The Travel Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To

Some of my best travel advice comes from things I wish I had done differently.

Booking a Hotel Without Checking Where Our Excursions Were

I once chose a hotel because I loved the property without fully considering where it was in relation to everything we wanted to do. Most of our excursions required long drives on winding roads, which ended up making me extremely carsick. We eventually canceled some activities because getting there wasn’t worth it.

Now I always try to map the hotel against our planned excursions before booking.

Ignoring Repeated Negative Reviews

We once booked a room specifically because it had a private hot tub.

Multiple reviews said the hot tubs didn’t work properly and the water stayed cold. I assumed we would be fine…We were not.

It took the hotel almost three days to fix the issue after we were extremely persistent, meaning we only got to enjoy one of the main reasons we booked the room for a single day.

Lesson learned: if multiple recent reviews mention the same issue, believe them.

Expecting Every Island to Have Amazing Beaches

Just because somewhere is tropical doesn’t mean the beaches are going to be incredible.

I’ve booked beach hotels expecting white sand and perfect swimming conditions only to realize afterward that the destination itself wasn’t really known for its beaches.

Now I research the actual beaches before choosing a beach-focused vacation.

Not Planning Airport Transportation

Arriving in a new country after a long flight and then trying to figure out transportation is stressful.

Now I usually arrange airport transfers ahead of time, often directly through the hotel.

Not Figuring Out Phone Service Before Leaving

I’ve traveled without properly setting up international service and ended up unable to use a local SIM card — and then paying way more than expected through my phone provider.

Now I figure out my international phone plan or eSIM before leaving home.

Packing Too Much

I used to bring multiple options for every possible scenario and then end up wearing the same few outfits.

Now I plan outfits ahead of time and pack around specific activities and dinners instead.

Scheduling Too Much

It’s tempting to fill every day because you want to see everything. But vacations stop feeling like vacations when every morning starts with an alarm and every day has three reservations.

I now intentionally build in open time.

Not Checking Travel Times

Something that looks close on a map isn’t always close in reality.

Mountains, ferries, traffic, winding roads, or limited transportation can turn a short distance into a long trip.

Always check the actual travel time, not just the mileage.