1. Use the local language even if you don’t feel confident at it. There are a bunch of free translation apps (including the free and offline Google Translate, which will translate not only text but also speech and photos) to help you nail that street vendor who tries to sell you a fake Armani T-shirt for ten times more than the, um, official price…

2. Pack light. Nothing will improve your travel experience more than getting rid of that human-size suitcase that weighs more than you and insists on being pulled over bumpy sidewalks and dragged up endless staircases. Living this sort of minimalist existence is not everybody’s cup of tea, but you can at least give it a try.

3. Wake up early (because most tourists don’t). This is a major game-changer. When you find yourself in a huge tourist city overflowing with cruise day-trippers (and, let’s be honest, just other normal visitors like you), you have two options. One, you take your time, have breakfast and coffee and when you get out of your hotel, you are swept away in an unknown direction by the crowds. Or two, you wake up early and tour the streets, taking photos of the main attractions with no people in front of them (i.e., you can actually see the attractions). Then, when the night owls wake up and stream down the streets, you can comfortably go back to bed and catch up on sleep.

4. Stop planning your next trip while you are still on your current one. Instead, practice some mindfulness – that means savoring and being present in the here and now instead of always dwelling in the past or in the future.

5. Add meaning to your trip by helping somebody. There are a few things that every study into happiness seems to reiterate, one of them being that helping others adds meaning to your life and actually makes you happier. There are endless volunteer opportunities wherever you travel, but even if you don’t have time for volunteering, you can do a good deed – work on an organic farm, stay at a family-owned guest house or join another local initiative that represents something close to your heart.

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Organizing a cool surprise trip as a gift looks like a big hassle, but it’s totally doable in less than an hour. Just stick to this guide and avoid all distractions, please!

1. Choose the topic [2 minutes] – you shouldn’t need more than a minute to decide what your friend (wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, etc.) is most into. Animals? Consider visiting a farm or an epic zoo, or booking a nature safari. Wine? Find the best winery offer tastings in the region. Еven if you are a fan of wine, you will probably still be surprised by wine with a different and nice taste.
2. Choose the destination [20 minutes] – there’s no need to browse through thousands of properties – the fact that it’s a surprise will make the experience special anyway. Google something like ‘the best places for animal lovers in X destination’. Choose the main attraction of the trip. Then choose a hotel or guesthouse nearby. Don’t close any of the tabs with the destinations you’ve chosen and then…
3. Make sure the birthday boy/girl has no other plans for the day. Then proceed to the booking [3 minutes] – make a casual call to ask your friend if they have already planned something for their birthday, using the excuse that your colleagues are inviting you to go to the theater on the same day. Don’t reveal that you are planning something. If the answer is ‘no’, proceed to booking. If the answer is ‘yes’, try to get an idea of what it is and who is invited. I’ve reached such levels of plan sophistication that I called every single guest to tell them the birthday would actually take place at another place and time, and they should keep the secret and pretend to be attending the event organized by the birthday person. It worked perfectly well.
4. Send a mysterious invitation [5 minutes] – use free online software (like Canva or BeFunky) to create an fancy invitation. Include only this information: when and where the person should be and what they should bring. If you are taking them to a warm place, include flip-flops and sunglasses in the to-bring list. If it will be a wine tasting, you can ask them to bring aspirin. You’re done! Now wait until the birthday when you can…
5. Blindfold them for extra suspense – just when they think the mystery will finally be over, add some more anticipation by blindfolding them and playing their favorite songs while you arrive. Unless you need to board a plane. Unfortunately you can’t sneak a blindfolded person onto a plane…
6. Surprise!

…romantic

…add a spa treatment for two or a dinner at a rooftop restaurant to make it more memorable.

…adventurous

…book a bungee jump, a skydive or ride on horseback in the wilderness.

…kid-friendly

…because kids like surprises too. In fact, every trip is a trip full of surprises when you travel with kids (at least for you) because you can never know when little Jimmy will spill a whole plate of spaghetti on his sister’s head, while using the tablecloth at the restaurant as a cape. So just look up the best children’s activity nearby and bring the kids’ favorite toys and games. Kids are also usually happy to join in everything the adults do – if you let them. My friend’s daughter went paragliding for the first time when she was five years old, and she even asked to go for a second time.

Pin it because you will have friends with birthdays, like, every year:

Discover more gift ideas here: 52 best gifts that are actually unforgettable experiences

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When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money – Susan Heller

He who would travel happily must travel light. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I enjoy the preparatory elements of travel – packing my bags and choosing my outfits – but my favourite part is getting there. – Dominic Monaghan

If I’d known how much packing I’d have to do, I’d have run again. – Harry S Truman

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears. – Cesare Pavese

“Just in case” is the curse of packing. – Alexandra Potter

When preparing to climb a mountain – pack a light heart. – Dan May

I took only one suitcase, and a cosmetics case for medicines but I was worried about books. Solitude is all right with books, awful without. – Martha Gellhorn

I’m very bad at packing. It ends up being a circus, throwing everything in there. You never want to come up short. – Drew Storen

Travel light. Live light. Spread the light. Be the light. – Yogi Bhajan

Everything you own must be able to fit inside one suitcase; then your mind might be free. – Charles Bukowski

I travel light; as light, that is, as a man can travel who will still carry his body around because of its sentimental value. – Christopher Fry

I have learnt that I am incapable of packing the right amount of clothing, probably because I start 10 minutes before I’m supposed to leave, and that I truly hate airports. – Marcus Brigstocke

Let your memory be your travel bag. – Alexander Solzhenitsyn

When you get back from a trip, make a note of what you didn’t wear. This will avoid packing it unnecessarily next time. – Robert Powell

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Minimalism is the new black. Minimalist houses, minimalist furniture, minimalist fashion. It has become quite popular now and it’s spreading fast to different aspects of our life. So if you’re following the trend, you should probably know travelers are the ultimate and original minimalists.

Fit your whole life in a suitcase

I’ve moved abroad for six-month to year-long periods of time and I know what it’s like to fit your whole life in a backpack or a suitcase. The first time I faced the empty suitcase, I was terrified. I thought I was supposed to take everything with me, from the basic essentials to the smallest useless details. Of course, my behavior towards packing has completely changed over the years. With time you get better and better at it.

I realized I could live with the bare minimum of shoes and clothes and I often end up buying what I need at the destination. Toiletries nowadays are common and affordable anywhere. Technology such as chargers, adaptors and headphones is also available at airports and big stations.

Packing light as therapy 

Packing and traveling light actually teaches you a fundamental lesson about life. It’s like some kind of therapy. Just like cleaning and tidying, packing aims to help you organize and cut back on your life, right down to the most important possessions.

Do you really need 5 pairs of shoes for a 2-week vacation? Are you going to wear all 5 beach dresses for real? Or you’ll be walking around in your comfortable shorts and flip flops all the time…

Minimalism will show you what is valuable in life. In the end, it’s not how groomed or fashionable you looked at the beach, but how much fun you had. Packing light will show you that anything you don’t need to bring is already inside you!

What’s more, traveling light gives you freedom. You can move easily from place to place without rolling heavy wheels and causing confusion, noise or disturbance. And whenever you feel like moving, you’ll be ready to hit the next amazing place in no time. The less you carry while travelling, the less you have to worry and care about your possessions.

A few golden rules for packing light:

1. If you can buy it when you arrive for the same price or even cheaper, don’t bring it.
2. If you are not going to use it every day, don’t bring it or buy it there.
3. If you don’t like an object, if it doesn’t make you happy or smile – don’t bring it. For example – I always take my favorite t-shirt, my favorite dress, my favorite pyjamas. This way I know I’m going to wear them for sure.
4. Pack clothes and necessities to last a week. You’ll definitely find a laundry service in the meantime.
5. Be smart – pack items that’ll serve more than one purpose. Universal body soap you can use as shampoo as well. Leggings could work as pyjamas, workout or leisure wear.
6. Don’t pack more than two of the same kind – you’ll be fine with two shirts, two pairs of pants, two dresses.

The most valuable lesson traveling light has taught me so far is to depend and rely more on myself than on things. I have become smarter, more creative and resourceful, stronger and more independent.

Read more: 5 mini habits that will forever change the way you travel

99 things every seasoned traveler knows

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