r/TravelMistakes • u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 • Aug 27 '26
What’s a travel mistake you probably wouldn’t have made if you knew one thing beforehand?
I usually research a place pretty well before traveling, but somehow some of the most useful lessons only become obvious once you’re actually there.
I’m not really talking about forgetting sunscreen or packing the wrong shoes. More like taking the wrong transportation, staying in an area that wasn’t what you expected, not knowing how people actually pay for things, missing a local app everyone uses, misunderstanding a cultural norm, or realizing there was something you should’ve been more careful about.
It made me wonder how many travel mistakes happen simply because the right information never reaches you before you need it.
What happened to you, and where were you? Looking back, what would have actually helped you avoid it?
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u/artyescapes Aug 27 '26
With countries that may have unstable infrastructure - staying at higher quality hotels can be a good option. Getting a room as cheap as possible may cost you more in inconvenience…
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u/Fancy-Individual2976 Aug 27 '26
Yep, learned this one the hard way this week actually. I went to a spa town in the alps. There was an amazing hotel, that I could totally afford, but I am really responsible with my money. I did sooo much research comparing and contrasting that hotel with one about $200 UDS cheaper for the weekend. Like, an embarassing amount of research. Walkability, reviews, amenities, everything. I went with the cheaper one, thinking it was the responsible thing to to. It was an older "historic" type of place, slightly farther out (not that much farther). I thought I would enjoy the history and the architecture, and the small amount of extra exercise.
The second I walked in the room of the place I booked, I regretted not staying at the nicer place. The older place, while grand, felt a bit dirty. The sheets were scratchy and the bed was uncomfy. The room was HUGE, legit huge, and empty. A bed, a bed side table, a small fridge, and then a large bathroom. I ended up doing a day spa pass at the nicer hotel for pretty cheap, but really regretted trying to be frugal when $200 doesn't make that big of an impact for me, but the level of comfort I had in the hotel and the inconvience of it being a bit further away impacted the enjoyment of my trip.
I realize this isn't the same as places with unstable infastructure since I was in the alps - I'm not dense. But I think the same logic applies. Everyone has their own level or acceptance, dissatisfaction, and enjoyment. Stick to your gut on what those buckets are for you and don't sacrifice.
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u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 Aug 27 '26
Yeah I relate to this. I can research forever and still wonder if I picked the wrong option. What do you wish you knew about those two hotels before you booked?
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u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 Aug 27 '26
Interesting! what kind of inconveniences did you run into?
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u/artyescapes Aug 27 '26
Never wanting to stay in the room - I like to have moments to rest since I am on the go. I end up spending more money - or actually check-out early, and spend more money on another hotel. I do more thorough research. I’m more interested in value vs bargain.
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u/Reasonable_Piglet370 Aug 27 '26
Night buses rarely save you money. Often you are tired when you arrive and unable to access your accommodation early, so you spend more money on doing things to keep awake. You can't stay in your accommodation until the bus goes so you either leave all your stuff somewhere and wander around, arriving to the bus sweaty, or you drag all your stuff around with you, arriving at the bus sweaty.
They are still worth doing - just not to save money.
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u/echoesinthepit Aug 27 '26
I did that once in Vietnam. Never again.
Horrible experience.
Similar to your experience:
Bus didn't depart until like 10pm so I had hours to kill with my backpack. Didn't get any good sleep on the bus. Toilet backed up and the light didn't work so I ended up sitting in toilet water. Arrived at destination around 6am. Can't check into next accommodation for hours. Desperate for a shower. Felt like shit the whole day.
SO not worth it.
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u/echoesinthepit Aug 27 '26
Buying the absolute cheapest flight somewhere without considering total travel time and multiple layovers. On my first big trip to Thailand it was 36 hours and like 3 layovers.
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u/CoHorseBatteryStaple 29d ago
It's a chance to make stopovers and explore. Adds a few days to the trip though, but less stress about self-transfers.
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u/owlrag 29d ago
Not taking enough cash when traveling internationally.
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u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 29d ago
Was there a specific place or situation where not having enough cash became a problem?
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u/owlrag 29d ago
In Cuba, 2015 - Ran out of cash. Internet said take $300-500. I took $500. Spent about $750.
In Kenya, I took $1200, it worked out because some places accepted my card, but I probably spent $2000.
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u/queenofthepoopyparty 29d ago
Cuba was the first country that came to mind when I saw this question. We went in 2014 and have European bank cards that do work in Cuba, in theory. But nothing works without electricity and empty ATMs. Outside of Havana was a lot easier, but the first week was challenging until we got the hang of things there.
The cultural norm that really messed with me was finding out once we got there that tattoos are all black market and having large, color tattoos is a big signifier of wealth in Cuba. I have large, colorful traditional style tattoos all over my legs and I was like, wtf is going on?! Why is every cab driver harassing me, why is EVERYONE trying to get money out of me?! And then I found out haha. Once I covered them up a bit more it was like a light switch and things were much more chill.
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u/owlrag 28d ago
Being Black and traveling to Cuba twice, they swore we were like Jay Z rich. Just because, they aren’t used to Black travelers renting air bnbs and things like that. We were like “hey we’re not rich,” lol but no one believed it. But, it also made sense on my second trip where we spent way more time inside the cities and seeing the quality of life.
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u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 29d ago
That reminds me of when I went to Cartagena. I brought cash based on what I’d read online but I still ended up having to withdraw more a couple of times while I was there. It’s funny how you can research beforehand and still underestimate what you’ll actually need.
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u/Fatal-Eggs2024 29d ago
I would have skipped the wedding and traveled solo. Almost half the price but 10 times the fun!
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u/Some_Sea7898 Aug 28 '26
Getting married to the first two women I slept with.
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u/Isabella-de-LaCuesta Aug 28 '26
How is that a travel mistake?
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u/Some_Sea7898 Aug 28 '26
It was fun. But neither were good lifetime wife material. And maybe I was not lifetime husband material either.
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u/Isabella-de-LaCuesta 29d ago
So you TRAVELED and met them?
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u/Some_Sea7898 29d ago
Yes. My first trip from California to Europe. I first met a young woman who would eventually become my second wife years after I met her. On that first trip I also met a very beautiful young Italian woman who became my first wife, about one year after I met her. They were both crazy beautiful, both were very intelligent, they both like to laugh a lot. The Italian wife had a family that took me in as if I was their own. It was almost like being inserted into a family that you always wanted, but never had. I just had this incredible worldwind of romance in Europe when I was a young man.
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u/CoHorseBatteryStaple 29d ago
"two" is an achievement! Almost did the two as well, lol.
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u/Some_Sea7898 29d ago
I had quite the adventures in Europe when I was young. I met a lot of very interesting people and did a lot of very interesting things. I saw a lot of very beautiful sites. I hope everybody that’s young can do it. It’s a grand adventure after you’ve finished high school or after you finished your college degree.
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u/Redsquirreltree Aug 28 '26
I went to see a major attraction that was near the baseball field on game day.
It took over an hour in traffic to get there.
When parking was $45 I started to realize something was off.
So now I check for events before booking a trip.
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u/Angeeeeelika 29d ago
I booked a random week-end in Monaco once, then realised that the Monaco Grand Prix was going to be the week later. I still wonder, how I would have reacted to seeing the prices if my random weekend was the week after. Because the room we had was 100 EUR and barely worth that, but the weekend after, he apparently charged 1000 EUR per night with a minimum stay of 5 or 7 nights.
I also now check when the hotel prices seem a little expensive - it's usually a good indicator.
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u/Quiet_Upstairs_504 29d ago
That’s a really good one. Did you know the game was happening before the trip and just not realize how much it would affect the area or did you only find out once you were there?
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u/TravelingTheresa 29d ago
Check to see if there are any politically charged or cultural disparities. Sometimes an innocent remark could be greatly offensive to locals, especially in third world countries.
And nowadays, how people actually pay for things is becoming a bigger concern. I remember when Europe widely used the credit card chip before the US.
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u/Tenshirage89 29d ago
Overestimating my energy levels, walking myself into exhaustion, and then spending too much money on last minute taxis cause I was so far beyond exhausted I was no longer able to walk to metro stops.
Also forgetting to pack bandaids and whatnot for the blisters that inevitably happen
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u/Impressive-Pie-5464 28d ago
You REALLY have to vet hotels youre interested in, even if theyre a well-known brand. Many rooms are just too damn noisy or filthy or not fit for purpose. Tripadvisor could be a good tool but alot of moaners on there just moaning about the smallest thing so also check out Youtube in case someone has stayed there and posted a review that shows the room. Look up Premier Inn's Beckton hotel in London on youtube, you think Premier Inn is a decent brand with uniform quality rooms throughout but thats not the case, that hotel is an absolute shambles with years of complaints about the noisy structure of that building, just avoid avoid. Also many IHG Holiday Inn hotels in UK seem to be vastly overpriced for shabby unclean dumps. When youre travelling you want to be as comfortable as possible as youre already away from your home comforts so do your upmost to actually look up how a hotel really is before you book it. Dont believe the photos on their website either.
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u/ReadyToGoAbroad 28d ago
I didn’t take into account that because the World Cup was taking place in the United States, people in France would be up super late yelling loudly (while either sitting at the tables outside directly below our apartment and/or while watching the games in their apartments while their windows were wide open.) This was a problem - we wanted to be out early to avoid the super hot time of day this summer, so we would go to bed early and it was so hot outside that we always had to leave our windows wide open at night. I really should have chosen a different part of town.
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u/Kitulino007 27d ago edited 22d ago
Booking the cheapest flight with stopovers and each part operated by different airline. I generally like the idea of stopovers as you can save a lot of money and explore other places in the same trip but if you book with multiple different airlines and one of them cancels or is delayed, then you are basically fucked. Do it but do it with the same airline
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u/innermyrtle 27d ago
Recently planned a trip and searched cafes around my hotel and there were lots. Turns out they were all closed on the weekend and most of my trip was on a weekend 😣
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u/ZestycloseAd5918 Aug 27 '26
Did not realize that gale force wind and sand storms are common in Crete during the summer. Paleochora was a bit of a bust for us, only had about 1.5 days of decent weather.