The Most Frustrating Aspects of Traveling

We all know that traveling can be deeply enjoyable and rewarding. But it would be wrong to think that every aspect of exploring the world is fun. You might love seeing the world’s sights, meeting new people, and all-around living a different life for a while, but there will be times when you kinda wish that you could just be back home, in the comfort of your own property. That’s especially true for longer trips. After all, traveling can put plenty of annoying elements in our path! In this blog, we’re going to run through some of these annoying factors, as well as offer advice on how you can ensure that they don’t negatively impact your travel fun too much. 

[image: pexels]

Packing Your Luggage

Some people get excited about all the cute outfits that they’ll wear on their travels. However, while those people may enjoy the packing process, they’ll only encounter other problems later on down the line — for instance, they’ll likely find that they’ve overpacked and that their suitcase is much heavier than they’d like it to be. If you can find it within yourself to resist the temptation, it’s best to think “less is more” when you’re packing. Most people fail to wear all the clothes they take anyway. And plus, if you still have room in the suitcase, then you’ll have the perfect excuse to hit the shops when you’re away!

Dealing With Airports

Is it just us, or is the airport experience going downhill? There are probably a few airports somewhere on Earth that offer a great experience, but as a whole, the standard is pretty low. It can take longer than we’d like to make it through security, and then we have to deal with inflated airport prices. There’s not much you can do to change the airport (maybe giving feedback will help, though!), but you can take some steps to make your airport process as smooth as possible. First of all, understand the security procedure so you’re ready when you get there. Second, eat a big meal before you fly — it’ll help to prevent the need to buy overpriced goods. 

Complicated Travel Journeys

The world is getting smaller all the time, and today it’s pretty straightforward to get to, well, pretty much anywhere. But there are still some routes that are a lot more complicated than we’d like them to be. It can be pretty annoying knowing that you have to make two different connections and visit multiple airports and then take a long bus to your final destination. There are two approaches to resolving this. The first is to avoid automatically taking the cheapest flight. You’ll only pay for it in other ways. The second is to get creative and see how you can make the trip run more smoothly. There might be a handy — and more fun — alternative available to you. 

Arriving Tired

Travel is fun, but it can be exhausting. A quick one-hour flight isn’t going to do you too much damage, energy-wise. But if you’re looking at more than a couple of hours, then you probably won’t feel in tip-top condition when you land. And that can get your trip off to a pretty poor start. As such, it’s a good idea to take a few steps to ease yourself into your travel adventure. For example, rather than diving into exploring, you could book a room at a hotel near the airport, and just give yourself the time and space to shower, eat, and rest. You’ll be raring to go the following day. It’s also recommended to do some yoga once you arrive; it can really help to shake off the stiffness that comes from staying sat down for hours.

Unexpected Costs

Traveling can be cheap, but by and large, that’s not the case. It’s an expensive activity. For the most part, you’ll know that before you go on the trip, and will have put together a budget in line with your expectations. Problems arise when you encounter unexpected costs. Of course, the occasional expense you hadn’t thought of isn’t going to ruin your trip. But if you’re hit by a large unexpected cost, then that’ll probably dampen your spirit somewhat — and in fact, it might even impact your ability to do some activities, if the expense is a big one. The best you can do to avoid this problem is to do research beforehand so you can have a good sense of all the costs that you may have to pay. If you have that information, then any other expenses are probably not legitimate, so don’t automatically pay them!

Underwhelming Hotels

It’s easy to get sucked into the glamor of a beautiful photo of a hotel. But photos only tell one story. There have been plenty of examples of people who have turned up at a hotel they thought would be fantastic, only to find that it looks decidedly worse than they expected. If you’re going to travel halfway across the world, then you’ll want to know that it’s worth it. In this day and age, travelers have plenty of tools available to them that can help to ensure that they get the hotel room that they expected. The bottom line is to look beyond photos and websites and read reviews. If everyone has had a good experience at the hotel, then the likelihood is that you will too. 

[image: pexels]

Managing Tummy Troubles

Nobody wants to fall ill when they’re traveling. But alas, the truth is that it’s more likely that you’ll have issues when you’re on the road, not less. This is especially true for tummy issues, because, after all, you’ll be more likely to be eating a diet that’s different to your own. There are a few things you can do to ensure that this doesn’t impact you or your family. First, only eat at places that have other customers. If everyone’s avoiding that street food stall, then you should too. Second, know what to do if there is a stomach issue. If you’re traveling with your baby, then this could involve reading about how to give a baby massage for constipation, as well as knowing where the nearest hospital is located. You may also want to pack some tummy medication in your luggage. You never know when you’ll need it! 

Device Issues 

Part of the reason why travel is so easy these days — compared with the old days, at least — is that we all have devices that can tell us exactly where we need to go. But that’s only true if 1. Your device has battery charge, and 2. You have data. If you don’t have one of those things, then you’ll struggle. There’s a simple solution to this potential problem, and that’s to buy a battery pack that allows you to charge while you’re on the move, and to buy a local sim card so you can have access to data. If you have international data as part of your home data plan, then be sure to double-check how much it’ll cost you to access that data. 

Returning Home

Finally, there’s the annoying matter of returning home! If you’ve had a great trip, then you’ll be going back home with a heavy heart. It’s normal to have some post-travel blues for a week or two. However, it’s important to keep in mind that they’ll pass. Plus, there’s nothing stopping you from booking another trip — knowing you’re going away again is a surefire way to keep those blues away.