When we talk of smart and hard travelling, you might confuse the term smart being effortless and hard being thoughtful. This is because we were always made to believe so. But in reality, when it comes to travelling, it’s quite the opposite.  Smart travelling is about being thoughtful and having a pre-planned, well-defined travel itinerary. And on the other hand, hard travelling is often hard and takes a lot of effort because of not putting a lot of thought into the itinerary.

Pick your side and understand the Dos and Don’ts of travelling.

Let us have a look at certain elements that can completely change the way you feel about travelling:

1. Knowing your routes and mode of transportation:

a smart way to travel is to know beforehand the route you would be taking and the halts you would make along the way. This can help you a lot by ensuring you are always halting and travelling through and across safer spaces and routes. On the other hand, know your mode of transportation well too. In terms of flight or train tickets make your bookings prior, making sure you are not spending extra bucks on a last-minute ticket and get the tickets at the right time. Setting out on an uncertain route with no knowledge of what mode of transportation would be apt can make you are travelling a lot harder leading to a messed up blunder.

2. To have all sorts of money in Handy:

When it comes to travelling in India, chances are you may not always find an ATM or even a card swipe machine at most places. Don’t even get us started about digital payment portals. Smart travelling would be to make sure you have plenty of liquid cash or currency handy. The rural areas might require you to spend cash instead of plastic or digital money. You might have to struggle with finding an ATM or card swiping machine and might lose out on the fun part of your trip. As we say, be thoughtful and be a smart traveller!

Pro tip: never keep all your cash in one place. Make sure you have some kept in the pockets of your clothes, in your bag, in your socks, and keep money distributed. This will ensure you always have some money saved if at all you need some at the last minute.

Travel on a Budget to Meghalaya!

3. Opting for a local tour guide and driver over venturing out alone:

if you are travelling to someplace for the first time, a smart move would be to hire a local tour guide and driver to show you around instead of heading out yourself. The locals know places of tourist importance well and also know local specialities in terms of artefacts and delicacies. You can be a smart traveller and get the most out of your trip or be a hard traveller and explore the place all by yourself. While exploring can be a good option if you are well versed with the place, for the first time visiting somewhere, we suggest hiring a local guide to show you around.

Avoid Travel Mistakes and be a Pro Traveler!

4. Carrying the basic survival kit:

a smart traveller is always prepared come what may. Be it your phone running out of battery or be it being lost in the middle of nowhere. You should always have the bare necessities like a power bank or portable charger. Along with basic medicines like paracetamol etc, and a local map on paper in case you run out of network to access your phone map. You never know what may throw you off completely and make your travel a nightmare. Be smart and be ready to slay a demon or simply just use a torch when it’s too dark somewhere. Being prepared and giving everything a thought makes your travel journey a lot more effortless and comfortable.

5. Choose local:

Why buy and eat from expensive malls and star hotels when you can enjoy the wholesome service by the locals of the region. We suggest always buying artefacts and handicrafts from locals and supporting their small cottage industries and businesses. Your little effort goes a long way and helps the locals a lot. Also, recommend your friends and family to do the same when they visit somewhere. Not only will you get amazing quality, be it food or any souvenir, you will also get it for reasonable real prices.

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To put it all together, a little effort at the beginning of your trip can go a long way and help you travel smart instead of hard. Travelling should always feel like a leisure activity and not a stressful one. And we preach what our teachers taught us, be a smart worker, not a hard worker. since making smarter choices will make your travel experience more efficient and satisfying. 

Follow India Chalk on Instagram for more amazing travel content. You can share your travel story with us. Reach out to us on email at contact[at]ndiachalk[dot]com. This blog is curated by India Chalk and written by Megha Sapre.