Whether it’s your first trip abroad or you travel several times a year, we all make mistakes that can cause headaches or possibly even ruin your trip. Travel provider Holidayme.com lists nine of the most common travel mistakes:

• Forgetting to book a specific seat

If you prefer aisles or windows to middle seats with limited recline, be sure to choose your seat early. If you forget, or you didn’t get the option to choose a seat when you purchased your ticket, log onto the airline’s website as soon as possible. Then use the seat maps to help you choose a seat that will work for you.

• Packing Too Much

The general rule when you pack for a trip is that you don’t need as much as you think you need. Create a handy packing checklist to make sure you don’t overthink it.

• Assuming Your Carry-on Is the Right Size

Domestic and international travel each have a different set of rules when it comes to carry-on bag sizes. Before you head to the airport with your carefully packed bag, make sure your tote qualifies as a carry-on and check your airline’s size restrictions before you leave home.

• Forgetting to check your passport expiration

There is nothing quite like the panic that comes from booking a spontaneous vacation and realising your passport is expired. Adding to the challenge is that some countries won’t allow you to visit within six months of your passport’s expiration date in case you take an extra-long vacation and they want to make sure you have a valid passport to travel back. In short, it never hurts to check your passport’s expiration date and, if necessary, renew it before your next big trip.

• Not double-checking your itinerary

Travelling between time zones or around the world can be confusing. That’s why it always pays to take a tip from Santa Claus and make a list and check it twice. Go through your itinerary, confirm your airport, your connection times, and your plane tickets, including whether or not your name is spelled correctly on your documents.

While you’re working your way through the list, confirm your reservations for everything from hotels, flights, trains, buses, and tour groups.

• Disregarding your phone plan

Before you head out of the country, hop online or call your service provider to buy data roaming and international calling plan. If you do not want to use your phone while traveling abroad, shut off the data roaming on your phone or risk a hefty phone bill. Download travel apps before your trip and use them when you’re on the hotel’s wi-fi.

• Playing it too safe

You’re on vacation, so embrace your destination. Try new foods, talk to the locals, explore your surroundings, and dive into your new surroundings.

• Overscheduling

Many of us take ridiculously short vacations, meaning we have to cram a lot of sightseeing, culture, food, and relaxation into an incredibly short time span. To maximise vacation time, we pore over guidebooks to map out detailed itineraries. That can mean packed days that leave you wiped out. Leave some room in your schedule to kick back and relax or you might end up needing a vacation from your vacation.

• Not preparing for jet lag

If you’ve never been overseas before, you may not anticipate the dizzying, flu-like sensation of jet lag that occurs shortly after landing. Some jet lag is to be expected, but you can minimise it by sleeping on the plane at a time that would be appropriate for sleeping in the country of your destination. Taking a sleeping pill or herbal supplement like melatonin can help you achieve restfulness on the flight. - TradeArabia News Service