Make the most out of your weekend break with our handy hints!
You’ve booked yourself two days away in a city you’ve always wanted to visit. You’ve got 24 hours to fill and an itinerary is starting to form. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot, actually. All seasoned travellers have experienced a “why didn’t I plan for that?” moment. Fortunately, you can keep them to a bare minimum if you take a few simple precautions.
Before you go
I always print out my itinerary – it’s an old habit but I find it helps me focus down onto the things I really want to do. I also fire up Google Maps to see how I get from one place to another. Can I walk it? Do I need to catch a bus and if so where’s the bus stop? Will I need to try out the metro? You don’t want to be faffing around while you’re on your break and this sort of pre-arrival planning can help you maximise your time.
All this type of information, including local train maps, gets added to my schedule, which then gets printed out and stuck in my bag. The great thing about paper is that the battery never runs out, which brings me to my next tip.
Maximise the power of your phone
The first thing you should do when you’re travelling is switch your phone to low power mode. We all rely on our phones for maps, directions, timetables and reviews – they’ve become indispensable travel aids. The last thing you need is a battery panic so it makes good sense to extend its life… just to be on the safe side.
It’s also wise to take a battery pack with you, to charge your phone on the go. Depending on how long you’re out and about exploring that battery might get dangerously low – with this in your backpack, you’re playing it safe.
I also use my phone as an aide memoire, especially if I’m going to be very busy. So, when I get off a bus I’ll immediately locate the return stop and take a picture of the timetable. That way I’ll know for later when and where my ride home will be. I’ll also take a screen shot of, say, a train timetable web page in advance to save myself time at a station.
Book tickets in advance
If you’re travelling in high season and your trip’s set to include a famous landmark, museum or gallery… book a ticket in advance. For some attractions online tickets are the only option and you don’t want to be trying to make a purchase at the last minute on a site in a foreign language… only to finally discover it’s all sold out.
Do I speak from experience? Yes. Trust me – booking in advance, without time pressures, is the way to go.
Mapping out your time
I love street view on Google Maps – it’s really helpful when planning a weekend away. With a couple of clicks you can discover that the hotel of your choice is actually on a busy road, down a dark alley or up a bloody great hill. The hill mistake has actually caught me out on a couple of occasions!
I also find it’s a useful shortcut to getting my bearings – I can start to build a mental map in my head of where I’ll be staying and what I’ll be visiting. You can also discover things while digitally strolling around that you might otherwise have missed.
Seek out advice
I love TripAdvisor – it’s a great way to get traveller-generated opinions. I especially like the comments section, which always includes some great comedy. Posts such as “The hotel was nowhere near the city centre!” underline why a quick check of the map is advisable prior to booking.
But there is also a great array of travel blogs, just like the one you’re reading now. You don’t have to invent your short stay from scratch – others will have done something similar giving you the opportunity to learn lessons from their successes… and mistakes. You can also post a question or two in the comments section about your plans. Travel bloggers are a friendly bunch so why not tap into that. You might even get ideas for other destinations, too.
Go with the flow
According to Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.” And he was right. Things can go awry, no matter how carefully you’ve organised. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a backup plan. Be willing to shift stuff around and also be prepared to follow your nose. I’ve had some of my best travel experiences by wondering “What’s up there?” and then going off to find out. I’d not have come face-to-face with the rhyton of Trieste if I hadn’t taken a turn off the beaten track.
A little bit of planning can prevent a whole lot of heartache, stress and disappointment. A willingness to ditch it all at the last moment is also essential as life, especially for travellers, can (hopefully) be full of surprises.
