While travel is meant to broaden the mind and enrich the soul, it is surprising how many travellers believe and practice things that aren’t necessarily true.
10 travel myths busted
Image by Fredrik Olastuen
1. Your phone will make the plane crash
Although cellphones and other electronic equipment can interfere with the plane’s signals, the device itself will not cause the plane to crash. The reason you’re asked to switch them off until you’ve reached a certain altitude (usually 10 000 feet) is because take off and landing are the most important times for the plane to have clear signal.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a few days ago that travellers will soon be able to watch videos and play games with their electronic devices throughout their entire flight. But until an airline can prove that they can handle the interference, you’ll still be asked to switch your devices off for take off and landing. Disobeying these rules is just plain bad manners.
Read more: The risk of leaving your cellphone on while flying
Image by (nz)dave
2. You have to carry a moneybag
Many believe that tourists are soft targets and that it is absolutely vital to carry a moneybag (or in some horrifying cases, a moon bag). But contrary to what many may think, everyone isn’t out to get the foreigner.
You’re only a soft target if you make yourself one, so leave the things you don’t need that day in your hotel safe, be vigilant and don’t flaunt your phone or your camera. Only when you look like you have no idea what’s going on around you, and you wander off into quiet streets after dark, will you become an easy target.
Read: 10 tips to avoid getting robbed while travelling
3. Jetlag is caused by a lack of sleep
Popping a few pills and passing out for 10 hours on a plane won’t necessarily cure your jetlag and guarantee a rested and happy you when you arrive at your destination. Jetlag is actually caused by the massive shift in longitude (especially is you’re travelling toward the east).
Your circadian rhythms, which regulate when you eat and sleep, stay in synch thanks to daylight and nighttime. When your days and nights are tampered with, these rhythms are thrown out of balance and you get the sensation of jetlag.
If it’s nighttime at your destination while you’re flying, it’s a good idea to sleep.
Read: How to cure jetlag
Image by Karen Clement
4. Last minute tickets are cheaper
Many think that, because the airline wants to book all the last seats out, they’ll bring the price down a few days before. But this isn’t always the case, especially when you’re travelling to popular destinations or during peak season.
In many cases, the airline can see that they’ll easily be able to sell the last tickets and actually bump the price up. Also, if you wait too long you may not be able to get tickets to your destination at all.
5. Booking far in advance saves money
On the other side of the spectrum, booking months and months in advance won’t necessarily save you money either. Six months before the time, airlines haven’t released any special offers for that time period, so you may end up paying more than you would’ve had you waited a little longer.
The ideal time to book flights seem to be six to seven weeks before. So let’s say two months to be safe.
Infographic: How South Africans plan and fund their holidays
Image by Jimmy Harris
6. Duty free is a good deal
Yes, you might not be paying tax, but the baseline price for goods at the airport is much higher than at a local store. You will probably save some on highly taxed items like alcohol and cigarettes, but buying luxury perfumes and sunglasses might not actually save you that much money.
Image by Hansel and Regrettal
7. Street food is unsafe
Many people prefer to sit down somewhere in a restaurant and order off a menu rather than asking the guy on the street to make them food on his little trolley. But, while you can see all the ingredients that go into the street food, you have no idea what might be going on in that kitchen.
Seeing as street food is generally deep fried or flash fried, you have a good chance of anything unhealthy getting seared to death long before it touches your mouth.
Read: 10 of the best street foods in Stone Town, Zanzibar
Image by Wallpapershop.net
8. The air on a plane makes you sick
It’s true the air on a plane is recycled, but that does not mean that it makes you sick. The reason you sometimes take home a souvenir cough is because the air is so dry at 30 000 feet that it dries out the mucous membranes in your nose – the stuff that protects you from bugs.
Obviously it doesn’t help that there are 250 other people around you, touching the toilets, the armrests and the basins and spreading germs. The best thing to do is wash your hands a lot, drink a lot of water and perhaps even carry some hand sanitiser with you.
Read: Medication to pack while travelling in Africa
Image by Len Matthews
9. You have to bargain in a foreign country
Although shopkeepers spot the tourist from a mile away and up their price three times, it doesn’t mean that you absolutely have to argue them down to the last rupee, baht or dong. Not if the currency in question is small change to us.
Now don’t go falling for absolutely ridiculous prices, but don’t feel cheated if you paid a little more than the next guy. Perhaps you helped the shopkeeper treat his family to a nice dinner that night.
Image by Collection Agencies
10. Booking the last seat means being bumped
Although it’s true that most flights do get overbooked, it doesn’t mean that the last guy who bought a ticket will be the first to get left behind if all the people booked on the plane show up.
What you shouldn’t do, however, is wait until the last minute to check in. Check in online before the time to secure your seat. Once you have a seat number, they can’t bump you.
Do you stand by any of these myths and do you have anything to add to the list? Tell us in the comments below.
