Festive and fun travel tips

 Revellers at Lake Kivu, Goma, DRC. {Jayne Rose Gacheri, The Standard}

The festive holiday season allows you to do something adventurous, so if your holiday plans are not about celebrating with family, friends and relatives, then get out of your comfort zone and do something that will be a great memoir. 

Planning

Patiently plan on making your trip a relaxing one. You have spent 12 months working, so you need to take time out to relax during this one-time-in-a-year holiday season - as the saying goes, “learn to travel without sweating the stuff you cannot control”. 

In your planning, although travelling solo or as a couple, plan to meet all manner of people, be on guard that emotions may run high, as you might experience some drama, and things might go wrong. Simply put, anticipate all manner of challenges. Practice patience before taking your festive trip to avoid making things worse. 

The planning also goes along with ensuring that you do not miss your transport - flight, bus or train. Confirm your accommodation beforehand to avoid a mix-up. This being a holiday season, so many people are travelling and there will be some mishaps.

In case you find yourself in a “spot on” situation, do not get worked up. There will be a solution to these situations, and of course, it will leave you feeling better prepared for your next holiday trip. 

Be an early bird 

If your travel has a sightseeing itinerary, remember that such sites attract many visitors and at times are crowded with tourists. If you want to capture the best, plan to rise early to have such attractions to yourself while avoiding large tourist crowds. 

Another reward for an early riser is that you will capture beautiful photos through natural lighting, while at the same time, enjoying an interactive time with the locals as they go about their daily routines. 

Take advantage of every opportunity

One favourite for many travellers who want to get the feel of the pulse of a place is setting aside time to indulge through observation and "watch a life-streaming movie" as it unfolds right before you. You could do this by spending a few hours sitting at a park or at a favourite spot in the middle/outskirts of a city or town, whatever your destination. 

The human interactions, the smells, the sounds the colours - all that is around will leave you in the sense of meditation, and you will be sure to notice stuff that will give you lasting memories of your destination for a long time. 

Get out of your comfort zone

Whenever you have an opportunity to do something adventurous get out of your comfort zone. Challenge yourself to try out things that you never thought you could do such as zip-lining, skydiving, bungee jumping, water rafting, snorkelling, rock climbing, and hiking. 

If you have problems talking to strangers back at home, take the opportunity to learn how to interact with people. After all, though strangers, they are just like you. Let loose, (though with caution so that you do not expose yourself to insecurity).

If you are the shy type - go out and have fun. Probably from this experience, by the next festive season, you will have become a seasoned traveller, and you may want to spend time within your travelling to volunteer some of your time for worthwhile charity work.