Global Travel Advisor Gennady Podolsky Details 8 Travel Faux Pas to Avoid

Gennady Podolsky, a seasoned travel concierge and consultant, offers solutions for the top 8 travel faux pas and highlights how to travel like a professional.

Preparing for an adventurous road trip, or perhaps an international vacation, requires careful planning along with a healthy dose of resourcefulness and flexibility. With the details ironed out, travelers can begin researching “must see” attractions and making detailed packing lists.

While these are important considerations, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky emphasizes that savvy travelers also focus on practices and behaviors to avoid. Here, he profiles eight common travel faux pas and explains how travelers can avoid making each one.

Don’t Create an Unrealistic Itinerary

With vacation expenses continuing to increase, it’s natural for travelers to want the most bang for their buck. Stated another way, value-focused travelers often try to visit the maximum number of destinations (and attractions) possible during their trips.

It’s not uncommon for each day to become a blur of bus excursions and brief stops at multiple attractions. Rather than pausing for a leisurely lunch at a scenic spot, passengers are often forced to wolf down their food so they can stay on schedule.

However, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky cautions that this approach can quickly lead to travel burnout. Mentally and physically weary travelers simply won’t be able to fully enjoy each experience. Their most memorable part of each day could be the visit to attractions’ gift shops.

To avoid this ongoing travel treadmill, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky recommends that travelers put the “fun factor” back into travel. Stated another way, they should ask tour operators to include “unscheduled time blocks” in their travel itineraries. This enables a traveler to really experience an intriguing destination and its signature culture.

A tour operator’s refusal to adopt this practice should be a red flag. Of course, independent travelers are responsible for designing their own “sane” travel schedules.

Don’t Pack Too Much Stuff

Overpacking a suitcase can create multiple problems. First, time-crunched travelers must expend extra energy hauling the bag through airports. Too much clothing also leads to an excessive amount of dirty laundry. Finally, overpacking a travel bag means less room for treasures the traveler may want to bring home.

Instead, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky recommends that travelers use a minimalist approach. They should start with a carry-on bag, thinking carefully before moving up to a larger suitcase. Next, they should pack everything on their list before attempting to remove about half of the bag’s contents. Ideally, they’ll keep only the absolute necessities.

Finally, travelers should select neutrally colored clothing suitable for multiple purposes. To illustrate, a cream or tan shirt and pants are ideal for shopping or excursions. Adding a colorful scarf and/or belt makes the outfit suitable for evening wear.

Don’t Take Valuables on Vacation

Whether travelers plan a domestic road trip or an international vacation, they should take few (if any) valuables along. Exquisite jewelry, high-end electronic devices, and other easily sold items are popular targets for pickpockets and other thieves.

To minimize valuables-related risks, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky recommends that travelers make it difficult for thieves to perform “grab and run” robberies. A jacket with zipped-up pockets, or cargo pants with hard-to-access leg pockets, could be good options. A cross-body purse may be harder for a thief to grab than a handled purse not secured to its owner.

Finally, travelers should remove unnecessary cards that could “fatten” their wallets, making them a more attractive robbery target. In addition, using an RFID wallet can prevent RFID reader-equipped thieves from accessing a traveler’s card data. These inexpensive RFID wallets could save a traveler thousands of dollars.

Don’t Disrespect Local Cultures and Customs

An international vacation offers a golden opportunity to learn about different cultures and customs. By reading reputable guidebooks, and viewing videos about the destination’s cultural values and local customs, travelers can gain insights into the region (or country) they will visit.

Ideally, travelers will also take time to learn some conversational phrases in the local language. If they do, they’ll enjoy a smoother travel experience and gain the locals’ respect.

However, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky acknowledges that some travelers refuse to gain an understanding of local cultural norms and customs. As a result, they risk offending residents of that region or country.

To illustrate, a traveler who violates an area’s conservative dress code may be admonished and could face other consequences. A traveler who doesn’t regard local residents with respect and courtesy may receive suboptimal service. Perhaps most importantly, travelers who don’t familiarize themselves with applicable laws and regulations could find themselves in legal trouble.

Fortunately, Gennady Podolsky says travelers can easily avoid these headaches and hazards. By remembering they’re a guest in that region or country, and being respectful to everyone they meet, they’re likely to enjoy a more pleasant visit.

Don’t Stick to Well-Known Attractions

Every destination features at least one well-known attraction, likely showcased in guidebooks and travel agency itineraries. A guided tour will include several of these tourist hotspots. Not surprisingly, these venues are frequently crowded, commercialized, and expensive. They often don’t reflect a region’s (or country’s) authentic flavor and appeal.

Travelers who don’t veer off the “beaten path” will never learn about less-familiar, culturally rich locales, each sporting their own distinctive vibe. To find them, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky recommends that travelers perform their due diligence before the trip. Once they reach their destination, informal conversations with locals are likely to produce more hidden gems travelers won’t want to miss.

Don’t Dine at Major Attractions’ Restaurants

Many popular domestic and international tourist attractions offer an onsite restaurant catering to visitors. Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky cautions against dining at these eateries, as they tend to be rather expensive compared to other area restaurants. In addition, tourist attractions’ dining operations frequently don’t serve the best-quality food.

Fortunately, finding tastier (and more affordable) food is an easy proposition. Friendly locals are often happy to mention their favorite neighborhood eateries and outstanding local foods. Travelers staying at an Airbnb will likely receive a list of “Places to Eat,” which may provide some good dining options.

Don’t Forget to Inform the Bank About the Trip

Planning for a domestic or international vacation requires often-complex logistics and attention to detail. Choosing destinations, scheduling flights, and assembling packing lists requires flexibility and patience.

Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky says travelers often forget one extremely important detail. Even worse, the issue often flies under the radar until the traveler pulls out their credit or debit card. The individual’s bank, unaware they are traveling far from home, automatically declines their card due to suspicion of card fraud.

Fortunately, avoiding this maddening snafu requires only a quick phone call or email. Individuals should contact their bank and credit card company prior to the trip. The traveler should mention the destination and provide the trip dates. Equipped with this information, the financial entities can “green light” the individual’s purchases (assuming there is sufficient money or credit available).

Don’t Minimize the Value of Travel Insurance

Traveling to new destinations often opens the door to new cultures and adventures. However, travel can also be unpredictable, as things don’t always go as planned. Travelers can become sick or injured, or their trip can be cut short due to a natural disaster or other emergency. Geopolitical events could also cause a traveler to quickly evacuate the affected area.

A well-crafted travel insurance policy can protect against each of these occurrences. The traveler can potentially save thousands of dollars for a covered event. However, if the insurance policy doesn’t cover certain types of events, or the traveler allowed the policy to expire, they can face expensive consequences.

To avoid these unwelcome surprises, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky emphasizes that travelers should carefully read their travel insurance policy before embarking on their trip. If they don’t fully understand what is (and isn’t) covered, they could jump right into an excluded activity.

Alternatively, uninformed travelers won’t know how to handle an emergency that occurs overseas. Here, a few minutes of due diligence could save lots of headaches (and expenses) later.

Setting the Stage for a Better Travel Experience

Avoiding these eight travel mistakes will take some extra preparation. Time-crunched travelers may be tempted to skip these steps, throwing caution to the winds on their international vacation. However, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky emphasizes that some extra due diligence can deliver a better overall travel experience. Travelers who enjoy a memorable vacation may soon start planning for a return trip.