Beginners Guide to International Travel
International
travel, or any travel for that matter, can be intimidating to someone
when they are first thinking about a trip. How do I get there? How do I
get around once I'm there? How do I find a good flight deal? Do I
need a Visa? All of these questions can be very overwhelming, even to
an experienced traveler! I'll do my best to cover everything, but feel
free to reach out with any additional questions that I haven't covered!
Passport
One
of the main things to consider before international travel is the
matter of your passport. First, if you don't have a passport, make sure
you apply for one before buying any international plane tickets! 4-6
weeks is standard turn around time once the passport office receives
your completed application, but can vary depending on how busy they are.
The link below will help you with the required forms and necessary
documentation. You will need to submit the completed application and
documentation at a passport acceptance facility, but don't worry, most
post offices do this or would be able to direct you, so it's not hard to
find.
The
other thing to consider is getting your passport photo. Contrary to
popular belief, you do not have to get these taken at a passport office;
you will end up spending a lot more money if you do. I got mine at
Costco for something like $4.99 for 4. But places like CVS, Walgreens,
etc usually take them as well. A quick google search for "passport
photos" will usually tell you where you get can them in your area and
how much it will cost.
Once you have your
passport and you're set to travel, make 2 copies. One you will leave
with someone here at home, the other keep with your luggage or in a
separate place from your physical passport.
**Note
to existing passport holders, make sure you have at least 6 months left
on your passport expiration from date of entry. Otherwise you may be
denied entry to your destination country. When in doubt, renew early.**
Visa
Visas
are one of the travel requirements that I still have to research before
traveling. Just when you think you have things figured out, things can
change. The website linked below is a great resource, you type in your
destination county or countries and it will tell you any warnings for
the area, visa requirements, vaccinations, etc. If you're a U.S.
passport holder, as I am, there are a lot of places that you won't need a
visa for under 30 days, but always check before going.
Destination
The
ultimate question! One of the most daunting parts of planning a trip,
is deciding where to go. Sounds like it should be simple, right? If
you're thinking of traveling, you must know where you want to go. No.
This is not always the case. For someone like me, it is the fact that I
want to see the entire world, so how could I possibly pick one place
over another?! It usually comes down to the best flight deals. Now,
for others, especially those who have never traveled internationally,
the reason for not knowing where to go tends to be a bit different. In
additional to worrying about things I've already covered, there are
matters of safety, transportation, communication, etc.
For
first time travelers, there are a couple options I would recommend.
It's also important to remember that my suggestions are just that,
suggestions. Each traveler is different and some like to jump right in
to the unknown, while others are more comfortable just dipping a toe in
to start. For the later, I do recommend usually starting in a country
where your native language is widely spoken. This just makes for less
culture shock right off the bat. Being from the US, places like England
or Ireland can be good places to start.
The
other thing to consider, especially if you're considering renting a
car, is to maybe fly into a smaller town instead of a city. For
example, when I went to Ireland in 2013 it as going to be my first time
driving on the wrong side of the road AND the wrong side of the car
*gasp*. SO I decided that I would fly into Shannon instead of Dublin so
that I wouldn't be starting my international driving adventure in the
middle of a crowded city. Side note, turns out it was a lot easier than
expected to adjust the the driving; and when turning, just remember to
follow the turn signal, ie. push the turn signal down to go left, also
turn the wheel that way. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks like this,
but hey, it worked for me!
**Car
rental: I tend to start with international brands like hertz or
enterprise; but sometimes local companies get you a better deal. I also
just make sure to stalk their website, social media, etc and read the
reviews before booking. I'm OCD like that.**
With
all that said, pick somewhere that appeals to you and determine your
comfort level. The world is your lobster... or oyster.. or whatever
seafood you desire. There is no wrong place to go, so see where you can
get a good deal and BOOK THAT FLIGHT! Which conveniently leads me to
my next topic...
Flight Finder
Ok,
now, the moment we've all been waiting for! The actual finding of
flights! Now, there a TON of sites out there and I'm sure they all have
their value, but I'm just going to tell you about the ones that I use.
The
first is Skyscanner. I've recently started using this in planning a
3-4 month trip for next summer, but I know a ton of fellow travelers
swear by this. You can enter specific dates and locations or you can
use the "everywhere" feature to search from your departing airport to
anywhere in the world. Fun feature for those just looking to score a
cheap getaway and don't much care where you go.
The
other site that I use the most is Google Flights. I like Google
Flights because it searches a ton of sites to try and find you the best
deal on flights. It also includes discount airlines like Allegiant
(which I use frequently to go home to Montana). The other feature on
here that I use most often is the tracking feature. It makes it very
easy to monitor flight prices and decide if you should buy now or what
and watch.
Places to stay
This
is going to be a short topic because it is so broad and there are no
right or wrong answers. I'm not going to cover hotels, because I think
we all know about those, just remember to google best areas to stay in
before looking for hotels. You want to be close to the main attractions
if you're hoping to walk around and experience things!
A lot of people swear by hostels,
which is definitely a budget friendly option; however, as someone who
always feels a generation ahead of others my age, it tends to be a bit
too much of a party or noisy atmosphere for me. I like my privacy and
my quiet. I am also a bit of an introvert, so the idea of having to
interact with that many strangers gives me pause. I am trying to get
out of my comfort zone though, so I might give it a second try.
Airbnb
is also a valid option, again you can get some great deals by renting a
room, or if you're looking to splurge a bit more, an entire house or
apartment. I like looking for Airbnb's when I'm in a place where hotels
usually run you a bit more than normal. It seems like the Airbnb's
make you feel like you're at least getting more bang for your buck.
Plus, hello, treehouses and cabins anyone?!
Couchsurfing is something that I have never done, but is definitely another budget friendly option for the slighly more adventurous!
TrustedHousesitters
is an option I'm considering for next summer. Basically you get a
place to stay for free in exchange for watching someone's house and/or
animals while they're away.
Foreign Currency & How to Carry Money
There
are several options for exchanging currency and carrying money abroad.
You can order foreign currency through most banks, you can exchange at
any airport that has currency exchange (which is fairly common in larger
airports), or you can bring your debit card and draw out cash from
ATM's. I usually do the later. I don't like to carry a bunch of cash,
so I'll usually bring a credit card with no foreign transaction fees to
use primarily and my debit card to pull out cash when I need it.
I
tend to find an ATM in the airport when I land and pull out some cash
so I can tip the taxi or uber, and then I have some if I happen to stop
somewhere along the way that only takes cash. My only other suggestion
is that once you take out cash, you should leave your debit card in
your luggage so that way your cards are separate in case of theft,
you'll still have access to funds until a new card can be issued.
**Don't
forget to notify your banks when traveling abroad so they don't shut
your cards off thinking someone stole them! Speaking from experience,
ha.**
I'm sure there are a bunch of topics that I didn't touch on, but I think this is a good starting point for any potential traveler. BUT as always, if there are any questions you have, feel free to reach out to me and I'll be happy to answer or help in any way I can! Until then, Adios!
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