How To Have Fun While Traveling

Traveling alone? With a group of people, friends, or family? To your hometown? A new place? Road trip? Business or pleasure?

Nothing stops you from having the time of your life while you’re at it. I mean,  the discomforts of traveling are enough. Why add boredom and loneliness to it?

There are tons of fun stuff you can do. Your phone’s battery and power bank will run out anytime soon anyway, so you might as well make each trip count and fun not only for yourself, but for other people.

Also, simply sitting in your hotel room, lounging by the pool all day, or going in and out of your seminar venue can even leave you feeling depressed.

Here are some traveling tips for you to have fun.

Talk to the locals: Meet and make friends with the locals. Make sure you have a smile on your face and a friendly aura, so you won’t be ignored or perceived dangerous. You are, after all, a foreigner in their country, and this may open up an opportunity for you to see the local life others will rarely experience

Visiting places unknown to you and talking to the locals provide an opportunity for you to experience new cultures and see life from the locals’ perspective. If you are exploring a country where English isn’t the first language, learning a few local phrases will be helpful in lots of ways.

Talk to other travelers: If you’re traveling alone or with a group, and you just want to make some new friends, find someone else who is travelling alone, or maybe a couple. Smile and say hello as you walk past. If they respond favourably, or even politely, then you can start by asking common questions like “Where are you guys from?” or “ Are you traveling alone as well?” If they respond and ask you more questions, it means that they are open to talk to you. You will know right away whether they are interested in talking to you or not when both parties are trying to move the conversation forward by asking questions. If you are the only one asking questions, then you might be bothering the other party, so end the conversation and let them be in peace. Similarly, if you see another traveler smiling at you, smile back and start a conversation with him or her. If for some reason you are uncomfortable with a new person, politely disengage and be on your way.

Take some pictures, and then take even more pictures: If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much words will a hundred pictures say? It would tell your entire journey from start to finish.

Even if you’re traveling alone, selfies and selfie sticks have made taking pictures by yourself a whole lot easier. 

Don’t forget to make goofy faces and pose with statues, signs, or anything you find memorable as looking through them later will make you happy. Also take pictures with the locals, fellow travelers, and basically anything that catches your eye if it’s allowed.

Thank God for YouTube, Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, and the rest. You can upload videos so people can share these experiences with you. You owe your Facebook friends, followers, family and loved ones some nice pictures, you know this.

It can also be a conversation starter. You can ask others to take a photo for you and offer to take one for them in exchange. Just have fun with it.

Read, write, draw, and awaken your creativity: Most times, people travel on vacations and this is the perfect opportunity for them to do all the things that their normal daily life wouldn’t really allow especially due to time and responsibilities.  Bring a book that will engage you into thinking about your surroundings, and also make notes or draw about what you see or experience.

Traveling expands your mind by letting you experience other cultures. You will be surprised how creative you can get when you are in an unusual surroundings.

Find out and visit tourist and fun spots: For beautiful memories and a deep knowledge of the place, engage in their culture. You can also visit clubs and bars too if you’re the type but be careful who you invite back to your hotel or lodge.

Also attend events, festivals, and shows that interest you. By doing this, you can research fun spots in the area or just ask the locals you’ve made friends with.

Budget to enjoy: Remember your money needs to cover expenses when you arrive at your vacation too. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you’re finally on vacation, but don’t have enough cash to do anything but sit in your hotel room watching the premium cable. Do your research before you go, and ballpark the costs of the dining and activities that will make your vacation memorable.

Whatever place on the map calls you, satisfy your wanderlust knowing you are financially secure. Now sit back, let your savings go to work, and enjoy your day in the sun.

Budget enough for miscellaneous and unplanned events as well as emergencies. That way, you don’t get stranded or regret not buying souvenirs.

Happy traveling!