While planning a trip in advance is great, it can sometimes come with anxiety. You may ask yourself, ‘What have I not thought of?’, ‘Have I checked everything on my checklist?’, or ‘What if I forgot something important?’. It is always better to err on the side of caution by planning your trips. Thus, here are some things you can factor into your plans to make your travels feel easier.
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1. Return Transfers
These are the transport arrangements you make between your travel station and your final destination. If you are travelling by flight, planning for the vehicle that will take you to and fro the airport can spare you a pretty penny. You could have a relative on standby to assist you with this phase or you could book or hire a cab specifically for this purpose. You can also check if your airline or tour operator provides such services too. If you travel out of the country and you don’t know your way around, this tip can come in very handy.
2. Travel Light
If you have luggage as small as a carry-on suitcase or a single bag, you won’t have to worry about your stuff getting lost in transit. Some transporters have load requirement for their bus travellers, just like they do it at airlines. Anything above that requirement and they would ask you to courier your luggage. And once you are separated from your luggage, the chances of them getting lost are higher. When your luggage is small, it is easy to have it with you in the bus or on the aeroplane. Not to mention, the transport fares to your destination would be far less when you have a lighter load. E.g. in the days when commercial motorcycles roamed Lagos, you would need a separate bike for your load and another for yourself which might double your cost.
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3. Avoid Layovers or Stopping between Cities
While it could be nice to stop over at an adjoining city between flights or on road trips, it could also be a cause for concern. During the change from bus or aeroplane to the other, your luggage could get lost or you might miss boarding the next flight.
As for road trips, stopping over at intermittent cities could elongate the journey and cost you extra money in accommodation. For instance, for someone who travels from Abuja to Yankari by road, adding a stop over at Jos with sightseeing of its tour destinations, may make you arrive in Bauchi so late and you might not get to Yankari that very day (depending on what time you leave Abuja). Unless you made prior plans to include this in your budget and itinerary, layovers and city stops are best avoided.
There are other things you can do to ensure your trip sails without a hitch. The key is to plan for the things that are within your control while preparing your mind on an alternative course of action to take when things go wrong. If travelling feels less stressful, it will encourage you to try it again. Are there things you do that make travelling easier? Share it with us in the comments.
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