What should change to make it easy for travelers
As I write this, I am on the bus from Washington DC to New York City and I realized that traveling could be much easier for all the travelers if some things changed. We are in the 21st century, so come on! I don’t expect anything in the Third World countries but each time I get to a very developed country, I still get surprised.
So many things do not work, there is a mess everywhere, the transportation sucks or it takes ages to find a public toilet (or at least “bathroom bushes”!) I don’t think this should be happening nowadays, especially not in the countries and cities that live out of tourism which I am talking about in this post.
Being on the bus right now that should have wifi but it doesn’t work at all but at least have plugs, and thinking of all the years of traveling, I put up the list of the things that should change to make it easier for us travelers (especially for us digital nomads):
- plugs on trains, planes, buses, at airports, restaurants, at bus and train stations. You have a 13-hour train in Europe or a 24 -hour bus somewhere in Argentina … what to do??? It would be so much easier to have plugs to at least recharge the laptops, phones, iPads, mp3 players and camera batteries.
- free wifi at the same places. Bloggers and all the other people working online could get a lot of stuff done instead of wasting time just staring outside to nowhere or trying to sleep with a snoring bear next to them. And the rest could just waste their time on facebook, talking to their family and friends or at least watching some movies online etc.
wifi and outlets on the bus in the USA
- free wifi in every hostel/hotel. It is not such a difficult expensive thing nowadays, right? I still get shocked when I see that hostels or even expensive hotels in touristy places do not have wifi or if they do, they charge a lot for it. Why???
- free wifi in shopping malls. Good if you are meeting up with someone and maybe you don’t have phone credit.
- good mobile connection in between villages and mountains. You need it sometimes when you get stuck so you can call for help. Or just when someone is supposed to wait for you at point A but just before it there is no mobile connection so you cannot get in touch.
- public toilets, toilets in restaurants and city centre for free – it is really annoying when you have to look for a toilet for ages while you really need it RIGHT NOW! And it’s really not funny especially in countries like Egypt, Mexico or Thailand where during the first couple of days you get diarrhoea no matter what you do. Toilet, please! And a free one! Hate to find a toilet after hours and trying to find some coins while almost peeing/shitting yourself!
public toilets at Bratislava castle
- hot shower in every accommodation, especially where it’s less than 25 C degrees as for washing the hair the hot water is necessary :)
- maps of the towns and subway in every accommodation, bus/train station and airport for free. It is a horrible feeling when you need to pay for a map you need for a day or two.
- signs of the important touristy places in the town. Yes, often it is not easy to find those famous spots, so please put a sign so we know where to go!
- names of the streets at every corner so it’s easy to know where you are. Hate having to count how many streets I walked already to know how many still left until the point B.
- cheap hostels all around the world – not hostels for like 100 euro per person per night in a dorm, that is NOT a hostel!
- drinking water in the town for free to refill your bottles. Yes, especially in hot months when doing a lot of sightseeing sometimes there is no place to get water. And if yes, a small bottle can cost way too much!
free drinking water in Vienna
What else would you love to change to make it easier for you when traveling?
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ Ahmed:
I know, in a way it is good that not everything is perfect cos it gives us experience in the end.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Comment@ Ahmed:
I know that in a way it is good when not everything is perfect when traveling as it gives us experience and stories to tell like the one you say.
Ahmed
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I agree with all Your points, but when you are crazy to discover something new than will not care this all. The situation is more worst in here in Pakistan, but i still can see some really crazy travelers and adventure lovers who come here. I know a group of people who spend almost one month in Islamabad for waiting to get a flight for Skardu, but they unable because of the bad weather situation. In end they choose the road transport.
Talib Subhan via Facebook
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why do we join and work together
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Jeff @ GoTravelzing:
That is so helpful in Belfast, right?
Jeff @ GoTravelzing
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I agree with your list. It seems like some places have these and some do not. I was recently in Belfast and they had maps on almost every street corner with your location and what was in the area. It made it so much easier to find what you were looking for. I think every place should have these. Wifi should also be available everywhere. I am always trying to find a connection when I am traveling in foreign counties and do not have my phone.
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Matthew:
Haha true, but I still prefer a good hassle than looking for a toilet for hours :D
Matthew
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Sometimes the hassle is what makes it memorable though :)
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Vero4travel:
Jesus, definitely we need to change some things :D
Vero4travel
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I agree with everything. We are in the XXI century and this should change asap.
But… I try to change this, for instance Im not going to book in a hostel/hotel if I have to pay for internet, C’mon if internet should be free as water & electricity.
About plugs complitly agree, nowadays the people has to be connect with their mobiles or laptos.
Is a great post cos sometimes we write about how to visit one city, or where to go, but to be honest the bloggers should write this kinda post cos maybe we can change a bit this world.
Jesús Martínez
Vero4travel.com
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ Pola (@jettingaround):
Pola, thanks for your comment and agreeing with me :)
Pola (@jettingaround)
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I couldn’t possibly agree more about free wi-fi!! I like your other ideas, especially free maps. It should be such a given… Nice post!