7 Biggest Travel Mistakes Made By Tourists 

Another travel advisor said, “no one has ever said next time I’ll pack more.”

Another major blunder is not memorizing a dozen basic words and phrases because you assume everyone speaks a bit of English. Even though this is generally true, greeting a shop owner, bartender, waiter, etc. in their language before asking if they speak English is almost always appreciated. "Hello, good morning, thank you, please, excuse me, how much?, how do you say?, yes, no, check please, delicious, cheers, beautiful, have a nice day, goodbye"...a little goes a long way. Great video as usual Mark.

It's funny you mentioned Ryan Air, in Malaga airport I saw a Ryan Air poster that advertised cheap flights from Malaga to London Prestwick airport, Prestwick airport is just outside Glasgow in Scotland (300 miles from London), it later turned out that Ryan Air got a HUGE fine from the Spanish government, imagine if you got in a taxi outside Prestwick and said Oxford Street please

This my first time traveling to Europe you can't ever imagine how your channel helped me !

I learned the overpacking thing the hard way the first time I went to Oslo. The bus from the airport dropped me off at the city center, and I knew my hotel was only a couple blocks away, but got a little disoriented, and because I was determined to find it myself and not ask directions (also dumb), I dragged those heavy bags all over downtown Oslo for about an hour before I found my hotel. In addition, they were having an unusual heat wave and it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was wearing cold-weather clothes. :( By the next time I went a few years later, I wore easy-to-add-or-remove layers, and carried only ONE lightweight backpack with only essentials in it. SO much easier!

I quite agree about booking as near the centre as possible.......I'm off to Florence next Spring and am booking an apartment right in the centre. Saves on transport, you can make your own meals, have a bathroom break and put your feet up mid day. All very important for an old lady.

Your first item made me laugh so much. We do cram too much to see every single time we travel. But the best part is this : we are the kind of people to spend five days in just /one/ city. There is so much to see in every city, it's just crazy to try and visit one "country" each day.

I just stumbled on this video and there are great tips here. I was an overpacker. After getting charged for overweight luggage, I was reformed. I take less clothes and will wash in the sink. I also made the blunder of not staying closer to the centre of the city - that was in London. I swore never again. I'm going to Europe this September and made sure to book hotels closer to the city centre/main railway. I also agree with the poster who said that one should take the time to learn a few words and survival phrases in the language of the country you're going to visit. I can also personally attest to how well you are treated when you can say Hello/Excuse me/Please/etc.

You rock! Thank you. Never try to see too much! Read everything you can about where you are visiting.

The 7 blunders of the world :)

When i went for a vacation in Egypt i was the only one who had not packed too much

I always stay outside of the center. Not super far, but usually suburbs where the residents live. I make sure my hotel or airbnb is next to the metro. I find if your next to the metro it really doesn't matter, especially in cities like Paris. I stayed in the Boulogne-Billancourt area and was well connected to Versailles by a short bus ride. It actually feels overwhelming in the center. It's easier to find places with kitchens to cook and save money, you can pack a lunch. Local restaurants are also usually cheaper. You are right that you are less likely to come home, unless it's to spruce up for an evening show, but that is fine for me. Maybe when I have kids or am 60+ I'll need that. As of now I'm fine with an 8 hour day. I started travel that way, because I traveled in college and stayed with my friends who were foreign exchange students when they returned home, so maybe I'm just used to it. I feel less like a tourist and I think it encourages you to interact with the residents more and see places other than the sights.

Thanks again WoltersWorld for some helpful advice.

Your videos are so informative please keep them coming. You also have a beautiful family.

Hey - as a Brit who used to fly fairly frequently between Edinburgh and Stansted (EasyJet - it's cool!) it's WELL worth checking out coach services like National Express - they can often be cheaper than the train, you're guaranteed a seat and they link outlying airports like Stansted with London. (They're also really great for travelling cross-country if you don't want to hire a car and deal with driving on the left, British roundabouts and other things you might not be so familiar with.)

Again, thanks so much for all the ideas. You have a beautiful family.

I agree 100% with #1! I don't understand why some people travel just for the sake of seeing the country.

I wish I have had your videos a few years ago. Best wishes from Argentina and keep on making these videos!

Spot on with all these warnings! I learned most of them years ago through trial & error.

Thanks for another great video!

So true! "Seeing" a country to many travelers is just running through town from the airport to the hotel, hurrying past a few of the big tourist sites, on to the next city. I would rather visit with the locals for a few hours, eat where they eat, see their homes if possible, experience their culture. You may "see" a country, but did you take the time to really experience it, did you spend any time with people that live there. Great video Mark.

Amazing video Wolter! I made some of these blunders in the past, but now I can say that I travel smart. Recently I went to Europe end enjoyed London and Amsterdã for 13 days and it was amazing! I had time to enjoy the local culture and really experience these amazing locations. Kisses from Brazil!

I love the first picture! lol But I am loving your videos. Very informative

Thank you so very much, we are planning a trip to to Europe in late June and your videos are very helpful

Great tips and real advice

Oh my gosh , I have personally make 3 of the blunders on your list ! You will save people money, energy and time with these tips

Good info - especially about connection time between flights!

Love your videos!! :-) thanks for the great tips!

Excellent video, can't say I disagree with the points you make. Given my own travel experiences throughout my life, I can confirm that all of these points require at least some degree of attention. I particularly agree with the "Don't pack unnecessary stuff" rule. A good trick to overcome the temptation to bring useless equipment with you is taking a smaller backpack (or other smaller piece of luggage).

Great great advice!! I followed all of these on my recent trip to Prague-Vienna- Bratislava-Budapest. The only one I could not follow: I was traveling with my son after his semester studying in Prague. We traveled with all his stuff in one huge suitcase. (it was less of a hassle to fly it all back in a huge suitcase then to mail it back through the post office). We traveled by train to those cities. It was a little difficult (especially the train station in Budapest!!). But we did it and had a great trip!!!

pack like youre going away for a week not a month, do laundry! you would be doing it at home anyway!

Nice to see that I am doing things right when travelling :)

This video saved me so much money mark! Thanks, my family made these blunders but after watching this video my family agrees! Thanks again :)

Very good advice with caveat for #1 that you should adjust pace of travel & amount of time spent in transit (planes, trains, in cars, etc) to your own taste. I happen to love to travel at a fast pace and come back from my travels completely exhausted by spending quite a bit of time each day or overnight (5-8 hours) in transit then start sightseeing immediately.

Great Tips. Thank you so much.

I started watching your videos before I went to China back in October 2014 and I've been three times since 🙈 your videos are great :)!

Also Chicago is known, nicknamed "the Windy City" and your plane could be delayed and make you late for another connection.

Thanks a lot! Funny guy with good advice!

one of my fave channels!

I’ve honestly never made any of these mistakes, thanks for stroking my ego :)

Great advice, another superb video! Regards, TGV Ps. Love the Persols! Dapper.

Having been in Europe many times I already know must of those. But you are so interesting I watch your videos anyway. I tend to pack lighter and lighter and cram less in each travel. First time in Europe I visited 4 country. Now not only I limited myself to one country but usually only one region of the country for each trip and I travel only with my cabin luggage no matter how long my trip is.

ahhh man, I love your videos!

Staying outside the city center can work very well. Last time I went to Venice I stayed in Padua and saved a ton of money on accommodation. Fast frequent trains to Venice plus Padova is itself a nice town and everything is of course, far cheaper than Venice.

Thank you!

About nr 7: First I started flying with only hand luggage because of luggage fees. Now I find it practical. Because it makes me pack light and be critical for what I do take with be. It is also very nice having less weight carrying. It makes me be more critical if what I buy and saves time at the airport.

nice videos by the way. very well traveled!

Your videos are great! Very informative.

AWESOME VIDEO AS ALWAYS.

great tips thanks

Heathrow is not in the centre but does have the Tube train link - Fastest way into London

As for another tip here in the Netherlands, in a lot of restaurants you can order a carafe, which is just a bottle of water, but it's usually tap water, so it's not chilled, but it doesn't cost anything. They always ask you to order a 'normal' drink first, to cover those expenses, but that's it.

Hey, Marc (or Wolter, haha). When are you going to visit Bulgaria? It is so underrated and deserves to be seen, man.

I remember when i went to crete in Greece and i looked at the menu at a "super quality" resturaunt... The prices were from 30 euro to 200 euro per meal. And the thing of overpacking was something i was very far away from xD All i had was some spare clothes and swimming gear

sleeping bags may be for camping. many young people sleep in tents. on festivals for egzample there are special places for hundreds of tents.

why dont you have more subscribers? You really deserve more because your videos are awesome.

Really true. Cheers

I have a tendency to overpack... Oh yes, I hate myself for that.

To me another blunder is people just trying to see the main sights and nothing else. Americans in France ? That's gonna be Paris, Mont Saint Michel, Nice and the Riviera, the Normandy beaches, and that's it. I live in the Alps, what do foreign tourist go see in the Alps ? Only Annecy and Chamonix. It's depressing. Try and see something else. Brittany is amazing, and not too crowded in summer, in the Alps go check the Vercors, the Queyras, the Ecrins. Real wild mountains, away from big ski resorts. Cities ? Don't forget Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg. Try stuff people avoid like Tours, or Troyes. Also, they tend to go see the most crowded places at the most crowded times. Why summer ? Let's get something over with: France's beaches are NOT that good. The Atlantic from Bordeaux to Biarritz is just white sand and pines, nothing else. It's boring. Sure Dune de Pyla and bassin d'Arcachon are gorgeous, but it's full of expensive properties belonging to celebrities, it's not wild. The riviera ? It's crowded, it's dirty, the best bit is probably Camargue and it's not real beaches. As for the North around Baie de Somme it's very cold, and Brittany/Normandy see too much rain all the time. They're beautiful to walk around. If you want to swim, camp in the sand, there are better countries for that. Australia, New Zealand, even the US. Cape Cod beats any French beach, I'm telling you. So just because everyone goes there doesn't mean it's great. The best French beaches are in Corsica, but it's very expensive. On TripAdvisor forum you basically NEVER see people asking about Corsica, I don't know why.

Ich hab' gern define Info mit Liebe dazu. Vielen Dank!

Current plans are for: A week in Paris _[& Flanders if in April, for an ANZAC day commemoration]_ , Followed by: A week in the South East of England _[checking out a number of Cathedrals/ Castles/Museums]_ , Then: A week's break on a *narrow boat* , And finally: A week in Edinburgh _[If in August for the Tattoo]_ . (Either end, depending on the time of year, might be substituted with a week in Ireland)

omg lv your uploads. great info. your now my joint favourite youtuber.... the other is decker shado!

I have another blunder for you.... I prefer to travel by car and just got back from northern Italy and France, but I believe I screwed up in Milan as we stayed in an area where it was within the (Limited Travel Zone) LTZ (I thought my rented apartment was outside this area) until I looked closer at a map when I got back home. I didnt know my traffic signage and now I am waiting quite possibly for a 1 or multiple fines. AND I dont know whats worse getting a fine(s) or waiting for them.

Excellent advice.

Good point with the landing ime on planes. When I landed in Schipol this year it was raining and they weren't letting planes depart. Sat on the tarmac for about 2 hrs after a 9 hr flight. Was not much fun. Good thing at least it was the final stop and wasnt late for anything

You totally rock music!

Great advices

The video thumbnail alone deserves a thumbs up 😃👍🏽

Seven countries in ten days??? That's nuts! Going to Paris in May...want to see some of the main places but mostly strolling around the 5th arrondisment and Seine banks and picnic in several parks and eat a lot of food from the markets.

I like this guy's videos!

Jeans is a big one with me. 2 pair tops. Jeans are pretty heavy and bulky. They are designed to be worn often and consecutively. They can go many many days without being washed. Take few jeans, even only one pair if possible. I usually pack at a 3 day interval. Meaning every 3rd day I am out of clothes and do laundry. Doesn't matter if I am traveling for 2 weeks or 5 days.

Amen. Your best video.

BRILLIANT.

woltersworld HEY HEY! I watch you on Trip Smart through my Roku. I didn't know you had a RU-vid. SUBSCRIBED! Keep up the great work, you're AWESOME! ~Stephanie

You could of got the nation express coach from stansted to London would of been so much cheaper. Great videos by the way

18 - going on my first solo planned trip with friends next year ! These videos are so helpful . :) France and Belgium ( Paris primarily ) . I've done a ton of research but the only thing I'm lacking is restaurant recommendations in between eating food from the market . Any must go places that aren't $$$ that I should know about ?

Greetings from Romania!

Great tips !!

Thank you.

I can't stress enough about having a short layover in airports. Last summer my mum and I had a 40 minute layover and our plane was over an hour late. Needless to say, we missed our flight and ended up staying over 24 hours. Our phones were dead because we left our chargers in our suitcase, we stunk, couldn't brush our teeth, and got no sleep.

Dead right about outlying airports - Ryanair is notorious for this. Frankfurt Hahn is much closer to Trier, or even Luxembourg ( a different country!) than Frankfurt.

our hostel in Paris was out by the canals, 30 minute subway ride to get to the centre haha

Nice advises

I’ve been to Vienna and Prague this week, and the first point already showed. I had three days in Vienna alone, and I got to experience some of it, but it didn’t feel as genuine as it could’ve been…

Regarding #1, my motto has long been "No matter where I go, I could have gone some place else. No matter what I do, I could have done something else. No matter what I see, I could have seen something else. No matter who I meet, I could have met somebody else."

Great tips! I really agree with the first one. When I found myself alone in Paris for three days last year, instead of rushing around trying to cram in all the sights & despite it being my only time ever there, I spent 2 of the 3 days in the Louvre. I don't regret it one bit and I certainly don't feel like I missed anything! Travelling at an, um..."leisurely pace" σ(^_^;) ..you're still seeing something new every second, but you have the time to soak it all in and really enjoy/appreciate the places you're visiting. I didn't have time to plan ahead and look for tips&tricks before hand because I was just kinda...there. But on the first day I learned I could use my passport as a ticket & I spotted the side entrances and the one leading in from that mall, which meant no queueing on the second day, so that was handy. Good to keep your eyes peeled for things like that. Especially if you've not had time to plan ahead, or have no internet and stuff.

Thank you

Wow I never do research when I go on holidays. I went to Barcelona in May and had no idea they were number one for pick pockets in the world thankfully, I did not get robbed.

Hey Wolter. Could you comment a little more about the bennies of staying w/ a family as opposed to residing in a Hotel or a Hostile? Also, learning-or attempting to learn- a few words in the language of the countries that you plan to visit BEFORE landing in them? i.e.; "Where's the Water Closet?" - - ""Oh [-"Beep!-]. I've lost my passport!"". Thanks Couz, KEEP 'EM COMING!**.

Very wise video indeed. I gotta say though, flying to Girona is awesome for Salvador Dali fans, as its very close to Figueres, his home and home to the best Dali museum

I've never done any of these things (maybe Nr.7, but I am not a backpacker so it's not that much of a problem). Greetings from Vienna. ;)

19 pairs of shoes? Maybe Imelda Marcos...

The last time I flew I looked online at the airports terminal maps. Then I planned my rout accordingly. Especially if they change the gate number. I flew from Vegas to Reno once and I left 4 hrs ahead of time (thankfully). The security line was really long when I arrived. Having a carry-on bag helped out so much 0 time spent in line checking bag's. Made sure that I was ready to go through. I have a cheap pair of flop sandels on and after I am through I put my sneakers on. Even had an hour to kill after I went through the security check. Every few minutes I check on my phone for any changes. I have an app of whatever the plane I am flying on for example: American Airlines. I even checked the weather for the place I am flying to or through. I even check it so I can plan accordingly what I am going pack. Always expect delays be it mechanical or weather. I even bring a book and some snacks. Ask a Gate atendent if you don't know what is going on with your flight or if you're in the right place. (know where the bathrooms are) it also helps to know if the place your staying at has shampoo and conditioner etc.

The last time I was looking at statistics about train travel the trains in most of Europe were still more often on time than the trains in the US. For example trains in the Netherlands is the second most often on time after only Japan.

You need 3 pairs of shoes: two for walking around (one for walking, one for when the first pair chafes / gets soaked / falls apart), and one fancy pair for going to the opera / other fancy event.

Hey! Vienna :-) My hometown

Regarding not doing our research, I remember talking with a friend maybe 40 years ago, and she said she and her husband were going to Mexico. She had, however, no idea where it was located, and couldn't remember the name of the place. She'd gone into a travel agency, and asked where the hot places were for that year, and picked one, and hadn't even had the curiosity to locate it on a map. I'm sure my mouth fell open like Wile E. Coyote.

Actually working at the airport as a ground crew we normally tell them when you’re allowed out plus your on there 10 to 15 minutes after you land

thank you! I'm going to europe in a month, for a month. also chile is great :)

I saw a family probably from the us a few years ago in rome. we ate lasagna, pasta and a lot of good things. they try to order "French Fries". But those Italian People never heard this word. I think if you want "Fries", oder Pommes Frites (say. Pom Frit).