It can be alarming for first-timers. They see hands move very fast in changing chips, just like some magical show, and when they stop focusing for 30 seconds, they might end up gambling their house by mistake. It would help to brush up on the main rules ahead of time, but also to look for a smaller casino that has a younger crowd - since the tables have a tendency to be less noisy, and the minimum bets will be much lower.

Even if they do not intend to, croupiers often hint when gamblers make a bad choice, and it is important to keep in mind that you are competing against the dealer and not the other players. This takes off some pressure.

The first golden rule for an independent budget traveller to heed is quite simple: travel light. Its importance cannot be stressed enough but often this adage is only learned through experience. It often seems that the best time to pack for a trip is immediately after the lessons received on the previous one, when you know the items that were essential and also the ones that were rather pointless.

When packing, make your primary consideration the climate of your destination and focus your packing on practicality and weight. Generally speaking, the less developed your destination and the more you will move around, the more important it is.