Contrary to what most people often think, the travel bug is quite alive even in teenagers. That is why teenagers now account for a significant percentage of travelers across the world. While traveling alone as a teenager will help you to develop self-confidence, knowledge and life skills, it is not always glam and glitter. The following tips for traveling alone as a teenager will help you to stay safe and make the most of your adventures. 

Have All Travel Documents Ready 

Generally, teenagers do not need so many logistics to travel. But, a passport is mandatory if the teenager will use an international flight. Although most airlines still allow teens below 18 years of age to travel on domestic flights without identification, it is always advisable to carry some form of ID like a student’s ID, driver’s license or passport card. 

Other essential travel documents include health or travel insurance cards and a list of emergency contacts. For teenagers traveling alone internationally, parental consent for travel is usually required. You may also want to research further about any unusual requirements for teenagers traveling alone at their intended destination. 

Stay in Touch 

A teenager traveling alone is a good reason for parents and guardians to worry. Regardless of the destination or activities, make sure that you check in with family and friends daily. That will ensure peace of mind so you can focus entirely on the trip. 

Consider Booking Guided Tours 

Despite the anticipation of visiting a new place, traveling alone can induce feelings of loneliness, insecurity and even confusion. Going on a guided tour will allow you to fully explore your destination in a great company. Do a little research to find reliable guided tour companies that can deliver the best travel experience. 

As a teenager, traveling alone is an incredible way to explore unique cultures, have fun and improve your life. So, prepare a good travel plan and let the travel bug lead the way!

Traveling in the company of your dog can make the vacation more fun and adventurous. However, it may also come with certain challenges that you must be well prepared to effectively deal with to get the most of the trip. The following are some of the most important things to keep in mind when traveling with your dog. 

Dog Training 

This is always a critical step when traveling with a dog that you must undertake to ensure a smooth flight or car ride. As you plan for the trip, the dog should also undergo training in readiness for the flight. 

The dog should also be trained on how to use crates, carriers and other restraints that will be used to hold it in place during the journey. A dog trainer can help to provide the right training so the dog is fit to fly during departure. 

Health and Safety 

Whether you are planning a long or short trip, you should take the dog for vet checks. The vet will check if the dog has the right vaccinations then, issue a health certificate. Make sure that you carry the dog’s health certificate and medical records. 

You should also get emergency contacts for vets in your destination just in case the dog falls sick during the trip. To keep the pet healthy and happy, it is advisable that you also pack some of its regular food supplies and water for the trip. 

Crates are the best restraints for traveling with dogs in flights and cars. Be sure to get a durable, comfortable, spacious and properly ventilated crate for the dog. An ID tag is also important to ensure that you can easily recover the dog in case it goes missing at the airport or hotel. You can include the dog’s name, your name, and contacts on the tag. 

Traveling when you have a dog may not be the easiest thing but, you can still pull off the most memorable adventure with better preparation and an open mind. The above tips will help you to ensure a remarkable trip with your dog. 

Whether you are on a domestic flight to a local destination or flying to unique attractions across the world, it is always advisable to carry a little cash on you. The money can be for buying refreshments at the airport, getting a cab to your hotel upon arrival or emergencies. Nevertheless, carrying a significant amount of cash irresponsibly on a flight can easily draw unwanted attention that could make you a victim of burglary or other unpleasant experiences. Below are tips to keep in mind when traveling on an airline with cash.

Only Carry a Limited Amount of Cash

When traveling within the United States, there is no limit to how much cash you can carry. However, having unusual sums of money can easily raise suspicions of illegal activity at the airport checkpoints. Whenever that happens, you will have to provide proof of the source to the TSA. If they are not satisfied, the TSA could turn you over to the authorities.

For travelers on international flights to or from the United States with other forms of currency like checks, securities or gold coins, you are required to report any amount exceeding $10,000 to the US Customs officials. Regardless of your destination, traveling with larger sums of money could also make you feel very unsafe.

To avoid losing the cash and getting into trouble with custom officials, simply travel with a modest amount of cash. It will ensure greater convenience and also the peace of mind so you can fully focus on the trip.

Split and Conceal your Cash

If you must carry lump sum cash on an airline, always hide it from the public eyes. Begin by splitting the cash into bits that can be easily stuffed into your belongings.  Examples of places to hide cash when traveling include hidden pockets, shoes, belt and wrist wallet. Stash the cash in places that are concealed from rest but, easily accessible to you.

While there are no elaborate restrictions to traveling on an airline with cash, carrying just a limited amount of money and concealing it will make your trip stress-free and light.

 

While solo adventures usually come with a lot of freedom, there is way so much more that you cannot achieve on your own. In fact, travelling with someone offers great opportunities for creating incredible memories. Whether you choose to travel with a friend, family member or even a colleague, having a travel buddy is a great idea for more exciting adventures. The following are major reasons to have a travel buddy.

There is Safety in Numbers

On your own, it is easy to feel scared especially in places where you have never been before. However, a travel buddy means there is always someone to keep you in check. That will enable you to even discover more about your destination. Besides, you will also have someone to share ideas with on how to make the trip more exciting.

A Companion to Cheer You Up

Apart from just the long and boring flights, there are many overwhelming things about excursions. What’s more, you will sometimes feel out of place. The experience can be more humiliating when you are on your own. But, a travel buddy ensures there is someone to tease and lift your spirits so you stay focused on the positives of the trip.

You Get to Share the Costs

Travel costs are among the biggest concerns for many travelers today. If you are planning a trip on a limited budget, having a travel buddy could just be the best deal. It is more cost effective to travel with someone than when on your own. This is because a lot of the costs including transport, tours, accommodations and food are split between the two of you.

Sometimes, independence is the best thing but, when planning an adventure of a lifetime, we all need someone to be there for us, share the moments and make the experience truly unforgettable.

Getting stranded during a trip can be scary and very annoying. Whether it occurs at the airport, hotel, train stop or a location you were visiting out of town, getting stranded while on a trip is an experience that can drive you nuts. However, Glass Dawg a travel blogger once mentioned in a post that this is a common occurrence that many travelers are faced with from time to time. In case you are stranded when on a trip, below are tip to help you survive the humiliation.

Keep Your Cool

Finding yourself stranded during a trip will make you feel so helpless. But, there is no need to start panicking, running up and down, yelling at people. In fact, that could only attract attention that might put you even in greater danger. It is okay to feel stressed but, try to calm down and relax your mind. This can help you think properly avoid making any rushed or bad decisions.

Politely Ask For Assistance

Since you are already stranded, the people close by are your best chance of getting out safely. Although people are different and some may not even care about your situation, there could be others willing to assist if you ask nicely. If you are stranded at the airport, train stop, hotel or any other organized place, talk to the operators. They can either solve the issue independently or offer suggestions on how you can get help.

Use Your Backup Plan

When making arrangement for travel, it is usually advisable to have a backup plan. And, this is one of the situations where your backup plan will come in handy. A good travel back up plan often includes alternative travel routes, emergency contacts, and extra cash among other elements. Depending on the reason why you are stranded, this is the time to put into motion your back up plan. In case you get help early enough; you may not even have to use the backup plan.

No matter where or why you are stranded during a trip, it should never scare you from travelling. Instead, it should inspire you to effectively tackle such challenges in future excursions.

 

5 Reasons Why Travel is Important for a Family

It’s easy for a family to put off traveling due to finances, work obligations, and other reasons. However, traveling remains important for a family. Here are the 5 major reasons why your family should travel more often.

Breaking Away from the Routine

You spend most of your time dealing with the same activities, tasks, deadlines, and errands. These can be work or school related. They can also be household duties or extracurricular activities. But, regardless of their nature, they create a routine that brings stress in the daily life. Although stress can keep you alert and prepared to avoid something dangerous, it can also be negative. Chronic stress leads to numerous health problems. To avoid, you need to break away from routine. Traveling as a family enables you to break away from your daily routine which is good for the health of family members.

Enhancing Adaptability and Problem Solving Skills

Every traveler will agree that things that are not planned for happen when traveling. For instance, flight delays and sicknesses can occur. Your family car can malfunction while away from home. Weather can be unfavorable. All these situations require you to adapt and exercise problem solving skills. Kids learn from the way parents solve such problems when traveling as a family. They also learn to be self-reliance, independent and confident.

Learning Experiences

When you travel as a family, you expose kids to new cultures, people, places, lifestyles and things. This gives them a better perception of what the world is. Children get out of their daily bubble when they travel. They get new experiences that play a significant role of reshaping their view of the world.

Connecting with Each Other

Family travels provide great moments to connect with each other. That’s because you travel as a team and share experiences while traveling. Family travels strengthen family bonds.

Creating Memories

When traveling as a family, you engage in fun activities together. This creates memories that you cherish forever.

If you have not been traveling as a family plan a trip and involve every family member from the beginning to the end. This will make travel experience amazing for every family member.

5 Useful Family Travel Tips

When it comes to family travel, you want to make the experience remarkable for everyone. Coming from a friend blogger of mine that happens to be a New Orleans Roofer, he once shared with me some valuable tips that I’m going to share with you below, that covers the questions that always pops up when planning these trips. Here are the top 5 useful family travel tips that will make your trip successful and the most memorable.

Avoid Overbooking

A major mistake that you can make when going on a family travel is trying to accomplish too much. It’s understandable that you want each family member to have fun during the trip. However, know their limit when booking activities. Make sure that you only book what you really need to make the trip better for everyone and not waste money booking what you don’t need.

Pack Carefully

This is particularly important when traveling with a baby or kids. Although you want to pack light, don’t forget what your baby or kid needs to enjoy the experience. For instance, pack medication that you may need if your baby catches fever. A change in the environment or new food can affect the system of the little one negatively. You don’t want this to ruin your family trip. Therefore, take everything into consideration when packing for family travel.

Prepare for the Unexpected

When traveling as a family, the unexpected can happen. For instance, a kid can fall sick after eating new food. You can miss your flight when a kid goes missing for some minutes. These are some of the unexpected things that you should be prepared for. If you are not ready for such things, you can come back from the trip frustrated that you were when leaving.

Pay Attention to Kids Whereabouts

It’s easy for kids to stray during family travels. Therefore, pay attention to the whereabouts of kids. It’s particularly important that you take photos of your kids whenever they change clothes. This makes locating them easier by asking people whether they have seen them when they stray.

Have Fun Together

When you go on a family trip, you form a team. Therefore, engage in fun activities together. Make sure that each family member is happy. Have as much fun as possible because that’s what great memories are made of.

Follow these family travel tips to make your trip seamless and more fulfilling.