Don’t waste your time when traveling.
When we travel we want to do as much as possible. Whether we go on a long trip over a week or two. Or we go for a weekend trip somewhere. We all want to accomplish as much as we possibly can during the length of our trip. The last thing any of us want to do is waste our precious time.
One way we tend to waste time is waiting in security lines. There is no denying that getting through security can take up a good deal of time and prompt you to arrive at the airport early. While that is good practice to ensure you make your flight, one way to shorten your time with security is investing in and signing up for TSA Precheck. That TSA Precheck allows you to keep your shoes on at security, who doesn’t love the sound of that.
The next way we waste time is by taking flights that have a connection. Yes, flights with a connection have a tendency to be cheaper but those connections can eat up a lot of your precious vacation time. Having a connection also presents the issue of having more chances of a delay somewhere. And if you have more than one connection, that increases that chance of delay even more. This is an instance where it might be a good idea to splurge. Instead of risking being stuck at an airport somewhere for a prolonged period of time.
Booking flights for an airport far away from your destination can also eat up the time you have in the city you are visiting. Booking a flight at a closer airport keeps you from having to travel far and spend more time commuting to and from the airport. Doing the research could help avoid future mitigation that causes you to potentially miss your flight because you hit traffic.
Staying far away from the things you want to see, also takes up time. Having to go out of the way to get to the activities you had planned takes time away from being able to enjoy yourself, not to mention the cost of transportation.
Stopping for that hotel breakfast. Working on a tight schedule doesn’t give the flexibility to sit down and indulge in a meal like that. Choose something that you can get to go and get a start on your day without wasting time.
More lines. Waiting in long lines for things you want to see or do is a huge time suck. Crowds are unavoidable no matter where you go. Especially if it is a major city or tourist area. But looking into purchasing tickets ahead of time can be a big help. A lot of cities also offer things like a CityPass that allows entry to various attractions throughout the city.
Of course, you’ll want to bring back a souvenir or five but is it necessary to spend an obnoxious amount of time in the gift shop? And many of those souvenirs are the same variant of other souvenirs from other cities. Maybe consider only hitting up one or two different shops. You came all that way, enjoy your trip and doing what you want. Not spending it perusing the gift shop.
Take these things into consideration on your next trip. And who knows, maybe you’ll be surprised at how much more time you’ll have to do what you want over the course of your trip. For now, have a great trip and safe travels!