Mistakes I made during the trip

Mistakes I made during the trip

After each trip, I realize one simple thing: most of all, I learn not from good moments, but from my own mistakes. Moreover, most of them could have been avoided if I had at least thought a little in advance.

Mistake #1. The route is too dense

The most common mistake is to try to see absolutely everything. I marked dozens of places on the map in advance, made up an approximate route, and was sure that everything would work out.

It didn't work out.

At some point, I no longer looked at the city, but simply moved between the points. I arrived, took a photo, looked at my watch, and ran on again.

As a result, I almost didn't remember some of the places.

Now I try to choose a few really interesting places for the day, and leave free time between them. If there's something interesting along the way, great. If you just want to sit in a cafe and look at people, that's great too.

Error #2. I trusted the navigator too much.

One day, the map showed me that it was only a twenty-minute walk to the right place. Twenty minutes later, I found myself roughly where I was before, only very tired.

I forgot that the map shows the distance, but it doesn't always explain how convenient it is to walk it.

Now, before walking, I look not only at the route, but also at the area itself. Sometimes ten minutes by taxi is much more reasonable than forty minutes on foot in the heat.

Mistake number 3. I didn't leave any time left

This applies to transportation.

Several times, I planned everything almost minute by minute. If the train was supposed to arrive at 2:20 p.m., in my plan, the next part of the route would start at 2:35 p.m.

It only sounds beautiful on paper.

In practice, a delay in transport, a queue, or an accidentally closed entrance is enough, and the entire ideal plan begins to crumble.

Now I always leave a reserve. It's better to arrive a little earlier and have a quiet coffee than to run around the airport with a backpack and mentally promise myself that I'll be smarter next time.

Mistake number 4. I took too many things

Before a trip, it always seems to me that I will definitely need everything.

Three pairs of shoes.

Clothes for different occasions.

Some things will "suddenly come in handy."

As a result, half of the suitcase returns home completely untouched.

After several trips, I realized that if a thing is needed only in a very hypothetical situation, it can most likely be left at home.

Mistake number 5. I took too many pictures

Perhaps the strangest mistake.

I was on my way to see a new place, but sometimes I found myself standing with my phone in front of my face and trying to take the perfect shot.

And then I realized that I hadn't really looked at the place itself.

Now I try to just stand and watch first, and only then I take out my phone. Photos are necessary, but they should not become the main purpose of the trip.

And the main mistake

Probably, my main mistake is constant haste.

I kept thinking that I had to catch something, see it, and take a picture. It wasn't until near the end of the trip that I realized I wasn't particularly late for anything.

Traveling is not a competition.

Sometimes the best moment of the day is not on the list of attractions at all. It can be a random cafe, a conversation with a stranger, a small street that you turned into just out of curiosity, or an ordinary sunset that caught you without a phone in your hands.

Now I try to leave room for such accidents in the route.

Because they are the ones who most often turn an ordinary trip into a story that you want to tell later.