Travel expert reveals: How to avoid these top 5 travel mistakes...

The last thing you want, is to find out just before you leave for your well-deserved break, that you're R3,000 out of pocket because you failed to check your ticket properly...

Or you're stuck at an airport in Asia because the travel agent didn't tell you you needed a visa for what you thought was going to be a domestic flight...

Travelling can get a bit tricky sometimes and mistakes do happen, right?

So Insider Secrets set out this week to uncover the most common mistakes travellers make and how to avoid them... So you don't end up regretting your holiday.

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Travel expert reveals: The top 5 mistakes people make when travelling - and how to avoid them...

Mistake # 1: Not checking travel details properly
This is the most common mistake travellers make. Always be sure to double check dates and times before you book. Allow for flight delays and traffic jams when booking connecting flights. Also double check the travel agent has typed your name correctly on your quotation. This is the name they'll put on the ticket. And, if it doesn't match your passport, you could be denied entry into a country. Rule to apply: Check twice, submit once!

Mistake # 2: Underestimating travel costs
Always have access to more money than you budgeted. There are always hidden costs that eat away at your spending money, which could turn your holiday into a nightmare. Allow for extra baggage taxes, foreign exchange charges, tips and surcharges at hotels and restaurants, car rental insurance fees, booking fees and emergencies like a doctor's appointment. Rule to apply: Have extra credit available in case you need it!

Mistake # 3: Losing travel documents
Whether it be through carelessness or theft, the loss of money and travel documents is a big problem for travellers. Use the hotel safe to store your travel documents and cash you won't need that same day. Carry instead a  photocopy of your passport in case you need to prove identity. Strap a money pouch underneath your clothes to avoid being pick pocketed. Always have your camera in sight. Don't sling it over your shoulder for instance. Rule to apply: Store valuables in the hotel safe and be vigilant at all times.

Mistake # 4: Eating foods that could make you sick
One of the worst things you could have happen to you is that you spend your holiday in bed because you ate something that made you sick. Avoid drinking tap water unless you know for sure it's drinkable. Avoid buying cooked food from street vendors. Don't ever eat or drink something if  the seal was broken before you got it. Rule to apply: Follow the locals when buying food. They know what to avoid.

Mistake # 5: Insufficient or no insurance
Let's face it. No one wants to lop out money for insurance on top of their holiday costs. But it's a must. If you can't afford the insurance, don't go on holiday. Make sure you have health insurance for emergencies, travel insurance for your luggage and possessions. Adequate car rental insurance. Rule to apply: Murphy's law.

For more travel Insider Secrets, subscribe to Insider Confidential today!

In the name of happiness and success,

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