our five biggest travel mistakes

You name it, we've done it. When it comes to traveling we like to think we're qualified to give advice mainly because we've made so many mistakes. As our parents told us, making mistakes helps us learn the most important lessons and thankfully for you, we've messed up so you don't have to. We present to you, our biggest travel mistakes:

1. Not Accounting for Dress Codes

In your day to day life, you probably don't think twice about whether or not your shoulders are showing. In fact, the word dress code probably hasn't been in your vocabulary since your high school era. However, when traveling internationally, it's SO important to plan ahead based on not only the culture but what you're planning on doing there.

Our biggest mistake when it comes to clothing is forgetting that in different cultures there are a lot of rules when it comes to visiting religious buildings. In the majority of Asia, you need to cover up shoulders and knees when visiting a lot of types of temples. Similarly, when checking out churches in Europe, you need to cover up as well. When it's 100 degrees and you’re going from swimming in the ocean to visiting a church, that can easily be forgotten. While some places have cover ups (sometimes for a price) you can avoid the embarrassment and headache by wearing pants and bringing a shawl when heading to these places.

2. Ignoring the Dangers of Motion Sickness

By definition, traveling means moving and sometimes we've forgotten. A boat ride through the crystal clear waters of Thailand sounds dreamy, but forgetting that you need to prepare for motion sickness can truly turn it into a hellish situation. Let's just say we've been there and just so we're crystal clear, when we say "we" we mean Tiffany. Always always always be over prepared when it comes to what works for you to feel better so you can avoid sickness at all costs.

3. Thinking That We Can Get By With Just English

It's embarrassing but as Americans when we started traveling we assumed that we could probably find someone, somewhere who knows English. Very very VERY quickly, we learned that this is not always the case. In fact, our favorite cultural experiences in the world are usually paired with spots where native language of the area is primarily spoken. The best thing to happen to us was the Google Translate app (emphasis on the APP, not just google translate on your phone). With the app, you can have anyone speak into it, scan any menu or photo, and of course type anything in. It's a godsend, trust us.

4. Overpacking

We've all been there, standing in front of our closet, absolutley convinced that we absolutely must bring five different pairs of shoes for a weekend getaway. Overpacking and overstuffing our bag has caused us SO many problems on trips. In Asia, they tend to weigh your carry on, in Europe the suitcases are measured to the centimeter, and around the world the more you pack the more problems you get. As a rule of thumb, pack only what you're absolutely obsessed with and three pairs of shoes max!

5. Not Investing in Travel Insurance

Trust us, we like to budget and save a dime where we can just as much as you but travel insurance is a MUST when you jet off. There's not enough time to explain to you all the times we have skipped the insurance just to have delays and lost luggage, or one of Tiffany's countless medical emergencies rack up our bills way more than the insurance would. We use Allianze (https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com) where you can find a plan that makes sense.