With a few pointers that can even drastically change your first travel experience!
Over the past five years we have traveled to 26 countries while living in 5 countries in Europe the past few years. We frequently get questions from family and friends who have never traveled for travel recommendations. We put together 7 tips for your first international adventure, with a few pointers we even wish we had known before venturing abroad.
1) Don't over pack your Luggage.
This is probably the number one thing where beginners will fail. Over packing can cost you and even affect your over all travel experience. The key is to plan out your outfits you will actually wear as most always bring clothes they will never wear! You really only need a small carry on or bag, maybe add a back pack for electronics. Invest in a luggage scale and always try to keep it under 30 lbs. If we travel for months a time, we still only bring about a weeks worth of outfits and just use the local laundry mats. Yes, laundromats are available around the world and its okay to wash your laundry abroad.
2) Check your Cellular plan.
Something that is usually almost always overlooked. You never want to gamble with international roaming fees as they will add up quickly the moment you begin to text or post selfies and pics the minute you set foot on your first international country. You may get a nice thousand dollar bill weeks later upon your return as this has happened to a few of our friends, no joke! We have used a few different carriers in the past but T Mobile seems to have the best plans when traveling abroad when it comes to unlimited. So make sure you check with your cell phone carrier before your departure to avoid a horrible surprise on your phone bill.
3) Always protect and know where your passport is, at all times.
Your passport is always the number one priority and practicing good habits with your passport when traveling is just as important. We can't begin to tell you all the horror stories we have heard from beginners to nomads who have lost or had it stolen. A habit that has worked for us, and knock on wood, from not losing ours is we both always re-check and confirm where we put our passports, each and every single time we use them. Another habit is once at our destination airbnb or hotel, we hide them immediately! Stashing them inside a decorative pillow case to inside the bed mattress, and even hiding them inside our dirty laundry! Just use some common sense and never carry or leave it somewhere easy to find.
4) Don't stick out like a Sore thumb.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with looking like a tourist, we all are tourist when exploring the world. What we really mean is the little things like being aware of your cultural surroundings, like you don't need to get too flashy on your wardrobe drawing attention to yourself or carry and wave a fully extended selfie stick all over the place. This all draws attention to yourself as an easy target for thieves and scammers. Use public transportation when safe and possible and avoid private transportation, besides blending in with the locals, it will give you a true experience of everyday life at the countries you explore. There is absolutely nothing wrong flashy wardrobes or selfie sticks, we are simply trying to make your travel experiences safer, better and keep you from being a vulnerable target when traveling abroad.
5) Get your Electronic gadgets right.
We currently live in a digital age filled with social media and multi electronic gadgets like Gopro cameras, smart phones, and laptops. But the three most important electronic accessories you should pack besides your phone or camera, is an outlet adaptor, boost charger, and charging cables. There is nothing worse than having 2% battery life when arriving at a historic landmark or a dead phone with your tour ticket dead with it or worse, your flight boarding pass! Keep your electronics organized together and readily accessible for airport security to make life easier for you, security, and the people waiting behind you in line. Last but not least, head phones are handy to zero out noise if needed on your flight or transportation. Be aware most airlines will charge you for head phones, so bring your own.
6) Pick a destination that will be easy for you.
Deciding on your first destination can simply be influenced by someone or something you saw on Instagram that has kept you intrigued with going there. Be careful where you choose as it can be overwhelming for your first international adventure and turn out to be not as cool as you thought, simply because you were unprepared and unexperienced. We're all about adventures but you may want to wait for a trip to Chernobyl and make a trip to tourist hot spots like Thailand or the UK instead. Choosing a country that is fluent in your native language will also drastically improve your experience. Frustrations during travel like communication barriers can weaken your self awareness leaving you lost, confused and gullible to scams. An experienced globe trotter seeks being lost, confused, and adventures, but for your first trip, make it fun but easy.
7) Self awareness and Thick skin is key.
Now, we don't want to scare anyone with this last tip, it's simply a pointer we want to share that works! There will be people approaching you trying to sell you something, don't say "No, thank you", as bad as it sounds, just say no or walk away! Saying,"no thank you"causes them to haggle you more. The locals will advise the same all over the world.
Keep your back packs and belongings close and always be skeptical about everyone being out to pick pocket you. You will eventually create a good habit and eventually not even notice you're watching your belongings constantly. If you remember Tip #4, you won't even have to worry so much as thieves will probably miss you.
In the end simply act like you been there, even if it means acting a little deranged, you will be surprised how much they back off. We have been in some pretty hostile spots and being self aware is ever so important. When living in Romania we constantly dealt with aggressive gypsies and taxi scammers, both being some of the worst in the world. These taxis had no door or window handles and would try to force us to accept the ride and fare. My husband would just begin to act like he was a bit demented and even curse! Seconds later, the doors would open. Simple as that. That does not mean cause any physical harm! Just act a little unbalanced! It will make for a funny travel story later!