The Best Travel Advice: Tips from Experienced Travelers
Discover insider tips and valuable insights from seasoned globetrotters in this comprehensive guide to travel. From overcoming travel anxieties to immersing in local cultures, these expert-backed strategies will enhance your journeys. Whether you’re a novice or experienced traveler, this article offers practical advice to make your adventures more enjoyable and meaningful.
- Embrace Return Trips to Enjoy the Moment
- Overcome Travel Fears and Just Go
- Learn and Immerse in Local Culture
- Build Flexibility into Your Travel Plans
- Secure Your Belongings in High-Risk Areas
- Experience Destinations Through Local Perspectives
Embrace Return Trips to Enjoy the Moment
The best piece of travel advice I have ever received was to treat every trip with the intention of returning to that destination another time, even if I don’t. This mindset has allowed me to live in the moment when I travel; to truly enjoy the sights and experiences that I chose for that particular day without developing a strong case of FOMO (fear of missing out). It also helps me to narrow my focus on doing things that I passionately want to do, rather than things that I would simply like to do. There’s no room for regret when you’re creating memories. I share this with all of my clients, especially when they are taking a bucket list trip.
Bridget Vee
Travel Advisor, Bursch Travel
Overcome Travel Fears and Just Go
The best advice was to just do it! Stop procrastinating and do it!
So many people hold back from travelling because they think they’re not brave enough, or not rich enough, or not savvy enough with IT or researching. But the truth is they’re probably better than they think and know more than they realize.
And the truth is, most of us aren’t travel experts when we start but we learn quickly!
We’ve heard (and used) all of the concerns: What if we get lost? What if something goes wrong? What if we hate it or lose our money or something is stolen?
Now we just accept that things will go wrong and it makes it easier when they do.
We always knew we wanted to travel and we always knew we couldn’t afford expensive tours. And beyond this, we kind of like following our noses and doing our own thing.
We started small, we did a few road trips in Spain and France to build confidence one trip at a time.
We’ve had our fair share of moments – visa dramas, illness, money hiccups, lost phones, and the odd dodgy taxi. We’ve been to places we hated, booked the wrong hotel in the wrong place and we’ve missed trains and buses. But we’ve always come out the other side. And every single time there’s been a kind stranger who stepped in to help.
So just do it. Accept and trust that things will work out; sometimes differently than you planned but hey, you still did it! Accept that generally people are mostly good.
Accepting this has shaped how we travel now: slowly, with a lot of curiosity, a healthy dose of realism and maybe just a tiny bit of apprehension!
I know it’s cliché but maybe true – feel the fear and do it anyway!
Colleen Sims
Travel Writter / Blogger, Then We Walked
Learn and Immerse in Local Culture
Travel is about learning new things, not just taking pictures or checking lists.
When embarking on an international trip, the value lies in learning new phrases in a foreign language, understanding the map and where things are located, and most importantly, getting a glimpse of how the culture you are visiting sees the world and interacts with one another. This is what broadens your mind.
I work hard to travel light so I can be as flexible as possible and be ready for new adventures and making new friends.
Packing the right bag and using hospitality organizations like Servas.org lets me go far and learn more.
Tys Sniffen
Founder, Idea Mountain
Build Flexibility into Your Travel Plans
The best travel advice I’ve ever received? “Plan to be flexible.”
At first, it sounds contradictory. Why would you plan to be flexible? But that simple line completely changed the way I travel.
In my early travel days, I planned everything down to the minute: flights, routes, sights, even lunch breaks. My schedule was packed. If something got cancelled or delayed, it felt like the trip was falling apart. Until someone told me, “The only thing certain while traveling is that things won’t go as planned.” Since then, I’ve always built space into my schedule. No more overbooked days — just enough room for changes, breaks, or spontaneous decisions.
That mindset has helped me more than once. In Lapland, for example, where -20°C temperatures or sudden snowstorms can throw off any itinerary. I used to get frustrated. Now, I adjust. If an activity gets cancelled, I go for a walk, read a book, or end up chatting with locals in a random café. Often, those moments turn out to be the highlight of the trip.
It’s also changed how I pack, book, and explore. I choose flexible accommodation, avoid overplanning, and always stay open to new ideas. I prepare well — but I’m okay with letting things go when needed. No stress if something falls through — just pivot and find something else.
That one piece of advice made me calmer, more creative, and way more relaxed while traveling. Flexible travel doesn’t mean vague or unstructured. It means making space for the unexpected. And honestly, that’s where the magic usually happens.
Arjan Post
Owner, Ostbacher Stern
Secure Your Belongings in High-Risk Areas
The best piece of travel advice I’ve ever received was simple but unforgettable: “When you sit down anywhere in a high-crime area–especially in a cafe or waiting area–wrap the strap of your backpack around your leg.”
It came from a seasoned traveler I met in a hostel in Thailand, and it has stuck with me ever since. The logic is straightforward: it makes your bag much harder to snatch, especially in places where thieves rely on speed and distraction. It’s not about paranoia – it’s about being one step ahead.
Since then, that little move has become second nature. Whether I’m sipping coffee in a bustling city square or waiting for a train in a busy terminal, I loop the strap around my ankle or chair leg without even thinking. I’ve seen people get their bags stolen in seconds – they turned their heads for a moment, and poof, gone. This tiny habit has probably saved me more than once.
More broadly, it has shaped how I travel: alert but not anxious, mindful without being closed off. It’s about enjoying the experience, but never assuming you’re immune to trouble. That advice taught me that street smarts are just as important as a good itinerary.
Peter Wootton
SEO Consultant, The SEO Consultant Agency
Experience Destinations Through Local Perspectives
The best piece of travel advice you’ve ever received was to approach travel from the perspective of the local people who live there. When you do that, you really get a sense of a location and its culture. Travel is one of the greatest teachers.
Angela Betancourt
Founder & CEO, Betancourt Group
