Bad Travel Habits You Should Leave in 2015

Be a better traveler in 2016.
by Abu Poblete | January 01, 2016

Going to a new place is indeed overwhelming but you should let go of habits that make you not appreciate the beauty of your destination.

If an exciting year of traveling is your new year’s resolution, discover these 6 bad travel habits you might have been doing and leave them in 2015.

Going around with your earphones on, reading a book, or checking your phone

The point of traveling is to immerse yourself into the culture of the beautiful place you’ve endured nine hours in the plane for. This trip may be one of the few chances you’d get to relax after months of deadlines and late nights, but what’s the point of leaving your country if you’re just going to block off all the culture and experience because “you’re still not in the mood”? Take your earphones, book and smartphone into your bag and immerse yourself to the unfamiliarity you’re #blessed to be in.

Taking too many photos

Being stuck to your camera during travel is the same with watching a performer through your phone instead of enjoying the live performance. Sure, your Instagram feed would look sick with your beautiful photos and selfies, but always remember that the more time you spend waiting for that perfect angle or lighting means a lesser time in appreciating the place and devouring its culture.

Not understanding the culture of the place you’re visiting

Being a tourist is not an excuse to disregard the practices and traditions of the locals of your destination. Research on the different cultural nuances of where you’re going and you might just save yourself a lifetime’s worth of glaring and disagreements with locals. Do your research before leaving the country and always remember to not be that tourist who wears a tank top in New Delhi’s local markets, that guy who tips the waiter or cab driver in Japan or that fella who chews gum in Singapore.

Not giving public transportation a try

One thing that makes you one step to feeling like a local is traversing through its attractions using the city’s public transportation. Ditch the air-conditioned vehicles and try Japan’s bullet trains, New York’s horse carriages, Alaska’ sled dogs, Thailand’s Tuk Tuk, or even India’s Elephant Howdah, and you’ll have more bizarre stories to share to your friends after the trip.

Sticking to comfort food

If you want to try something different, your stomach better be in on the game. Instead of going to Starbucks for your morning coffee or to Mcdonald’s for lunch, try local restaurants or food stalls for an exciting trip for your palette. Just be mindful of what and how much you’re taking, you wouldn’t want your stomach to mess with your vacation.

Being itinerary-obsessed

Itineraries help travelers make the most of their time in trips. It’s got the whole trip in a specific schedule, which makes it a helpful tool in making sure that you can go to all the wonderful places without sacrificing time, money and energy. But as much as itineraries give vacations a system, things don’t always go as expected.

Train malfunction, jet lag, heavy rains, or even a stomach ache can compromise the itinerary you worked on for months. So don’t get cranky if your group’s shopping a little too slow or if everyone was late in waking up because of the awesome night out last night, things are bound to change no matter what continent you’re in. Embrace the chaos of being lost, that’s where the real fun actually starts.

Ready to start your 2016 travels right?