Summer is finally here! Although I don’t consider myself a super professional traveler — I’ve only visited 12 countries across four different continents — I would like to give all the world travelers out there some tips on traveling abroad this summer, based on my own experiences!
1. Get to Know Your Destinations
Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-cost-of-a-weekend-holiday-around-the-world.html
Doing research on your travel destinations really helps the trip go smoothly and be less chaotic. Spend some time learning about your travel countries’ culture, weather, places of interest, etc. This way you’ll know how to better prepare for the trip. With all the information out there it can be overwhelming; to cut back on time, you can choose a few aspects that are the most important to you to research. Personally, connectivity has always been the most important thing I consider when planning a trip — especially when I’m traveling solo. I always make sure I can connect to the Internet and contact people when I’m abroad; for example, I always research how to get a phone number in the destination countries and the type of outlets they have so that my electronics are always charged and connected to the Internet. While some travelers don’t mind being offline that much, trust me, it really wouldn’t be fun when you need to reach your Airbnb host in a foreign country and your device is out of battery or offline.
2. Make a List and Check It Twice
Source: https://www.hercampus.com/school/smu/tips-planning-your-finals-study-sessions
This tip is especially useful for packing before the journey. You might want to make a list of everything that you would need when abroad — including essential items such as your passport, electronics, cash, some personal items and maybe certain medicines. Check the list when you’re preparing or purchasing items that you’re going to bring with you. Definitely, remember to check the list a second time during your packing process because in some countries the brand of your favorite makeup remover might be nowhere to be found — it’s better to be prepared!
P.S. Playing pump-up music while packing makes the process 100 times more fun.
3. Know Your Preferred Pace
Source: http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/the-it-cities-you-have-to-visit-once-in-your-life/
Some people like rushing to all different places so they can partake in all the activities in one day; others enjoy relaxing and exploring the area slowly while skipping a few activities. To know whether you’re more of an active traveler or a slow-paced traveler, you really need to just experiment and to find out your most suitable traveling pace. Once you find out what kind of traveler you are, it’s easier to plan out your day-to-day schedule during your time abroad. Doing this will make the journey much more pleasant for you.
4. Capture the Moments
Source: http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/diy-travel-scrapbook/
I know, I know — everyone does this. But, everyone has their own way of saving precious moments during their trips. Photographing and writing in journals are two of the most popular ways. I personally enjoy posting traveling photos on Instagram and blogging. However, there are some more creative ideas for keeping your traveling memories forever. One way is making a scrapbook; keep your train tickets, concert tickets, receipts from restaurants, etc., and put them in a scrapbook with pictures you’ve taken. Another idea is sending postcards to yourself; instead of writing your adventures down in a journal, you could try out this old-fashioned way — plus, it’s also exciting and comforting to receive postcards! Once you get home and open the mail, you’ll be reminded of your experiences abroad.
5. Sometimes You’ll Need to be Flexible
Source: http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/26-safest-cities-female-solo-travelers/
Trips are always full of unpredictability — whether that be crappy weather or an accident — and sometimes there really is nothing you can do except be flexible. Maybe you’re not able to visit the museum that you planned on visiting. Instead of doing nothing, you end up going to a fun music festival that takes place on the same day. Or maybe you miss the train to Paris, but you end up enjoying another sunny day in Strasbourg. Being flexible really is the key to having an enjoyable time abroad, and it’s always good to have an open mindset that allows you to try out new things. Embrace the unpredictability!
6. Enjoy
Source: http://www.worldofwanderlust.com/hot-air-ballooning-in-cappadocia-turkey/
Inevitably, traveling has some good times and some down times. No matter where you go, the most important thing is that you enjoy your time there and have a great summer!
Regardless of the types of trips you plan and how much traveling experience you have, I hope these tips make your international travels easier this summer!