While planning and preparation can be an important part of making the most of your adventure travel, some of the best travel advice you’ll ever receive is more to do with attitude than admin.

Lonely Planet staff have a wealth of experience and having compiled some of the best travel advice they’ve ever received, they highlight the importance of open-mindedness when travelling.

Arguing against the organised traveller, Shawn Low suggests that spontaneity is vital: “Don’t plan a trip to death and certainly don’t stress too much…Be spontaneous – worry about the details later.” Curiosity is an important part of this. “Let your curiosity guide you…and you’ll arm yourself with many new travel stories and experiences.”

Tom Hall and Robert Reid stress the importance of doing your trip your own way, and if this means travelling alone, all the better. “Travelling on my own opened my eyes a little wider to what was around me. It made me try other languages and go the extra mile to make friends. Plus I never had to compromise on what I wanted to see or where I wanted to go.”

For Lonely Planet staff, the most exciting and diverse travel experiences always come when you approach new countries with an open mind. Katie Silcox’s suggests that you should always say yes to any offers or invitations (within reason!), while Laura Lindsay advises eating local cuisine wherever possible. “Don’t stick to what you know, be adventurous and you won’t regret it!”

Take Lonely Planet’s advice into account when planning your gap year or career break abroad and fit spontaneous travel experiences around your volunteer work!

Read the full list of tips here.