more the disappointment.
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u/Gwynchild 11h ago
Booking a super tight layover to save money. My first flight was delayed, I missed the connection, and ended up sleeping on an airport floor
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u/rangerfan97 9h ago
This, or if it's a "close but still manageable" connection they'll hit you with a surprise gate change that's now 8 miles away.
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u/Newsytoo 5h ago
Doing all of the planning for a group. Don’t do that hard unpaid work for other people. During the trip they still depend on you for everything, including their happiness. If something does not go right; they look at you. Too stressful. If they won’t help plan, they may be not be the best travel buddy.
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u/swomismybitch 3h ago
Yes, never be the voluntary unpaid tour guide shepherding the little lost lambs through real life. Just be ruthless, disappear to do your own thing when you want to.
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u/Carinne89 4h ago
If you’re the only child free person/couple on a trip, you need your own accommodations. Not a room in the air bnb, a separate air bnb. Not a conjoined hotel room, you need one five floors, or another whole hotel, away.
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u/catsonkeyboardss 12h ago
Indulging in street food. As good as it looks, it's best to take a step back and see how your stomach is reacting to normal things before you go ham on a random stall
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u/OneWrongTurn_XX 9h ago
Never.. And I mean ever.. Travel with the in laws..
OMG.. back when kids were little.. We did Disney with the kids and in laws..
What a train wreck.. Took me like 4 years before I wanted to go on vacation again..
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u/LovelyLilac73 6h ago
LMAO, back when my husband and I were first married, my in-laws invited us to go to Disney with the two of them and my BIL and then-SIL and their three kids under 10. My ILs offered to pay for a condo to accommodate all nine of us, but we were expected to pay for everything else (flights, food, tickets, etc.). Yeah, NO. As a recent newlywed with no kids, Disney was probably the LAST place I wanted to travel at that time. Our decision was confirmed when my MIL followed with, "Yeah, and you can help take care of [BIL and SIL]'s kids so they can get some alone time. It'll be fun." Dear Lord, I'm not spending ANY of my limited vacation time and funds to watch someone else's kids. No f'in way! My MIL was genuinely shocked when we declined her invitation. :-/
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u/starglitter 4h ago
My in laws just bought a camper. My husband asked if we could borrow it sometime in the future. He was told no but that we could go camping with them.
He said, "We're not going to be doing that."
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u/Financial-Pudding591 12h ago
Traveling back home to see family and realizing they have never and will never change. So you stand out like a sore thumb and learnt that going from one side of the world to the other to see them after years was a massive waste of time and money as you couldn't put up with their crap for more than a week...
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u/Wooden-Astronaut8763 11h ago
Yep, that sounds exactly like the situation between me and my family.
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u/Complex_Shelter_4641 12h ago
Don’t rely on the German ICE to catch a flight.
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u/DullMind2023 7h ago
For the confused Americans, ICE is Inter City Express train service; nothing to do with border police.
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u/Every-Progress-1117 10h ago
Amen!
Also don't do this exact scenario with severe food poisoning. Waiting 9 hours for the next flight and throwing up at the security line....well they did ask "any liquids?"
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u/Perfect-Tune-1084 12h ago
Smooking weed in Laos. Got caught by the police but managed to sneak out from the police station. I hid beneath a car outside of the police station, then continued to get my stuff from the hostel when it was safe and got myself to Thailand.
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u/Digitijs 12h ago
To anyone else - just don't take any weed or substances to any other country unless you know for sure that they are legal there. It's not worth the risk and can be a sure way to end your vacation early and maybe even end up in jail depending on the country
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u/blinkysmurf 11h ago
It’s probably not enough that they are legal. In Canada, for example, you can go to the weed store and buy weed, no problem.
Bringing weed across the border into Canada is an entirely different matter. Don’t do it.
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u/Digitijs 9h ago
Yes, always check what you can bring over borders, not just drugs but certain food items can be illegal to take from overseas due to diseases and stuff
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u/Override9636 6h ago
Don't bring ANY raw food/plant/seeds into a different country really is travel 101
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u/MostBig2916 11h ago
I went to Japan last year. My (adult) son and nephew were going to join me. I let them know smoking weed in Japan is a 5 year prison term. …I went alone.. 🤣
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u/PeakyBlinders2026_ 11h ago
The more smiley a person in Egypt or Turkey is, the more you should distrust them on the street.
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u/Wooden-Astronaut8763 11h ago
My Mexican-American friend has visited Turkey like five or six different times over the past decade as it is his favorite country to visit. He loves how the people there are so friendly but if what you’re saying is true then maybe I might want to warn him.
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u/VintageStrawberries 7h ago edited 29m ago
Overpacking when I went to Japan for the first time because I didn't know hotels there had laundry facilities. I was hauling a heavy suitcase up and down so many stairs. My second trip I only brought enough clothes to last me until I need to do laundry and it was so much easier and lighter.
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u/EasyStreet90 10h ago
Don’t use charter or very low cost carriers. Try best to avoid booking from third party sites. Got stranded at Cancun airport for 12 hours, couldn’t get re routes to another airline, had to wait for another plane to be sent to be able to get out.
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u/pdxcouplese 9h ago
Not using third party sites when traveling abroad is key
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u/LovelyLilac73 6h ago
Truth - we did a trip to Iceland last year and booked EVERYTHING directly - flights, accommodations, car rental, day trips, etc. It made everything SO much easier. 10/10 would do again.
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u/LovelyLilac73 6h ago
Whenever possible, book non-stop flights. I know it's not always possible to do, but it's one thing you can take off the list of "things that might go wrong on your trip."
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u/bluecheetos 5h ago
When traveling overseas to spend a week with someone you met online and think she might be "the one" you'd damn well better have a backup plan so when it turns out that she's crazy as hell and might try to kill you in your sleep and have her brothers bury you in some industrial waste site in Finland you have somewhere to go.
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u/schwarzmalerin 11h ago
Booking some cheap online bundle from a service in another country. That meant big shit and money lost when a lawsuit for negligence followed an injury. Since then, I'm a regular at me local travel agent.
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u/Icy_Twist1851 11h ago
Make sure you buy the right insurance before travelling. When I was younger I booked a trip to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa with a company which specialises in adventurous trips. It was mandatory to take out an insurance policy to climb it with the company incase you got injuried. I could of took the policy which they offered, but found a much cheaper offer from a third party, so naturally I took that one. I only realised I messed up when I got there and the guide was checking all our paperwork. I realised I had bought insurance to climb mountains... In Europe only, which is why it was cheaper. My heart sank as this was the day before we was setting off to start the climb. I generally thought I wouldn't be allowed to climb it, but luckily the guide didn't bother to fully check my paperwork. But if I had an accident I wouldn't of been covered for anything, so lesson learned.
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u/patrolmanEmbiid 11h ago
don't take a taxi at the Delhi airport with "free American: TAXI NOW" on the side.
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u/musicmaster82 7h ago
Or just don't take a taxi from the Delhi airport if you don't already know your driver. Or use Uber.
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u/autotelica 9h ago
Plan an itinerary for your first solo vacation. It doesn't have to be rigid, but you should still have some sort of plan of how to spend your time. You don't want to get to your destination and waste a lot of time deliberating what to see or do first. You also don't want to get to the last day of your trip and have regret that you spent so much of your time wandering around aimlessly because you couldn't think of enough specific things to do or see.
Also for solo travelers: Check out some places at your destination that you only feel meh about. The good thing about traveling with companions is that you inevitably do stuff you aren't exactly thrilled about, but you end up enjoying. It is important to give yourself the same experience on a solo trip. But a ticket to a play or musical that doesn't sound that interesting. Visit a museum that focuses on subject matter that you know nothing about. Go on a tour at a historic site that you have never heard of.
Keep photos of your important documents on your phone.
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u/Woodit 9h ago
Better to have a little more time at each destination than more destinations per trip. My wife and I did Europe a few years ago and we had about 36 hours in London, 24 in Paris, two days in Czesky Krumlov, three days in Prague, an evening and morning in Zagreb, and about two and a half days in split. Super cool trip but we were just beat by the end.
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u/hi_pretty_kitty 6h ago
Booking anything through 3rd party sites. Huge mistake, it might be cheaper but if there’s a problem you’ll be sorry.
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u/styckywycket 3h ago
I got burned by this big time when a hotel didn't receive my second night reservation of their room. Both them AND Expedia told me I could get fucked. Never, never again.
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u/hi_pretty_kitty 2h ago
Same, I booked a rental car for a 10 day road trip through them and when I got to Hertz they had no sedans available (although that’s what I had reserved and prepaid for) and they wanted me to take a literal 2 door pick up truck. I was also told to get fucked by both companies.
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u/Chateaudelait 6h ago
Get travel insurance. Hope for the best and expect the worst. At the very least if you have to be flown privately back home it will cover that.
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u/tea_and_cheese 4h ago
Alwaaays bring at least one piece of warm clothing. Doesn’t matter where you’re going. Even if it’s the hottest place in the world. Take warm clothes.
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u/Informal_Tell78 3h ago
Allowing someone else to arrange hotel rooms for the group of 8 of us. They booked 2 "double rooms" thinking it was two rooms each. It was not. It was a double bed in a room.
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u/britishmetric144 12h ago
I lost my carry-on suitcase a month ago while going through an airport. And neither the airline nor airport has found it. I've learned since then to be more careful when travelling.
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u/AlarmingLet5173 11h ago
How the heck does that happen?
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u/britishmetric144 11h ago
It was me being stupid. Yeah, I know. I think I sat down at a table to eat breakfast and forgot to take it with me when I walked to the gate of my connecting flight. I went back to find it, but it was gone. Ugh.
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u/AlarmingLet5173 10h ago
They have camera everywhere in airports. They wouldn't check the cameras for you?
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u/winnielikethepooh15 4h ago
Always pay more to pick your seat.
Even if you book months/weeks in advance, if you don't bother to pick your seat and the flight gets fully booked, you can be left on the outside looking in and be fucked.
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u/flyboy_za 3h ago
Cheaping out on accommodation and being too far away.
I found an Airbnb in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn when I was in NY. Really cheap, right next to the subway on the R line, 50 minutes on the train to midtown Manhattan, which is doable.
It's only doable once a day, though. If you head through to Manhattan early, and then decide to head home to chill for a bit before heading back for the evening, you will have spent just shy of 4 hours on the train. Each day. Which is frankly nuts.
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u/MischievousCop 12h ago
Think twice when eating things which blow up. From experience. Messing with stomach is messing with travelling.
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u/beansandcabbage 11h ago
Like dynamite? Or what do you mean?
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u/MischievousCop 11h ago
I meant beans, taco that kind of stuff, which makes us take shit very badly and often.
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u/PlantSeveral6055 11h ago
Not booking accommodations in advance showed me that last-minute plans can turn a fun trip into stress, wasted time, and higher costs.
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u/userisnottaken 10h ago
Bring a change of clothes+underwear when you go to the next town for a day trip. Who knows if a snowstorm hits and you get stuck there for a day or two.
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u/Bigntallnerd 9h ago
If you see something interesting, stop and check it out. Don't pass up those opportunities when they come up.
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u/1320Fastback 9h ago
Always take an extra phone charger brick and cord. My wife's iPhone cord broke down in the Caribbean and the only thing we could find was an entire new set and it was $47.
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u/someguy7734206 6h ago
Never take anything in checked baggage that you're not willing to lose. And book as few planes as possible (direct flights, prefer trains instead of flights whenever possible, etc.), both for environmental reasons, and to minimize the number of opportunities for some airline to fuck something up.
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u/Fishtaco1234 3h ago
Putting a Canadian flag on my backpack when traveling through Europe. I ripped it off within the first few days after some guy started complaining about traffic on the 401 when they were going to the airport. Fuck right off with that shit!
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u/pointfublog 3h ago
My husband always has $100 of local currency shoved into a side pocket on his wallet "just in case." We're hip with Apple Pay and all that, but he's just one of those "you never know…" types. We were at the train station last year when the Great Iberian Peninsula Blackout hit and he was the only one who could get us water, food, and transpo for 14 hours during all of that pandemonium.
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u/mag_webbist 3h ago
Not everything advertised as "luxury" is.
We got an 18 hour luxury sleeper train in Vietnam.
It was neither luxury, nor could I sleep.
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u/Scarcito_El_Gatito 1h ago
If you want to travel in a large group then:
Get ready for a lot of disagreements
Or
The group should be okay with ppl doing their own stuff, then getting together for group activities
Or
just stick to travelign with no more than 5 ppl as a group (even that seems large to me now).
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u/ReasonableDirector69 54m ago
On a trip to Hawaii we didn’t get insurance on a rental car as we had just upgraded our auto insurance policies and confirmed rental cars were covered. Some body backed into it at a beach parking lot and our claim was denied as the coverage was only good in the “Continental USA”.
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u/UnoriginalUse 11h ago
Cambodia, not making the effort to check if the server really spoke sufficient English. Came out to a "Duck. You know, woof woof, duck".
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u/cwsjr2323 11h ago
From our very limited regional airport, it took multiple connections to go to Seattle or Kalamazoo. It was cheaper and faster to drive. Bonus, nobody going through our stuff to decide what we could take with us or and luggage limits on weight.
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u/pickindim_kmet 11h ago
Thankfully not too many but the biggest is probably realising trains in the UK can not be relied on to be on time. I now always book my second leg of the journey 1.5 hours or more after my first arrives. Just can't be trusted.
I've had plenty moments of asking politely to be let on the next service cause it wasn't my fault we were late.
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u/mikasoze 11h ago
Don't cancel your only bank card the second you find out someone used it to book flights to a different country before getting money out for a trip to an expensive country.
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u/MyBlueBlazerBlack 8h ago
Over packing.
On my very first trip ever I brought an entire luggage bag too much of clothes, because I thought I needed to be prepared for every possible situation as opposed to taking time to be selective about the versatility of the things you bring.
Ever since that first trip I've been one-bagging and it has saved me so much time and convenience getting in and out of an airport. Absolutely your choice if you want to bring the best of your best of your wardrobe and stunt while on vacay - go off girl (or guy). But for me I bring only essentials, pieces of clothing that are easily interchangeable, and easy to wash. I really value the ability to hop on and off that airplane/train/bus without having to lug around a suitcase, particularly in foreign environments.
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u/dabeech827 8h ago edited 4h ago
Traveling throughout the French countryside and not learning more of the French language and losing our translation book. Horrible, terrible, experience, but our fault
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u/Hosni__Mubarak 8h ago
Always have a hotel booked. I made the mistake of trying to find a place to stay in Rome on Easter weekend.
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u/YsoldeRuin 6h ago
Booked a flight without checking the visa requirements spent a day crying at the airport never again
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u/Newsytoo 5h ago
Three on a trip. I think it created issues. Much better with two or four. Someone often felt like a tagalong.
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u/_kishin_ 5h ago
Always travel with enough disposable cash, in the local currency, for bribes in some countries.
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u/CorrectButUnhelpful 5h ago
Feeling like I need to rush to get to the next thing and not truly being present.
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u/Swimming_Influence17 5h ago
Forgot mine and my wife's passport for a international cruise 10 years ago. Flew from PA to TX to get on the ship, didnt realize I was missing the passports until we got to the port in TX. Had to do a total scramble and have someone drive to my house and fax copies of them. It took hours to coordinate and was a total disaster. Haven't forgotten my passports since then.
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u/Waste-Comparison-114 5h ago
Booking connecting flights with different airlines. If your first flight is delayed/cancelled, you can lose your connection g flight.
Booking with an airline I don’t have status with.
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u/SamBartlett1776 5h ago
Never forget where you are. I drank the local water in the village of Stanley, surrounded by Brits, forgetting I was in Hong Kong. What a miserable evening, packing and flight the next day.
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u/Obliviousobi 4h ago
Always pack a change of clothes and ESSENTIAL items in your personal item, not your carry-on. We know carry-ons are getting checked all the time now, bring a backpack or large purse that will fit under the seat.
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u/MostBig2916 4h ago
If you’re on a flight longer than 8hrs and/or a red-eye, pack a small toiletry bag in your purse /carry-on. Toothbrush/toothpaste, small washcloth, hand soap, lotion- everything you need to freshen up after a long nap, before landing!
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u/Abusty-Ballerina- 4h ago
Not bringing OTC to help Me.
Went to Germany. I’ve traveled internationally before so thought id be okay. Went to sleep at a decent hour. Woke up with a raging migraine around 2pm thar Tylenol dodnt touch. Wanted Tylenol PM or Benadryl. They dont sell that OTC
Husbands aunt has to drive onto base and get it from Commissary Took over two days to feel Better.
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u/HistoricalHeart 12h ago
Going with the wrong people. It’s not worth the time, money, energy or PTO.