These mistake aren’t new. We’ve all fallen for at least one of them but they can be easily avoided which can mean the difference between a great, hiccup-free holiday and one starting off on the wrong foot.

Mobile charges

These days it seems impossible to travel or enjoy a holiday without being connected. We desperately want to share our holiday shots with friends on Facebook as they happen, if only to induce a large amount of jealousy in those that stayed at home. We want to collect points on FourSquare and pimp up our photos with filters on Instagram. All of this takes us precious data which can come at a high cost if you’re out of your zone. Get your mobile terms in writing. Know what you can use and cannot and how much it’s going to cost. If you make any changes to your phone plan coverage pre-trip, make sure the company sends you a confirmation in writing about the changes. That way, if there is a mistake, you can back it up later.

Extortionate EU roaming fees soon to be a thing of the past

Travel documents

We can get a bit lazy when travelling in the EU with so many countries skipping on border control in central and western Europe. Have you ever left your passport at home, thinking you’d only need your government ID on a trip? Despite the lax rules, it’s good to always travel with your passport, if you need it or not. You never know… your trip might take you further than you planned and it would be a shame to miss a quick trip to Morocco during your holidays in Spain!

On top of that, good advice: photocopy all your documents (passport, driving licence, ticket confirmations, etc.). Keep one copy in your luggage, separate from the originals and leave one copy at home with someone who knows your itinerary, and can be contacted in case of emergency.

Booking trips

After you’ve searched for your cheap flights on liligo.com you are re-directed to the suppliers site, where the actual purchase goes down. The biggest mistake you can make at this point (besides getting your travel dates wrong…) is pressing the “buy” button twice. Even if it looks like the booking failed or the screen froze. Don’t press it again. If you haven’t received a confirmation e-mail after half an hour, rather call the customer service of the supplier. Your booking may have actually gone through and when so many trips are non-refundable, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Check your itinerary

Don’t leave this bit until the last minute because it could result in a major mix up. We have so many other numbers to remember, how can we be expected to know our take-off time, date, gate, terminal and flight number? It’s good advice to double-check all the passenger details three times over (especially that the names are spelled correctly and your passport details have been entered as they appear in the passport) before booking but check them again afterwards. One week before the trip, pull out your itinerary and re-check the details and times.

Wire transfers

Do. not. wire. money. to. strangers.

All travel arrangements made online should be done so through secure payment methods (paypal, credit card, etc.). If at any time a travel company, hotelier or vacation home owner asks for money to be wired directly into their account, a red flag should go up. If rental or booking details need to be negotiated, get in touch by phone rather than through email.

What’s the biggest travel mistake you have ever made? Where you able to fix it?

Imgs: jp3g, ladelentes / Flickr cc.