11 Common Travel Mistakes That Waste Your Time and Money
Everyone talks about the big, obvious travel blunders — expired passports, missed flights, forgotten adapters. But the mistakes that really sting? Those are the quiet, sneaky ones. The ones where you think you’ve got everything sorted, right up until you don’t. I’ve collected mine over years of being a frequent traveler who should absolutely know better by now, but still makes mistakes. And it’s ok. Here are 11 of them.
1. Booking the rental car from the wrong terminal
This one is a personal hall-of-fame moment. I booked a rental car in Milan — great, very organized of me — except I booked it from Terminal 1 instead of Malpensa Terminal 2. Two terminals. Same airport. Different universe when it comes to car availability.
Luckily, T1 had a desk for the same company, but the only cars left were a category above what I’d reserved. I braced for impact… and they charged me €4 a day extra.
Four euros. A near-disaster with a very anticlimactic ending — but it could have gone the other way. Always triple-check which terminal, which airport, and, honestly, which city.
2. Not verifying your hotel or rental has Wi-Fi before booking
When you work remotely, “charming countryside cottage” can quickly translate to “four days of using your phone as a hotspot while trying to join a Zoom call from a field.” I’ve learned — after more than one tense morning — to treat Wi-Fi confirmation the same way I treat checking for a working shower: non-negotiable, confirm it in writing, don’t assume. A listing that says “modern amenities” is not the same as a listing that says “fiber broadband.”
3. Not comparing hotel prices across platforms
Hotels count on you being lazy. I once booked a room on a major travel site, feeling smug about the deal I’d found, only to discover — on arrival, naturally — that the hotel’s own website had the same room for 20% less, with a free breakfast thrown in. Booking directly is often cheaper, and it also tends to mean better treatment if something goes wrong. Always check at least three sources. Your future self, eating a free croissant in the lobby, will thank you.
4. Not double-checking that your hotel is actually in the city you’re flying to
This one sounds like a joke until it happens to you. When I started my job in Cancún — before I embraced the nomadic life — one of my first responsibilities was planning business trips for the team. On the very first one, traveling with my boss no less, I searched for a specific hotel, found it, booked it, and felt very pleased with myself. What I didn’t notice was that the search results had served me up a hotel with the same name — in a completely different destination. There was a clue: the phone number looked off to me. I noticed it. I ignored it. I was excited, I was new, I moved on.
We landed, we arrived at the hotel, and they had absolutely no record of our reservation.
I have never wanted the ground to open up and swallow me more than I did in that moment. I was convinced I was about to be fired on the spot, on day one of the first trip I’d ever organized. Miraculously, I wasn’t. But I have never, not once, booked accommodation since without confirming the city, the country, and yes — the phone number — before hitting confirm. Search engines are helpful right up until they confidently show you the wrong thing. Always scroll down to the address. Always.
5. Not choosing your seat — especially on long-haul
Letting the airline assign your seat randomly is a game of Russian roulette. Middle seat, last row, directly in front of the galley, next to the lavatory — these are real places where real people end up because they didn’t select a seat at booking. On a two-hour flight, fine. On a ten-hour overnight to Southeast Asia, this is the difference between arriving refreshed and arriving as a cautionary tale. Pick your seat. Pay the extra fee if you have to. It’s worth it.
6. Not booking business class when you can actually afford it
There’s a specific type of traveler who will spend months researching a trip, book a stunning hotel, plan incredible experiences — and then fly 14 hours in economy to save money on the one part of the journey where comfort matters most. I’ve been that traveler. I’ve arrived in incredible places already exhausted and stiff, dragging myself to a beautiful hotel room I was too tired to enjoy. If the budget allows and the flight is long, just book it. You’re not being extravagant — you’re being strategic.
7. Packing physical books instead of using an e-reader
I love books. I understand the romance of a paperback. I also once packed four of them for a two-week trip and spent the entire journey feeling like I was carrying a small library in a bag that was already too heavy. An e-reader holds hundreds of books, weighs almost nothing, and doesn’t make your shoulder ache by day three. If you haven’t made the switch yet, consider this your sign.
- Our fastest Kindle Paperwhite ever – The next-generation 7“ Paperwhite display has a higher contrast ratio and 25% faster page turns.
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- Escape into your books – Your Kindle doesn’t have social media, notifications, or other distracting apps.
- Battery life for your longest novel – A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 12 weeks.
- Read in any light – Adjust the display from white to amber to read in bright sunlight or in the dark.
8. Exchanging currency at the airport
Airport currency exchange booths have some of the worst rates you’ll ever encounter, and they know you’re at their mercy. The better move is to withdraw local currency from an ATM once you land, using a card with no foreign transaction fees. Even better, sort this out before you travel by getting a travel-friendly card or some local currency from your bank at home. That booth near arrivals is not your friend.
9. Not booking travel insurance
This is the mistake that feels unnecessary right up until it very much isn’t. Most trips go fine. Most trips don’t involve a medical emergency in a country where healthcare costs more than your entire holiday, or a cancelled flight that unravels a carefully planned itinerary, or a stolen bag with your laptop and camera in it. Most trips. Not all of them.
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10. Ignoring the data roaming situation until you land
Arriving in a country with no data plan and no downloaded offline maps is a particular kind of humbling experience — especially when you’re standing at an unfamiliar airport with no idea which bus goes to the city center. Sort your roaming setup before you leave: activate an international plan, download an eSIM ( I recommend Airalo), or, at a minimum, download Google Maps offline for everywhere you’re going. “I’ll figure it out when I get there” is the motto of someone about to have a very stressful first hour.
11. Packing your most important items in checked luggage
The airline loses your bag. It happens. It happens more than airlines would like to admit, and it usually happens when you’re on a tight itinerary. The things that would genuinely derail your trip, medication, a key document, money (YES, Money), your one good outfit for the thing you’re attending the day you arrive, should never, ever go in a checked bag. Pack like your hold luggage might take a spontaneous solo trip without you, because occasionally it will.
One time, I was in Cork, and at the hotel reception, I bumped into a guy who was desperate because the airline had lost his bag, which contained all his money. It was his first trip, and he didn’t know better. I actually thought it was safer. The poor guy! I felt so sorry for him, but there was nothing we could have done at the time. Just pray and hope for the best. And that’s not a strategy.
PRO TIP: Do not read this blog before you travel
I could have saved you all of this. Just saying.
Have your own quiet disaster of a travel mistake? Drop it in the comments — I promise not to judge. Much.
