Travel Tips for the Young Adult

Those who travel frequently will definitely know of tips and tricks that a younger traveler should know which can make their trip much more enjoyable.

I am a big fan of travelling, as the experience of visiting and understanding a new country and its culture never fails to bring new inspiration and food for thought. Travel, in my opinion, has evolved from the visiting the typical touristy attractions to a wholesome experience of interacting with the country’s people, understanding their culture and uncovering the best food and places which locals frequent.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

― Augustine of Hippo

Yet, to accomplish everything in a short span of three days to a week is impossible. Some people may stay longer and backpack for months. For both cases, preparation is key. The most beautiful and also the most crucial part of travelling is in fact the preparation phase. It is during this phase you form expectations of the country and also determine the success of how much you are able to get out from your short stint.

Putting my visits to several countries together, I have provided some tips for the young, adventure-seeking traveler in mind.

Tips for Booking the plane ticket

This is the first major step that you have to take to crystallize your trip. Booking the cheapest plane ticket is an art, and I have provided three tips previously. 

• Subscribe to mailers of budget carriers (eg. Scoot, Jetstar have weekly sale fares)
• If you are really hard up on cash, you can probably save tens of dollars by making use of price guarantees policies some carriers offer. Eg. Jetstar

Things to consider when booking the hotel

• Location, location, location
  (Things to look out for include convenience stores, nightlife establishments in the area, safety concerns)
• Always read reviews from tripadvisor, booking.com, etc
  (Customer service can make or break your day. You can still get really good customer service for cheap)
• Airbnb can give you cheaper rooms and a taste of the local neighborhood lifestyle.
• Hotel booking aggregators might not include promotional prices. Always check the hotel website.

Exchanging Currency

• Make sure to have some currency of the country you are going to for safety purposes. Do not assume that the airport will have stock.
• For best place to change foreign currency in Singapore, click here.
• Ask for smaller notes if available

Tips on packing

• You’ll be surprised by the amount of space you can save by using Ziploc bags to pack things air-tight.
• Plan properly your itinerary such that you do not need to bring more spare clothes than you should. Laundry can be done easily at the hotel.

At the destination country’s airport

• Get your phone up (look out for a service provider to get data connection)
• Always be sure of how to get to your hotel from the airport. The rest can wait till you are checked in.

General tips when travelling

• Your phone will be your best friend. Invest in a good one and it can act as your camera, map, information storage, etc. Make sure it always have battery.
• Admin: store pdf copies of your passport, flight itinerary, hotel bookings so that you can pull it out on your phone anytime
• Forgot your charger? Not to worry, you can almost surely get one from the hotel desk.
• With the google maps app, you can save your maps and refer offline by typing “ok maps” into the search bar. Do note that you cannot route places when offline though.
• When going through security, put your things in your pocket (wallet, coins, keys, phone) into your bag before placing it on the conveyor belt. Saves you the trouble of emptying your pockets and reclaiming your items.
• When you reach the airport, always check in first. 
• Know the price when taking the taxi.. be ready to haggle
• Learn the survival phrases of the local language. It is also more fun to interact with the locals.

Hope this was useful for you! Feel free to comment and add to my list!

Eufass