SO, lovelies I started my serious traveling at the age of 17 when I practically moved to the US and had to do everything by myself at the airport starting from bags to customs because my sister had no idea, and being an older one I had to be the responsible one if you know what I mean. Since then I’ve been going places and doing research starting from the google map and the nearby restaurant and sometimes checking the crime rate as well of the area (yup you better know about that especially if you are a female group traveling or a solo traveler).
1. Budget The number one tip I would give regarding local or international travel is to write down in your diary or a piece of paper what is your budget. What max you could spend on hotels, food, tourist places, and shopping? For example, if your total traveling budget is $1500 then you can’t spend $1000 just on luxury hotels to stay for 5 days. You’ll have to find an extended stay which I find is the best option for the budget. The second-best option on the budget would be Airbnb especially if you are traveling with a family and you need a kitchen. For example, just last month I went to Tampa with my family and we saved tons of money staying at the Airbnb because we cooked at home almost every day. Not because eating out is expensive but also if you want to eat healthily you can’t be eating out much because healthy eating gets quite expensive. So Erol and I used to go out at night to buy chicken from Walmart and my mom would make roasted chicken for all of us. We as a family of 4 adults and a 6-month-old baby spent about $1000 on Airbnb 2 BR house with a private patio and yard. It was in our budget and that’s what we needed with a 6 mo. old baby.
2. Pack smart not a lot! Packing smart is very important especially if you have restrictions of only 1 bag to travel with at the airport. (I think Spirit airline has this restriction because it’s quite affordable to travel with). For example, If you are going for a 5-day trip to Cabu in summer. I would pack 2 to 3 dresses only for the photos. I would keep 2 to 3 layers that I can use interchangeably with my other dress and I would keep 1 pair of white or blue jeans. I would also keep 1 compact bag of toiletries which would include my basic makeup as well. I would keep one sneaker, 1 heals, and 1 flip flop in a small shoe bag (link provided). I would not keep any hair accessories like curlers or straighteners as sometimes hotels can provide that. Trust me I have traveled light and heavy and I promise I wasn’t able to use most items when I traveled heavily.
3. Look for the hidden gems! Usually, places that are not mentioned in tourist magazines turn out to be way better in my personal experience. For example, I went to Tampa, and as we all know Clearwater Beach is a famous touristic spot, but I can assure you that small island beaches around the Clearwater area are way more peaceful and beautiful. I love the Honeymoon Island State Park and the beach. 2 years ago when I went to Clearwater Beach with friends and I literally looked for every single area around Clearwater on the map and Honeymoon Island sounded interesting just because of the name obviously. When I went there it was amazing because not only did it looks like a small private beach but also the water level was like 5ft and low wave so a person like me who is not a pro swimmer literally swam through the whole island and I can tell you I enjoyed way more than any other place in the Clearwater area. Hidden gems would not only save you money for food and traveling but also those places are away from hustle and bustle where everything is overpriced often.
4. Discuss the travel expectations with your friends and family beforehand! This one sounds weird but I can tell you this one is super important. Discuss the travel expectations before you go. For example, my sister doesn’t enjoy the beach as much as I do, but all she wanted was to go to Florida without knowing that Tampa is famous for beaches mostly. It created some conflicts between us because I wanted to be at the beach 24/7 and she wanted to see some places rather than on the beach every day. So it is very important that every member is clear about what places they are visiting and what the place is known for.
5. Filming/vlogging/photography equipment to take! I know this one doesn’t apply to everyone as not everyone is vlogging but almost everyone is taking nice photos. So if you are a vlogger/blogger I would take my compact DSLR if you have more than 1 like me. I take my Canonm50 with one extra lens and a mic. For a vlogging part, I would take my GoPro Hero 9 with a waterproof case and that’s about it. These 2 pieces of equipment would help me create good enough travel content. I would put all this equipment in a small compact bag safe and sound. Mine is like a small backpack from amazon (link provided). If you are just interested in your [ersonal photography and you don’t have any DSLRs then pack your phone with a battery case. I promise you’ll thank me later. I ran into situations many times when my phone battery ended at the wrong moment. So buy a case that charges your phone. (link provided for iPhone and Android both)
Travel Shoe Bag (super duper helpful) https://amzn.to/3y7tQIW
Camera bag: https://amzn.to/3QWbsLQ
Compact toiletries bag: https://amzn.to/3NBnIhH
iPhone battery charging case https://amzn.to/3uccdXl
Samsung S22 ultra charging case https://amzn.to/3y7Vy8o
Canon m50 (my favorite) https://amzn.to/3HZuhtv
GoPro Hero 9 https://amzn.to/3Abks9W
GoPro Hero 9 Waterproof Case https://amzn.to/3NxHqv0
With care,
Nimra