If you’re anything like me, traveling plays a huge role in keeping your sanity throughout your day-to-day life – followed closely by pizza and cat pictures. Okay, maybe the two are just me. Growing up throughout southern Idaho, I have found myself traveling quite often in search of new adventures. Nowadays, being a touring musician has definitely helped rack up my travel miles and has allowed me to explore the greater part of this half of the country, and I would be lying if I said I don’t absolutely love it!
With this in mind, planning out your travel adventures can be a mind-numbing task in itself. I wanted to share with you a few tips that I always keep in mind when I am choosing my next journey, in hopes to inspire you to get the most out of your next adventure!
Plan Ahead (loosely)!
Before I set off on a new journey, I always make sure I have mapped out a solid travel itinerary. With things like concerts, discovering new food and sightseeing extravaganzas, you can find yourself missing out on some great opportunities if you have a general plan for your day. However, it is important to keep in mind that just because you have your day planned out – don’t hesitate to shift gears if something exciting comes up! The words, “Dang! I wish I would have done that!” should never be in a traveler’s vocabulary.
Take Lasting Pictures!
Take tons of pictures! I’m not talking about selfies. I’m talking about high-quality, well thought out landscape photos that will be sure to tell your travel stories. This can be a surefire way to wow your friends and family for generations to come. If you don’t have a camera, I can almost guarantee that you have a smartphone in your pocket (maybe even reading this article), so use it! Documenting your travels will grant you the ability to instill lasting memories of your journey, and you can also inspire other travelers to follow in your footsteps.
Bring a Friend!
Being a touring musician, I have no choice but to travel with my friends (pictured above); however, I must say that having a travel companion, or companions, has granted some of my most cherished travel memories! Traveling with a friend, even a dog, allows you the ability to try new things that you may not have known existed, and will give you the ability to share stories together forever. We still laugh and talk about random tour stories from our last trip just under six months ago.
Bring Extra Cash!
There are many reasons why I suggest bringing extra cash. As much as we don’t like to think about it, issues can arise. Maybe your flight will get delayed and you have to stay another night in Seattle. Maybe you ruined your phone as you hastily dove into the ocean with your clothes on. Maybe you realized your favorite band is playing in NYC the same day you’re there. Point is, have a backup reserve of cash – I generally set aside at least an additional $200 before any trip to help cover any unforeseen circumstances.
Connect with Locals
In today’s technology driven era, finding and building lasting relationships during your travels can happen well before you even get into town. As social media becomes more and more “social”, you can check out what locals are doing and talking about, which can ultimately help build your travel plans. Get on Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit and spark a conversation. A simple, “Hey, what is there to do in ___” can give you an endless amount of great ideas. After all, sometimes locals can be the best tour guides.
Author Bio
Taylor Tomita is a writer, touring musician and cat enthusiast from Boise, Idaho. When not writing (or attempting to survive the frigid Idaho winters), you can find him creating music, exploring in search of new vegetarian, or collecting music equipment. You can also find him on Twitter.