Setting Yourself up for Success
Habits are a funny thing. They can be hard to establish at first, but once you make them a part of your routine you will do them without evening thinking. Good health habits such as eating well, exercising and brushing your teeth will benefit your body and good financial habits such as paying a portion of your wage into a savings account will benefit your bank balance.
But what about habits that will benefit you while you are traveling?
There are a few simple travel habits you can establish while you are traveling long term that will help you make your journey go a lot more smoothly. These habits are simple, but if you can establish them and make them part of your routine they will have a significant effect.
1. Give the Hotel Room a Once Over Before You Leave
Once in Sri Lanka I had to run back to our hotel in a panic, because I had forgotten to take our mobile phone. It was underneath the pillows in the bed and we didn’t notice it was gone until we got to the bus station.
Since then, every time I check out of a hotel room I do a thorough check under the covers, beneath the pillows, under the bed, behind the door and in the cupboards. I will almost always find clothes and other items that have fallen under the bed or gotten tangled in the sheets. This only takes a few minutes to do and has prevented me from losing so many valuable things on my travels!
2. Always be Early When in Transit
No matter whether you are traveling by bus, train or plane, it’s always so much less stressful to be early. When you make a habit of arriving just on time you run the risk of having any unexpected delay make you miss your flight or bus.
When you are early you can run into obstacles and not get stressed out, as you will likely still make it on time. Sometimes you might have to wait around for a while, but that’s a great chance to write in your travel journal or catch up on emails.
In conjunction with this, another great habit is to pack the night before. Leave out a change of clothes and your toothbrush for the morning, but pack everything else and have it ready to go. This significantly reduces stress when moving from place to place on your travels.
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3. Be Aware of Your Valuables
When you are walking or standing in a crowd anywhere, make a habit of looking around at the people in your vicinity and being conscious of what is going on around you to prevent theft while traveling. Keep your wallet in your front pocket or in an inside pocket. If you carry a purse, put the straps over both shoulders and keep to close to your body with your arm over it.
Thieves and pickpockets often work in teams and will create a distraction such as someone falling over or two people getting into a fight, so that they can easily pick the pockets of passers-by who stop to watch. Be extra vigilant of your valuables if you see something like this happening in public.
Don’t place valuable items down anywhere. For example, don’t place your phone or camera on the table next to you in a café where someone could walk buy and snatch it. Make it a habit to be careful with your valuable possessions so that they are much less likely to be stolen.
4. Do Some Form of Exercise
I find that this is one of the most difficult habits to keep up while you are traveling long term. You don’t have a gym to go to and you are in a new location all the time, so you don’t have an established running route or a group fitness activity to attend.
However, it’s worth making a habit out of getting some type of physical activity every day, even if it is just a jog around the neighborhood, a walk up to a viewpoint or some yoga in your hotel room.
Regular exercise will help you stay healthy while traveling and will benefit you in various ways. It will give you more energy, boost your immune system and help you to manage your weight. It will balance out all of the times that you want to go for a drink or try the indulgent local food. Also, it will keep you fit enough to run to catch a train or carry your backpack for long distances.
These are just a few of the little habits that you can establish while traveling that will make your journey much more enjoyable, safe and stress-free.