Traveling Tanya’s Top 5 Travel Tips

It has been almost 3 years since I was officially bitten by the travel bug. Since then I have enjoyed numerous family vacations, European excursions, romantic getaways, memorable day trips, and fun outings with friends.

Along the way, I picked up countless souvenirs and priceless memories. But I also learned some important lessons about traveling. And I want to share them with you!

Here are Traveling Tanya’s Top 5 Travel Tips!

1. Pick Your Travel Partner Wisely

My husband and I make great travel partners. We love spending time together. Our personalities balance each other out without clashing. And we have the same zest for life and desire to make the most of our vacation time.

Who you travel with makes a huge difference! If you are not on the same page about what you want to explore or the speed at which you sightsee, you could be in for some big bumps on your journey.

This doesn’t mean you have to like exactly the same things or that you must be joined at the hip during every trip. But you should discuss expectations for your trip before hitting the open road.

Be willing to give your travel partner space when needed. Speak up about your own needs. And be open to spending some time checking out activities and attractions that interest your travel partner.

Once you do find a good travel partner, your desire to see the world will likely increase!

2. Enjoy the Planning Process

For me, the vacation planning process is almost as fun as the trip itself! I love learning about my travel destination and creating a plan for all the sights I’d like to see.

Familiarizing myself with the history, attractions, restaurants, lodging, and transportation options helps relieve any anxiety I may have about visiting a new location. And it gets me pumped about my impending trip!

I believe the anticipation of a vacation just adds to the overall travel experience.

Even if you prefer to let someone else make your travel arrangements, learning a bit about your destination will get you even more excited about the trip.

Immerse yourself in travel podcasts, websites, and books. Talk to others who have visited your chosen destination. Read online reviews and watch YouTube videos about the top attractions.  Viewpoints and opinions will vary so gather input from multiple sources, and keep an open mind.

In the end, you will be better prepared to make the most of your travel time, and your excitement level will continue to increase.

3. Look for Cost-Savings During the Planning Process…Then Splurge During Your Trip

I am a pretty thrifty person by nature. Just ask my husband! So when it comes to travel planning you can bet I’m scouring the internet for the best deals I can find on flights and lodging. I get giddy if I can find a coupon or discount code for a must-see attraction.

With some careful planning, there are so many ways to make travel affordable and work within a budget. Do your research so you can find the best deals. Then during your trip, be prepared to spend some money to really experience what that destination has to offer.

Take the tour. Visit the museum, Eat the food you can only find in that destination.

A gondola ride in Venice is way overpriced by most people’s standards. But even for this thrifty lady, it was an experience I would never have passed up!

While in Venice, we also made it a point to visit Harry’s Bar, where Earnest Hemingway had been known to hang out.

I savored every sip of my $18 Bellini!

(Back at home I spend far less for a whole bottle of Bellini at Trader Joe’s…and reminisce about my days in Venice!)

With careful planning you can maximize your vacation dollars. But once you are in vacation mode, don’t hold the purse strings too tight or you will miss out on some great travel memories.

You are on vacation, afterall…so splurge a little!

4. Don’t Pack Too Much Into Each Trip

I want to see it all! And while I have a tendency to over-program our vacations, I am learning that sometimes less is more.

We wouldn’t change anything about our epic, whirlwind trip to Europe in 2016. But now that we have made travel a priority and know we will go to Europe again, we try to schedule more time in each destination.

Constantly packing, checking in and out of hotels, and navigating between cities can be a bit exhausting. And you lose time you could be enjoying each destination more fully.

On each trip, schedule just a few cities to visit, with at least 3 nights in each location. Then commit to a next vacation where you will add even more stamps to your passport.

The same goes for sight seeing. If every minute of your vacation is scheduled and you are rushing from one museum to the next so you can “see it all,” you will likely not fully enjoy anything. And you and your travel companions will be exhausted and crabby!

Between activities allow some time to just sit, rest your feet, and soak up the ambiance of your new surroundings.

People watching is one of my favorite vacation activities! And when I’m sitting in a café just watching the city walk by, I feel less like a tourist and more like a local.

5. Enrich Your Life By Making Travel a Priority

There will always be more dishes to do, more errands to run, and more money to make. But life is short, and we all have limited time to make precious memories with those we love.

For me, some of my best memories with family and friends have been made while traveling. From time to time, we all need to get out of our day-to-day routine for some rest and relaxation or to take an epic adventure in a new land.

Trying exotic food, meeting new people, exploring different cultures, and realizing how big and diverse our world is…these are just some of the benefits of travel.

Whether you are traveling across town or across the globe, there is so much in this world to explore and so many memories to make.

Most of our picture frames, photo albums, and Instagram pages are not filled with photos of people doing laundry. They are filled with snapshots of memorable experiences and the vacations we never want to forget.

I’m pretty sure that at the end of their lives, most people don’t regret the vacations they took, but they may regret the trips they never got to take.

Life is short, so make travel a priority, and start planning your next trip today!

Have a travel tip you would like to share? Please comment below!

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

P.S. Be sure to subscribe to my email list (at the top of the screen) so you will never miss out on any of Traveling Tanya’s exciting excursions or travel tips!