Blueprint to making Travel work for you

I’ve put together a simple travel Blueprint list to easily follow and to help you travel better, enjoy the read!

1. Stop and look around you, easily overlooked but why the Rush? Grab a coffee and watch the place come alive for a few moments, this is the best part of travelling, each place is unique and different.

2. Book your first night, but nothing else, if you’re backpacking around a new location, set up base in your first port of call and then plan onwards as the trip unfolds, booking everything in advance will pull you down like a ship anchor, grab the real feel of travelling and go with the flow.

3. Eat street food, not only is it affordable its a great way to try new tasty foods and meet locals.

4. Follow FCO Travel advice on twitter, keep in the loop and be aware of any travel news which might affect onwards travel.

5. Travel with hand luggage and feel free, only take what you need.

6. Try home hospitality such as Couchsurfing to get in touch with the locals, it will feel like a whole other trip.

7. Get over your fear, home is always there, never be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

8. Feel free to stay in a place if you enjoy it, the best part of being flexible, if you love the place you are in, you can skip the next.

9. Stay offline, use wifi when you find it, but don’t seek it, enjoy the moment and share later.

10. Have a screw it attitude, if you miss a bus, forget about it, do something else and get on the next one, no point freaking out, another one will come along soon.

11. Learning “Cheers”, “Hello”, “Your welcome” and “Thank you” in each language you cross will go a long way, also handy in the future when you can impress someone with their native tongue.

12. When taking public transport, jump off at the second last stop and walk the rest, you never know what you might find.

13. Not everyone is out to get you, avoid travelling with valuables and read up on local scams by reading wikitravel. If someone is trying to be nice, in most cases they generally are.

14. Ditch the map and discover what you want, it’s ok to get lost, you never know what you might explore.

15. Smile, be happy and be kind to everyone you meet, avoid being frustrated or rude, it doesn’t get you anywhere.

16. Always grab a business card from the hostel you’re staying at, you might need it later if you get lost.

17. Never follow a guide book page to page, ask a local what they think is special and enjoy exploring these little unique details.

18. Most importantly, remember it’s not the location that makes the experience, it’s the people you meet and the unique culture that they share.

Happy Travels!