5 Obvious Tips to Travel in Comfort

Let’s be honest, traveling can be hard work sometimes. The phrase “I need a vacation from my vacation” can honestly sometimes ring a little bit true when I travel.

Some people travel slow, I don’t seem to have that luxury because there’s always so much I want to see and reasonably limited time to see it in. I don’t see this as a bad way to travel, but there are some things you can do that make it a little easier on yourself.

Wear sweet Hawaiian shirts

Wait wait wait. Hear me out now.

On my last cruise to the Caribbean, I wanted some Hawaiian shirts to really show everyone how relaxed I was. I was able to pick a couple up on the islands for about $5-10.

What I didn’t realise at the time was just how comfortable these shirts are. They are obviously made to be worn close to the equator and the material used is so thin and soft, the air just flows straight through. It feels like I’m wearing nothing at all (nothing at all… nothing at all…).

So not only do they look incredible, they do a great job at keeping you cool.

Always travel with comfortable shoes

I am an active traveler. By this I mean I walk a lot. You may have already gathered that above. If I visit a city my main mode of transport is on foot because you see the most detail and can really breathe in the culture.

If I’m out in nature, well, the idea is to see as much nature as possible, and generally there aren’t many roads up mountains or on hiking trails so walking is the only option.

I say this because I always travel with a pair of comfortable joggers or running shoes. In fact, every time I visit Las Vegas, I seem to buy a pair to replace my old ones outlets. But that’s unimportant. It always surprises me the number of people I see exploring in canvas shoes or flip flops and wonder why their feet are swollen after weeks of traveling. It adds up.

I even wear my joggers on  the plane because they are the most comfortable shoes I own. I find they go really well with my pyjama pants.

Get noise cancelling, bluetooth headphones

Sometimes there’s just too much noise and you need to shut it out. This can happen on a plane, on a train, on a bus, in an airport (looking at you automated repeating loudspeaker messages), on a ferry, or even in a hot air balloon. Ok Probably not in a hot air balloon, I imagine you’ll just be drinking in everything without a care in the world.

But in all the others, if you’re trying to get some shuteye, shut everyone out of your ear holes with some noise-cancelled music.

And why Bluetooth? Well, frankly, cords suck.

You know how when you’re on a plane, or a train, or a bus, or a ferry, or a hot air balloon, your space is really limited. I feel I spend my entire time trying not to lose stuff. And I’d prefer to keep track of all my stuff without having to dodge a pesky headphone cord.

Avoid airports at all costs.

Ok we’ve danced around the subject a little, but who here actually likes airports?

No one.

Far from the exciting experience we expect them to be, they are stressful, expensive, intense, and the airlines treat their customers like a number and without respect to their time and comfort.

On my last trip to the States I was stuck in an airport at least twice with little to do but wander aimlessly. I mean, there’s only so many times I can look at the magazine stand, consider buying something just to kill 2 and a half minutes, then decide not to. It gets old after about the 14th time.

And don’t even get me started on LAX. LAX is just ants at a picnic. Oh sorry, this isn’t a blog post about traveling clichés.

And that’s all before we even get on the cramped, noisy plane.

So wherever possible I always like to hire a car or catch a train; life just seems to go at a much more leisurely pace. 

Always take snacks

Even when you’ll be flying and you know you’ll be getting food, stop by a supermarket or convenience store and get something because if you’re anything like me, hunger rarely lines up with the allocated meal times.

Or even if you’re going out the for the day, what if there isn’t a McDonald’s nearby when your tummy gets the grumblies? Put your hand inside your shirt pocket and pull out the grape you stole from breakfast and you’ll be set.

Travel outside your comfort zone.

I said above that traveling in comfort is about making your life easier. But if we’re being honest, it doesn’t always happen like that and some of the best stories always come out of times when you are in a pickle, or extreme discomfort.

For example, a friend and I slept in Gatwick Airport because we had a 6am flight to turkey for Anzac Day at Gallipoli. It was one of the least comfortable nights I’ve ever had, followed an all nighter on a bus and led to me being the most tired I’ve ever been, walking up what felt like the steepest hill in the world.

But it was a truly special day, a unique experience, and it has became one of my favourite stories from my entire 6 months abroad in Europe.

Did you enjoy this post?

Plenty more where that came from. Make sure to sign up for the mailing list to never miss the next one.