Part six is specifically for families traveling with children. Traveling can be quite stressful under normal circumstances, but when you travel with children, it gets even more complicated. Hopefully these tips will help you avoid disappointment and hair pulling on your next outing.

Mistake #11: Expecting to accomplish too much

When you are planning your activities be sure to keep in mind how old your children are and how much they can feasibly do – and enjoy- in one day. Try not to become so focused on what to DO that you forget to just BE with your family. Trying to force too much activity into one day will just  leave the kids overtired and cranky you frustrated and exhausted, which is not what a holiday is all about. Bottom line, stick to a schedule, but plan realistically. Don’t try to cram in as much activity as you possibly can. Its not about how much you do, see, eat, experience, but how much you enjoy doing what you did.

Mistake #12: Having unrealistic expectations

Traveling with children is not the same as traveling without them. Although both can be equally enjoyable, your expectations need to be adjusted. If you expect your family vacation to be perfect you will be disappointed. Remember that travel can be tough on kids and parents alike. Allow for things like jet lag and adjusting to your new surroundings.

Parents often dream of complete relaxation and enjoying the easy life on vacation- perfect, non-bickering, non-whining children who will peacefully play while mom and dad relax on the beach. And while that could happen, for most of us our kids will still be our kids even if we are on a beach in some tropical paradise. If they aren’t perfect at home then they certainly won’t be perfect on vacation either. The parenting never stops. Enjoy a family vacation for what it is- a departure from the normal. But don’t expect your children to magically change personalities on the flight over.

Bottom line, don’t expect miracles. Enjoy your holiday, be flexible with your schedule and just have fun and your children will do so too.

Mistake #09: Booking connecting flights back-to-back

Another common mistake we all make is in our haste to avoid long transit time, we book connecting flights that are too close together. Recently a client of mine had to fly from Singapore to Beijing before heading off to Mongolia. Unfortunately the time between the flights was an hour and a half, but the distance from the two terminals was quite far, so although he sprinted, he still missed his flight and an important meeting. Therefore, it is best to ensure that the time between connecting flights are not too close. Worse case, you hang around I transit for several hours. At least you can shop at duty free, which is a much better option than missing your flight!

Bottom line, ensure that the gap between connecting flights gives you enough time to get from one terminal to the next, also factoring in delays in your first flight.

Mistake #10: not making reservations

Always, and I can’t say this enough, always make reservations before your leave for your holiday. Imagine flying several hours to your destination only to be told that the hotel has no rooms available. Thats asking for a coronary! So make your reservations bearing in mind peak times etc. Summer season means that most hotels, B&B’s and guest houses are booked in UK, so if you are flying to UK during this time, it is best to book early to avoid disappointment. On the other hand, if you are traveling to Dubai or Abu Dhabi, most hotels offer discounts during the summer period, often 20%, as its a slack period for them. Bottom line, do some research and make your reservations early.

Mistake #07: Relying totally on the guide book

The whole point of traveling is to explore the unknown and bask in the exotic foreign culture, food and people of the country that you are visiting. So put your guide book aside and explore. Talk to the locals, talk to other travelers, compare notes, and go with your gut. When I traveled to India, I made friends with a group of locals and had an absolute blast experiencing life as a local by watching a hindi movie (with subtitles), eating at restaurants only frequented by locals, shopping at niche stores only known by local fashonistas. So make friends and enjoy yourself. Limiting yourself to a guide book is probably one of the worst things you could possibly do! Bottom line, you are paying good money on your holiday, so go explore, toss that guide book aside and make some friends and enjoy!

Mistake #08: busting the budget

When traveling its so easy to spend far more than you have allocated. Recently when Iw as in Thailand, my friends told me that I would only need approximately 50USD a day on shopping and other expenses. So based on their advice, I allocated USD50 a day into the seven days that I would be in BKK. Unfortunately, I ended up blowing my entire weeks’ budget on the first day. Bottom line, stick to a realistic budget and have some emergency cash in case you need it for a purchase that you can’t live without. Know your limit and what you can afford. Going beyond what you can afford and getting into debt is not worth it.

Common travel mistakes to avoid! PART 3

Mistake #05: Not backing up your pictures

This is not something that is going to cost you money unlike the other common mistakes listed previously, but its certainly going to leave you banging your head against the wall in frustration and disappointment. Most of us take much pains to capture in minute detail, the beauty of the place that we are visiting, unfortunately most of us just don’t make a habit of backing our prized photos.  Its so easy to lose your photos. From a virus in the computer at the internet cafe to a stolen camera, in a matter of seconds you can lose all your precious photos. It’s such an unnecessary mistake to make because no matter where I’ve been there has always been a place to burn my pictures onto a DVD or CD and for a very reasonable price as well. Get into the habit of backing up photos regularly in any way possible because even if your USD 3000 camera is stolen the thing you will miss the most is those irreplaceable pictures of your travels, plus if your took out an insurance plan, you can always claim for your stolen or lost camera, provided you get furnish the insurance agent with all the necessary documents ! Bottom line, back up your photos, its better to be safe than sorry!

Mistake #06: Getting mad

Getting angry in a foreign country is not going to solve anything. Try and understand the local culture and way they do things, after all, you are a guest in that country and just because they  do not do things the way you are used to them being done, does not necessarily mean that its wrong. Enjoy your journey and learn from your experience and try to remember that the whole reason you chose to travel there was because it was exotic and different. Be patient if you are traveling in a country where English is not the first language. You may want to speak slowly and use less complicated words to get your message across. Avoid being patronizing though. Bottom line, enjoy your travels and respect and understand the local culture.

Common travel mistakes to avoid! PART 2

Mistake #03: Not buying insurance
Although it may seem like an unnecessary expense, I strongly advise you to buy travel insurance before a trip. Recently I traveled to Mongolia on work. Unfortunately, Air China decided to leave my colleague’s luggage containing everything we required for our presentation the next day. No matter how much we pleaded with them, the airline would only send us our bag the next day in the evening, way after our presentation was over. If that wasn’t bad enough, I had to pay my tour company an additional USD 200 to send the misplaced bag to the remote town that we stayed in.

Right now, I am in the midst of trying to claim insurance. Luckily for me, I had the foresight the take out a plan, however, getting the money from the company in question is akin to getting blood from a stone, so fingers crossed.

Bottom line is, take out an insurance plan. Read the fine print, see if it is suitable and if the agent understands what you require and recommends something suitable for you and not for their commission. If your baggage gets lost, get a letter from the airline stating that they lost your baggage, keep your ticket, boarding pass and a list of the bags contents handy so you can furnish your insurance provider with these documents in order to make your claim.

Mistake #04: Using a credit card that charges foreign transaction fees
Take a good look at your credit card. Check the fine print in your cardmember agreement. Does it charge a “foreign transaction fee”? Many do. My neighbor booked airline tickets from Mumbai to New York through Qatar Airways on Expedia. But when her credit card bill arrived, it contained a surprise USD44 transaction fee, because Qatar Airways was not based in the United States, even though the transaction took place entirely in dollars. The best way to avoid a foreign transaction fee is to use a card like Capital One, which not only doesn’t impose any transaction fees, but also absorbs the 1 percent fee that Visa or MasterCard charges it for a cross-border transaction. Bottom line, call your bank if you are in doubt and read the small print to prevent any surprise charges.