7 signs you’re a bad traveller

MANILA, Philippines – Do you pack 5 pairs of shoes for a two-day trip, bring nothing but large bills and try to pack 6 bags and a pillow in the plane’s carry-on compartment?

Some travel habits will have to go if you want a more stress-free trip.

Caroline Morse of HuffingtonPost.com lists down 10 signs you’re a terrible traveller.

1. Your bags are always too heavy (and you’re surprised)

If you’re the passenger frantically repacking your bag at the check-in counter because it’s overweight, you may be a bad traveller. The key to a relaxing trip is travelling light. Narrow down the things you really need and be prepared to do away with unnecessary luxuries (do you really need those 5-inch heels or that Game Boy?). Invest in a luggage scale or a bag with a built-in weighing scale. Find out in advance the weight limit of the airlines you’re taking so you’ll never worry about an overweight fee again.

2. Your goal is to always arrive “on the nick of time”

For most international flights, you have to be at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight. If you’re the type who likes being “just in time” to lessen your time in the waiting lounge, you should consider changing your ways. As much as possible, leave earlier than you normally would to leave allowance for traffic on the way and long lines in the airport. It’s better to kill some time before take-off than miss your transportation.

3. You don’t research

You touch down in your destination with bags full of snug jackets and scarves only to find out that at this time of the year, it’s hot season. You also didn’t bring the right currency of money and you had no idea there was a major festival and there are no more available hotel rooms. There’s a difference between fun spontaneity and foolishly coming unprepared. Read about your destination or ask friends who have been there about it. There’s still plenty of room to be spontaneous in between.

4. You’re ignorant of the carry-on rules

You’ve stashed your brand new Swiss knife in your carry-on for your mountaineering trip or your bottle of perfume for your European honeymoon only for them to be taken away by airport inspectors. You can end this aggravation (and the aggravation of fellow passengers waiting in line) by simply reading up on your airlines allows in carry-on bags.

5. You don’t make a packing list

If you’re the type who likes to throw whatever comes to mind into your luggage at the last minute, don’t be surprised when you get to your destination and find out you forgot your tooth brush. Making a packing list may sound tedious but it will save you from frustration. Often, we forget the smallest but most important things, distracted as we are by the excitement of the trip or other things. A packing list is the practical, objective, no-nonsense travel buddy you can always count on.

6. You and your gadgets are inseparable

“Juan has checked in at the Eiffel tower(with WiFi!)”

“Juan is riding an elephant in the jungles of Thailand”

“Juan has uploaded 800 Instagram photos”

If you can’t get away from your smartphone or tablet because you simply need to tell people about where you are, you may discover at the end of the trip that you looked more at your phone than at the sights. Don’t let your travel experience pass you by because of the need to update your social networks and apps. Do yourself a favor and put your phone in your bag instead of your pocket (and in silent mode). Get out there and experience life as a living, breathing human being and not just as a cyber entity.

7. You whine a lot and even yell at people

There is no such thing as a perfect trip. If you waste all your time and energy complaining about the slow transportation or the weird food, you’ll only make progress in one thing: irritating your fellow travellers. If something goes really wrong (flights cancelled, hotel booking nowhere to be found) and your cause of action is to yell at everyone, step back and take a breath. Polite persistence may be the best approach to get to the bottom of the mishap. –With reports from Pia Ranada/Rappler.com