24 Budget Travel Blunders That Could Ruin Your Vacation

A vacation can unravel at a moment's notice, especially if you consider yourself a frugal-minded traveler. Budget travel blunders are easy to make, but that doesn't make pointing them out any more palatable. Today, we're considering what mistakes you shouldn't make on your next vacation.

1. Not Reading Reviews

Reviews are the lifeblood of the tourism industry. If you forego reading reviews before your arrival, you're rolling the dice. Who knows what to expect? Most worldwide destinations have many reviews posted on various travel platforms. Do yourself a favor and read as many reviews as possible so you won't be surprised.

2. Overpacking

Believe it or not, overpacking results in entire vacations being ruined. While many people subscribe to the theory that “It's better to be safe than sorry,” this can lead to overpacking, which carries its own issues. Not only will you be at the mercy of airport baggage scales, but travelers underestimate how challenging it is to lug around oversized luggage while attempting to have the best vacation of their lives.

3. Underpacking

Conversely, underpacking can be just as much a headache as overpacking. Nothing is worse than taking the time to visit a local grocery store to buy toothpaste, deodorant, and other necessities. At that point, you're spending more money because you decided to “pack light.”

4. Forgetting Important Information

Of all the stupid things you can do while on vacation, forgetting vital information is arguably the most unforgivable. I've done it myself. I once forgot the address of an Airbnb in Madrid, Spain, and a lack of internet service meant I had to track down a WiFi signal before I could direct a taxi to the right place! I've learned that it's easy to forget pertinent information, so try your best to keep it all organized.

5. Not Buying Travel Insurance

In the grand scheme of things, buying travel insurance is relatively inexpensive compared to the total cost of a vacation, which is why nearly everyone recommends it. You'll never know when unforeseen circumstances will rear their ugly heads and throw your travel schedule into chaos. Travel insurance protects you against conflicts and emergencies and gives you much-needed peace of mind.

6. Drinking Tap Water

Not all locations have drinkable tap water, so think twice before doing mundane activities like brushing your teeth with it. Water-borne illnesses are prevalent in many Caribbean destinations. After a day of enjoying adult beverages, it's easy to forget that readily accessible tap water isn't safe to drink. Stick to bottled water.

7. Not Having Cellular Service

Before embarking on a vacation of a lifetime, do your due diligence and ensure your cell phone will work while you're traveling! We take excellent cell service for granted at home, but when we're overseas in an unfamiliar place, being without smartphone access can make us feel totally helpless and overwhelmed. Buy an overseas data plan if your typical plan doesn't provide complimentary international data.

8. Doing Touristy Things

While there's nothing wrong with wanting to live like a tourist in an unfamiliar land, beware of overdoing it. Many vacationers admit they spent too much time waiting in lines and dealing with crowds while traveling to major European cities. Upon reflection, they would've done it differently and allocated their free time better.

9. Not Researching Your Destination

Research where you're going unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb. You don't want to annoy the locals by acting like an idiot. Look up local customs, familiarize yourself with the city's layout, and learn a few simple phrases in the native language (if applicable). Remember, you're a visitor, so being respectful is paramount.

10. Using the Wrong Credit Cards

Not all credit cards are created equal. If you're considering a cashless vacation, use the correct credit cards. You're on vacation, so you should avoid foreign transaction fees and accrue much-deserved credit card rewards while you're doing it. Getting paid to be on vacation is a fantastic perk.

11. Not Giving Yourself Enough Time To Get to the Airport

I can't think of a worse way to start a vacation than by not allocating enough time to get to the airport, resulting in you missing your flight. Talk about starting off on the wrong foot. Make sure you have plenty of time to get to the airport and account for unforeseen problems that could pop up along the way.

12. Eating Like a Tourist

While getting lost in the hectic nature of visiting a new place for vacation, men and women frequently fall victim to tourist trap restaurants when they get hungry. Fight the urge (figuratively and literally) to do this. Stop eating like a tourist. Instead, eat like a local. Ask people you meet for recommendations on where to eat. Eating standard tourist meals can upend your vacation in no time.

13. Misplacing Your Passport

If you want to destroy your quickly, lose your passport. It's that easy. When traveling internationally, there isn't a single item more important in your possession than your passport. Hold on to it for dear life because if you lose it, you might never make it back home.

14. Failing To Utilize Your Carry-on

Lost baggage happens to the best of us, and not preparing for this unlikely scenario is a total vacation ruiner! When packing your carry-on luggage, always bring a change of clothes (and a bathing suit if you're traveling somewhere warm). This ensures that you'll still be able to enjoy your first day of vacation even if your airline loses your checked baggage!

15. Spending Too Much Money

Money doesn't grow on trees, and throwing caution to the wind and spending money you don't have in an attempt to create “the best vacation ever” is foolish. Every traveler should avoid overspending because even the most fantastic vacation isn't worth severe debt.

16. Not Checking the Weather

I lived in San Diego, California, for over a decade. While there, I never failed to notice tourists arriving in town decked out in full beach-weather clothing, only to be shocked that San Diego is chilly and cloudy in May and June! These vacationers committed a cardinal sin of traveling: They forgot to check the weather before they got on their flights.

17. Planning to “Go With the Flow”

Although floating through your vacation with no concrete plans sounds enticing to many people, it's generally a bad idea. I'm not saying you should book endless activities during your next vacation, but giving yourself something to do to pass the time each day is better than the alternative: Being bored in a hotel room 1,000 miles from home.

18. Ignoring Your Budget

Creating a vacation budget and diligently sticking to it is one of the best strategies. Ignoring a budget will frequently lead to disaster. Even if you have money to spare, you'll be greeted with the worst sticker shock of your life a month later when the bills finally come in. Having no clue about how much money you're spending will assuredly cause chaos, so why risk it?

19. Booking Too Many Layovers

Avoiding direct flights is inconvenient, but in the name of budget travel, it's the only way to fly. However, there is such a thing as booking too many layovers. Not only will you suffer from traveler's fatigue, but you increase your risk of being faced with canceled or delayed flights, which is everybody's worst-case scenario.

20. Carrying Valuables

Some people like to show off their prized jewelry and fashionable clothing as a result of working hard. However, bringing valuables with you on vacation is arguably one of the stupidest decisions you can make. Simply put, flashy jewelry and clothing make you a target for thieves. Avoid the hassle of dealing with riff-raff and keep the valuables at home.

21. Not Notifying Your Bank

Your bank can't read your mind, and when they see charges on your account from foreign countries, they will do right by you and freeze your account because they suspect fraud. This is an embarrassing situation to find yourself in while on vacation. Don't forget to notify your bank of your travel plans so they (and you) won't be taken by surprise.

22. Forgetting To Check Hotel Bills

If you're anything like me, you treat your hotel bill as an afterthought when you check out. However, forgetting to go through your bill line by line can cause sticker shock, especially if you habitually charge things to your room. To avoid unnecessary room charges, go through the bill with the front desk agent when you check out.

23. Getting Nickel-And-Dimed

In our neverending quest to find the best flight deals worldwide, even savvy travelers book flights on discount airlines to save a few dollars. However, find out how these budget airlines recoup their losses. They charge for everything, from carry-on baggage to bottles of water. Getting into a fight with a flight attendant over the price of a bag of peanuts you thought was complimentary can instantly ruin a vacation.

24. Confusing Times and Dates

If you're planning a trip to Europe, take extra care to familiarize yourself with how Europe lists its dates. Most countries list the day first, followed by the month, precisely the opposite of how the United States does it. I've heard horror stories of people confusing their dates and missing important flights and hotel stays. Don't fall into that trap; familiarize yourself with the format.