Will you double-check your hotel and flight bookings? Seven common travel mistakes before departure

▲Traveling alone requires doing your homework in advance (illustration / photo by reporter Lin Shiwen)

By Rita

Many people travel abroad frequently but still often make mistakes that end up increasing costs and significantly affecting the quality of their trip. The Huffington Post has compiledseven common mistakes when preparing for a trip, and provided constructive ways to avoid them, which travelers can review before each international trip.

1. Not notifying your bank about your travel plans
Many people don’t have the habit of informing their bank about their departure time before traveling, so when they try to make large purchases abroad, their cards get blocked.
How to avoid it? Before traveling, you can go to your bank’s official website to input your departure date and destination, so you can use your card abroad. Also, write down your bank’s phone number so you can quickly resolve any such issues if they arise.

2. Not planning a budget in advance
In amusement parks, many people tend to overspend impulsively—seeing everyone buying Minnie mouse ears, they buy one too; seeing everyone buying Star Wars lightsabers, they buy one as well, even though they know it will stop working after a few hours. Such impulsive behavior can easily leave you with little money left in the last few days of your trip, causing a lot of stress.
How to avoid it? Set a daily spending limit and only carry that amount of cash each day to prevent overspending.

3. Not getting into the habit of reconfirming your hotel (or flight) booking
Many people now use booking websites to reserve accommodations, but there are also many cases where people arrive at the hotel only to find out their booking wasn’t successful.
How to avoid it? It’s best to confirm with the hotel again after making the booking and print out the confirmation letter to use during check-in.

4. Not backing up important documents
Losing your passport, driver’s license, or credit card while traveling is very troublesome.
How to avoid it? It’s best to carry spare photos with you during the trip, or leave a set at home or with a friend. You can also save a scanned copy of your ID photos on your phone, and carry your bank’s contact information as well—this makes it easier to get replacements if anything is lost, and you’ll have the necessary information on hand.

▲Airport passengers (illustration / photo by reporter Ji Xiangru)

5. Not calculating the time between connecting flights
Many people miss their connecting flights because they’re unfamiliar with airport layouts, though sometimes weather conditions or human factors can also cause you to lose out.
How to avoid it? Check the terminal information for both flights, weather conditions, and the history of flight delays in advance.

6. Bringing too many unnecessary items
How to avoid it? You should only bring what you truly need—the fewer items, the better. Wear your heavier clothes.

7. Carrying too many credit cards
How to avoid it? You should research in advance whether the destination primarily uses credit cards—if not, just bring one or two credit cards along with some cash.