Tips for First-Time Travelers
One of my good friends went on their first international trip recently and she asked me for tips. Wow, what a doozy! I felt like I was texting her a million things and realized it was probably a bit overwhelming.
Outside of the typical things like budgets, book your flights, pack your bags, try to have a good attitude, there are some things that you learn after you travel a lot and make a lot of mistakes.
Here are some of my tips:
Packing
If you check a bag, always keep 2-3 days worth of clothes and all of your undies and socks in your carry-on. I’ve had my luggage lost and did not pack well… I was without clothes and underwear and makeup for the entire trip. Now I pack a carry-on only, but make sure I have a packing cube with my underwear, socks, and 2 interchangeable outfits in my personal item (a backpack).
Use packing cubes - there are so many ways to use packing cubes to your advantage! Pack by outfit, by day, by similar items, clean and dirty clothes separated. I love love love packing cubes.
Keep anything valuable in carry-on or personal item. If you’re bringing anything that is valuable to you, keep it on you at all times. Whether that is in your carry-on or your personal item, keep it with you!
I keep everything together at my door the night before my flight. I have my luggage, and all of my items in my purse ready and packed. Making a list ahead of time, checking the list while packing, double-checking the list once it is all packed, and triple-checking the night before will help prevent things left behind.
Know you can buy most things you need at your destination though. If you forget your shampoo or toothpaste, you can buy it there.
Flights/Hotels
Always read reviews of your hotels. Websites are made to sell you on the property, be sure to read reviews to see if it’s worth it or not.
Check if you need a visa. For Americans, we are incredibly lucky and privileged to not need visas for quite a few places, but it is always best practice to look ahead of time to see if you need one and how to get it.
Make sure your passport isn’t expired. Obviously you cannot travel internationally if your passport isn’t expired, but some places need you to have a six-month buffer between your departure date and expiration of your passport. Check the requirements and double-check your expiration date.
Check-in for your flight 24 hours before your flight. Most airlines allow you to check-in via the app 24 hours ahead of time - please do this.
Consistently check your departure - location, time, and date. I have the app for every airline I fly and will start checking this a week before my flight. Definitely check your flight 48 hours and 24 hours ahead of departure to check for any changes, and check every few hours after the 24-hour mark.
Itineraries
Make one. At the very least, make a list of what you want to do. There is nothing worse than spending money to go on a trip and then wasting time not knowing what you want to do. There is a difference between relaxing and choosing to sit at cafes, etc. versus showing up and wandering not knowing what is available to you. You don’t have to make something crazy extensive, but do a little research and save yourself some stress.
Try to book as much as you can in advance. Trains/transportation, tours, excursions, museums, restaurant reservations are all able to be booked ahead of time. This will help not only with sticker shock/spending more once you’re on vacation, but will also help build out your itinerary without doing too much work. This will also save you time since you typically won’t have to wait in as many lines if it’s booked in advance.
Keep a folder in your email with all of your confirmations: flight, hotel, reservations. I make a folder for each trip I go on and add every single email regarding the trip into the folder. This includes: hotel and flight information, travel insurance confirmation, restaurant and museum reservations, any hotel communication, etc.
Share your itinerary with trusted people. I make my itineraries on Google Docs and share with my sisters, boyfriend, and parents.
General Tips
Sleep on flights over, stay awake on flights back. You want to acclimate to the time zone you’re arriving in as soon as you can. For me, it always works to sleep on the flight over (usually an overnight flight) and staying awake on the flight back (usually leaving in the morning and arriving late afternoon or evening).
Stay awake in your destination until it is bedtime. Do not take a nap. It is sooo tempting, but don’t do it! I’ve done this one time and I was screwed the rest of the trip.
Get travel insurance. Non-negotiable. It isn’t expensive, and could potentially save you lots of money and stress. I always book through Allianz and have never had an issue. I’ve thankfully never had to use it, but it is so stress-free knowing I have it for any trip disruption, medical issues, or emergencies. It is usually around $90-150 for the entire trip.
Have copies of important documents. I have a photo album on my phone with copies of my passport, ID, etc. Email them to yourself too.
Check with phone company about service abroad - I have ATT and it is $10/day to keep my current plan when traveling abroad
Tell your bank you’re traveling. I had my card turn off in Los Angeles and it was mortifying calling them and them having to read off all of the clubs I went to as my last charges lol.
Safety
Don’t share where you’re staying. Online or in-person, don’t tell anyone the name of the hotel or place where you are staying.
Don’t carry anything too valuable. If you carry a purse, don’t keep it open. I keep my phone, wallet, passport in my neck wallet lol or in a tiny purse that my hand is on the entire time.
Check your room. There are tons of gadgets to make your room harder to get into when you’re inside - see if any appeal to you. But for the most part, I lock my doors and put a towel on the handle.
If you have any tips for first-time travelers, leave them in the comments below!