8 Tips for Learning How to Travel Well

Last updated on 15 July 2026

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Travelling is the perfect way to get out of your comfort zone, explore new places and cultures, and learn more about yourself. Learning how to travel well really comes down to a handful of things: packing light, sorting your health and flight logistics before you go, and leaving enough flexibility once you’re there to actually enjoy it.

But it can also be a little bit stressful. 🙈 (Speaking from experience!)

You’re probably going to be sleeping in a new place most nights, eating foods that are totally unfamiliar to you, and interacting with people who may speak languages you don’t know. It can be overwhelming at first glance! But with some tips up your sleeve, you’ll be able to get the most out of your trip, no matter where in the world you’re headed off to.

You’ll be back home before you know it with a bunch of stories to share!

8 Tips for Learning How to Travel Well

Pack light (trust me)
Get your vaccines and medications
Choose an airline that works for you
Choose the best seat
Wear your heaviest coat on the plane
Stay hydrated
Leave a little wiggle room in your itinerary
Be open to new things

Before you leave

Pack light

Packing light isn’t about doing without; it’s about only bringing what you’ll actually use. Pack light, but pack smart.

You don’t need a travel bag that’s full of clothes and shoes that you don’t actually need on your travels. And I’m speaking from experience here. I’m notorious for packing too heavily. Learn from me!

Only bring the things that are going to be crucial. Ask yourself these questions to help figure out what to pack for a holiday:

What is the weather going to be like? What’s the season?
What am I going to be doing while I’m away? Am I going to need things like walking shoes?
What kind of holiday is there? A relaxing week on the beach? Or a see-all-the-sights whirlwind of a trip? Maybe it’s a city escape?
Is there anything I’d like to buy while I’m away that I’ll be able to wear or use? Can I eliminate that item from my packing in preparation for buying it over there?

When it comes to choosing your clothes, try to pick neutral colours so they can be mixed and matched easily. Think layerable items—especially if it’s cold or hot where you’re going—so that you can keep warm or cool with just the change of a jacket.

Swap all your large toiletries for smaller ones. You don’t need to take a full bottle of shampoo for a week away. Transfer items like this into smaller bottles and containers.

👉🏻 Also read: Pack Light for Amsterdam – How I Took Only my Handbag for 2 days Abroad

Get your vaccines or medications before you set off

Even before 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic, some countries required travellers to have certain vaccines before arrival. It’s important to check in with your doctor if there are any vaccines you need to have before getting on the plane.

If there are any certain medications that you typically use back home, make sure that they are legal in the country where you are travelling and ask whether there are any restrictions as far as how much of each medication can be brought into the country without getting in trouble with customs.

Travelling well is also about looking after our bodies (much like staying hydrated!). Be sure to take extra than you need, just in case you get waylaid or delayed on your journey.

Carefully choose an airline and flight time that works best for you

When choosing your flights, it’s important to carefully consider your options. I find that using a travel agent is so worth it!

But if you’re not using a travel agent, choosing a good airline is a biggy. Check several different airlines to see which ones offer the best value for your money and if they offer any frequent flyers miles. You’ll also need to check the flight schedules and make sure you’re not going to be stopping off in 6 countries before actually getting to your destination.

Make sure if you do have any stopovers, that you have enough time between flights to get from one plane to the other. It’s always worth ensuring that your luggage is checked all the way through to your destination, so you don’t have to go and collect your luggage and re-check it in.

Choose a seat that’s going to be the best for you

If you’re able to request a seat type, think about each type of seat and what’s going to be the best for you. Honestly, your seat, especially on a long-haul flight, will make or break it when it comes to learning how to travel well. It makes all the difference!

Window seats are often touted as the best seats on a plane, and they’re definitely my go-to seat option if I am able to choose. I love looking out the window, getting that slightly extra room on the window side, and not being disturbed by the other passengers. But of course, there are cons too: you have to ask everyone in your row to get up if you have to use the bathroom. I tend to hold it until the middle seat person needs to go too, and then I’ll go at the same time. TMI? Sorry. But it’s helpful info to have!

If you like to get up and move around the plane a lot, then obviously a window seat isn’t going to be for you. You’re going to want an aisle seat or any of the seats at the front of a section, with no rows in front of you.

I would mention the middle seats, but does anyone actually like them … ? 👀

As you’re travelling

Wear your heaviest coat on the plane

Okay so plane attire is a whole ball-game we’re not going to get into in this post, but to physically travel well we need to think about our luggage (remembering that we have packed light, as per point one!). By wearing our heaviest coat or jacket on the plane, we not only allow for that extra weight in our checked-in luggage or carry on, but planes will often get chillier if you have an overnight flight.

Taking your coat on the plane is a great way to not only save space in your luggage, but it acts as a blanket on the plane.

Bonus tip: take a coat with pockets, so you can pop your phone, headphones, snacks and the like in there. We love a good snack jacket!

Stay hydrated

If I have one tip for you to travel well, it’s to stay hydrated. Especially on the plane.

The plane air conditioning and airflow can often leave your mouth quick dry, so best to stay hydrated if you can. Always take a water bottle with you on your travels so you don’t have to waste money buying water while you’re adventuring, and it’s there ready when you find yourself out and about on a partially hot day.

Hydrate before, during, and after each day of your trip. Although you should be able to drink a litre of water without turning into Jabba the Hutt (I kid), drinking even more than one litre per day will help keep your body functioning at full force over the course of several days. And you’re going to need that, especially if you’re the gallivanting type!

Leave a little wiggle room in your itinerary

When we’re thinking about how to travel well, no matter where we’re going, one of those things is to leave wiggle room in our days. There is no greater buzzkill than being stressed. And nothing makes you more prone to stress than over-scheduling.

I’m a big planner. I love a full itinerary to make sure that I don’t miss any of the things I really want to do while I’m travelling. But here’s the thing: life happens. Life happens, and sometimes you can’t do the things that you’ve planned. Which leads to sadness.

When we jam-pack our travel itineraries with things to do and see and eat and experience, then we’re really just acting like we’re still in our normal work lives: over busy. In order to have a break and get away from all of that, I like to try and plan at least one ‘big thing’ or main thing I want to do each day, and then see where the day takes me.

Be open to new things

My dad always says ‘take the adventure that’s before you’. And I used to hate it as a kid. But now I think it’s great advice. When you’re travelling, it’s easy to just stick with the comfortable things, the things you know. Why would you go out of your way to find somewhere local to eat something you may not like when you can just turn the corner and grab McDonald’s?

I’ll tell you why: that’s not living.

You can get McDonald’s any time you want. You can’t experience local cuisine in a new country any time you want.

Whether it’s trying new food, learning some phrases in a foreign language, skydiving or other extreme sports, horse riding on the beach, going to concerts you wouldn’t usually attend … anything! Being open to new things is one of the best lessons on learning how to travel well that I’ve ever had. And it’s been 100% worth it.

Learning how to travel well is a skill!

Travel is such an incredible opportunity to experience new things, expand our horizons, learn about cultures and history, and open our eyes to the wonders of this world. And we can just head out and hope for the best, or we can learn how to travel well and make the most of the travelling experience.

What would you add to this list of things on how to travel well?

The bits you actually want to know

What’s the most important tip for travelling well?

If you can only take one thing from this list, make it packing light. Overpacking creates stress before you’ve even left home, and it follows you through every hotel change, train platform, and flight of stairs for the rest of the trip.

How do I pack light without forgetting anything?

Start with the questions this post walks through: what’s the weather doing, what are you actually planning to do while you’re there, and what could you buy over there instead of packing it. Neutral, layerable clothing and travel-sized toiletries do most of the heavy lifting from there.

Do I need vaccines before travelling overseas?

It depends entirely on where you’re going, so it’s worth checking with your doctor well before you leave. Some countries have specific vaccine requirements for entry, and it’s much easier to sort this out with time to spare than at the last minute.

Is it better to over-plan or under-plan my itinerary?

Somewhere in the middle. Having one main thing planned for each day gives your trip some shape, while leaving the rest open means you’ve got room to change plans, rest, or follow something unexpected without the whole day falling apart.