Beginner’s guide to international travel
You want to start traveling internationally, but you don’t know where to start. Or maybe you know where to start, but not where to go after that. Here is your guide for international travel!
Get your passport. #1 thing you HAVE to do is to get your passport. It isn’t hard or very time consuming, but there are a lot of steps. Click here to read all of the steps. It usually takes about 6-8 weeks to get your passport, but you can get it expedited (for a hefty price). Even if you don’t plan on going on any international trips soon, it’s good to have one.
Research where you want to go. Maybe you know where you want to go! Usually people want to go to Paris, London, or Rome for their first trip. However, I encourage you to research places outside of the big 3. You should also consider your budget. Central and Eastern Europe will be less expensive. Central and Southeastern Asia will be less expensive, and Central and South America in general are pretty inexpensive once you get there. Consider the activities you want to do and what your interests are. For me, I love to see old buildings and beautiful scenery with a great food scene and lots of history. I don’t necessarily want to go to every museum in the world, I don’t really care to go deep into nature. So I try to find locations that match my interests but give me opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone.
Check for travel restrictions and/or visas if needed. You always need to check if you need a visa in order to travel somewhere. They usually are not expensive, but if you don’t have one, you can’t get into the country. Also, check the Center for Disease Control’s website to make sure you have all of the vaccines needed.
Get the right luggage. Luggage can be expensive, but you don’t want to be walking on cobbled streets with wheels that are cheap, or hiking with a giant suitcase or backpack that doesn’t fit quite right. Research what kind of luggage works best for you and your type of traveling and invest. I have a Samsonite soft shell and an Away hard shell carry-ons and I love them both.
Buy travel insurance. Travel insurance is usually pretty inexpensive so it is imperative that you get this! If you get sick, if you break something, if your flight gets cancelled, if your luggage gets lost, this can all be covered. It’s something you may never actually have to use, but if you do you will be so glad you have it! I always use Allianz.
Buy your flight and book your hotel. Once you have everything figured out, go ahead and book your flight! If you haven’t read my tips on how to find cheap flights, read that here. I also suggest booking and paying for your hotel or Airbnb up front so you have less expenses when you get to your destination. Hilton gives discounts to those who book and pay in advance (go ahead and sign up to be a Hilton Honors member, or for any preferred hotel chain).
Now that you have these tips, you’re ready to travel! If you have any extra tips for beginners, put them in the comments :)