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Travel Tuesday: Five vacation mistakes to avoid

Hoping to catch some sun over the holidays? Avoid these five pitfalls to make sure you come home relaxed.
Hoping to catch some sun over the holidays? Avoid these five pitfalls to make sure you come home relaxed. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

It’s travel Tuesday, where we check in with travel expert Claire Newell from Travel Best Bets for tips to make your next vacation a breeze. 

Even the most carefully planned trip can have problems.

But with a little planning and some insider know-how anyone can avoid the common pitfalls.

Here are some of the most common travel mistakes not to make.

Renewing your passport

Waiting too long to apply for or renew your passport can be a costly mistake.
Waiting too long to apply for or renew your passport can be a costly mistake. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Not applying for your passport early enough is a common mistake.

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Routine passport processing takes about four to six weeks, so if you need one, make sure you apply for a passport as soon as you start planning your trip.

If you’ve left it for too long, you can pay a premium to have the passport office rush it, but it will cost you about $110.

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Also, don’t forget that certain countries won’t let you enter unless you have three to six months’ worth of validity remaining on your passport.

Connecting flights

Making sure you have enough time between your flights will ensure peace of mind while in transit.
Making sure you have enough time between your flights will ensure peace of mind while in transit. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Speaking of not allowing enough time, another common mistake is not booking enough connection time between flights.

Leaving a window of at least an hour and a half between connecting flights will significantly drop your chances of missing your flight or having your luggage lost.

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Know before you go

Planning where you stay can save you long and expensive trips across town. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Know exactly where your hotel is located.

Booking in the wrong area can cost you in unnecessary transfer costs, or even leave you on the hook for a car rental if attractions are just too far.

Even if the hotel is cheaper, you need to weigh in the hassle and added costs of having to travel back and forth to get where you want to go.

Don’t overdo it 

Don’t forget, you’re on vacation to relax.
Don’t forget, you’re on vacation to relax. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Martin Mejia

Another travel mistake is trying to do too much on one trip.

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This can cause a lot of stress and defeats the purpose of a holiday.

Make a list of “musts” and “maybes” and go from there.

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