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Travel is one of the most exciting, life-affirming, enjoyable experiences we humans can have, but no matter how much you already enjoy travelling, there is always room to make it even better.

With that in mind, here are our top tips for making travel even more enjoyable in the future.

1. Book an evening flight

If you book a late-night flight, not only is it likely to be less populated but there is also a better chance of you getting some more peace and quiet so you can spend as much of the boring travel time as possible sleeping and wake up refreshed for the good part of your trip – reaching your destination and exploring all that it has to offer.

2. Pack some entertainment

When you’re travelling, you might be enjoying the beautiful scenery of the country below you or the beautiful vistas that are stretching out in front of you, but depending on where you are travelling, there might not be much to see at all, and if that is the case, bringing along some entertainment can really help to enhance the experience. From a good book, you can read on the plane to a travel Scrabble game that you can play on the train, anything that helps to prevent you from getting bored as you travel is totally worth it. 

3. Choose the best time to visit attractions

One of the best things about travelling is exposing yourself to the various exotic attractions you will come across along the way. From The Louvre in Paris to the Islands Princes in Istanbul, the world has so much to offer, and you can get even more enjoyment out of it by visiting at the right time.

What is the right time? Well, obviously that depends on the attraction. For example, the Eiffel Tower looks great at night when the city is all lit up, and there are fewer tourists around to fight with, whereas the Parthenon looks amazing at sunrise when, again, there are fear tourists around, basically, try to find a time when other tourists are less likely to be crowding the attraction, but also try to take into account the time when it will look most beautiful too, and you will always enjoy those attractions that little bit more.

4. Get off the beaten track

Although popular attractions like The Louvre and Stonehenge are always worth seeing, it is often those hidden gems that you seldom read about in the guidebooks that provide the most enjoyable experiences. For one thing, you get to bask in the feeling of seeing something that few people from your country will have ever seen and for another, these hidden gems tend to be far quieter which means you can really spend a lot of time there checking them out in minute detail and maybe even having a romantic moment or two without other tourists getting in the way, which brings us to…

5. Do your research

Depending on how you feel about the research you might think that this would make your next trip less, not more, enjoyable, However, that really is not the case. When you do your research before heading off on your travels, not only can you identify those off the beaten track locations that you may want to see and work out the best times to see them, but you can also learn a bit more about the cultural context of what you will be seeing, plan the shortest and/or most scenic routes to take while you’re there and build up your excitement levels ahead of the trip. Researching your destination really does enhance your experience!

6. Travel with a companion

Okay, so there are definitely people out there who much prefer to travel alone, and there are definitely people out there who have had terrible experiences travelling with friends and family, and we get that! However, travelling with the right person – someone who has similar interests and the same passion for travel as you – can definitely enhance the experience. So, it might be worth considering someone fun along on your next big trip.

7. Good hotels

Spending some money on the best hotel or holiday accommodation you can afford is something else that will certainly make your travel more enjoyable. When you feel safe and comfortable, you will already be much more relaxed, which means whatever else you do on your holiday will be much more enjoyable too. You don’t necessarily need to stay in a five-star hotel or resort, but make sure the place you are planning to stay in is clean, comfy and home to good staff and you can’t go far wrong. 

8. Getting to know the locals

If you’re the kind of person who usually keeps to yourself when you’re travelling, or you tend to only strike up relationships with other tourists, chances are you are missing out on the full travel experience. Why? Because when you get to know the locals, not only can you more easily immerse yourself in the local culture and experience new things, but you also miss out on the local gossip about the best restaurants, bars and so on, which could undoubtedly enhance your holiday significantly! So, get your phrasebook out and start mingling more!

9. Spend time in nature

Instead of spending all of your time sunning yourself by the pool, get out and climb those mountains, wander through those forests and check out the local wildlife. Nature is naturally calming, and most destinations have some pretty awe-inspiring natural sites that will make you feel glad to be alive and ensure that your holiday is one of the most fulfilling of your life.

Travelling is almost always fun, but we think the ideas above will make your next trip even more enjoyable, even if you only incorporate a few of them into your holiday plans. Of course, if you do them all, there’s a good chance you will have the best holiday of your life!

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