-Confucious
There comes a point in every preamble to a trip you wish you hadn’t booked it.
It can be the thought of the high expense that triggers this feeling, or perhaps the realization that traveling abroad is a hassle, but eventually, you will question why you decided to travel to [insert exotic locale here].But just take a breath, regroup, and follow these tips to survive your impending international excursion and forgo the misery of mishaps mid-flight or getting lost once you land. I can’t guarantee it will be stress free, but if you properly prepare for landing, you’ll stand a better chance of enjoying your vaca without a total meltdown.
- Switch your cell phone to international roaming or find out how to rent one.
- Most cell phone companies provide you the service of international roam while you’re out seeing the world. Usually it’s as simple as dialing a number, talking to an operator, and making your phone capable of calls to and from abroad. Otherwise, you can get info on renting a phone once you get to your destination. You need to beware of high price rates per minute, but it’ll be worth it to let your rents know you’re alive or to get information while away from a computer. Here are the sites for switching over or rental procedures.
- Make use of the World Wide Web when it’s right in front of you and not miles away or a dollar a minute at an undisclosed internet café.
- Find directions to the airport, your hotel, or places of interest before you board your plane. Mapquest.com has a section for Europe and most hotels will post directions on their Web sites.
- Try not to wander around aimlessly without a hotel or hostel already booked. It might seem like you’re ignoring your sense of adventure and spontaneity if you prepare by making a reservation, but sometimes it’s hard enough to simply find the place you booked.
- Hotels.com is the old faithful, but if you’re on a budget, see Hostelworld for reviews, ratings, and down to the nitty-gritty info on hostels worldwide.
- Bring a notebook and fill it with every bit of relevant information before you leave, even if you think it won’t be relevant.
- Directions, because even though you think you’ll remember where to go, once you’re in a foreign place, taking a left seems more tempting than taking a right, even when you’re wrong.
- Phone numbers, because hours of torment might be solved by dialing a few digits. Keep these in mind:
- Your hotel.
- Your airline.
- Your airports.
- Your friends in the vicinity.
- Train or ferry reservations.
- Your credit card company in case you’re robbed (by gypsy teenyboppers).
- Your embassy.
- Addresses, because if all else fails, you can just grab a taxi to where you’re headed.
- Tourist spots, because you might be so overwhelmed when you get to a city that you might miss the main tourist destinations you’ve always wanted to see.
- Leave the shell suitcase at home and grab some wheels.
- Limit your luggage to what you can carry and if that means ditching the free 70’s suitcase your parents pawned off on you, go for it. Invest in quality luggage, with working zippers and all. A heavy bag with every kind of attire for every type of occasion might seem glamorous when you’re packing, but by the time you land, you’ll want the smallest bag possible.
- Got friends? Use them (or your parents' friends).
- Having friends study abroad provides far more benefits than attending an exotic location yourself. Beyond the free bed or dorm room floor, visiting out-of-town friends can give you a true insight to life in a foreign land. Fodor’s may recommend some top-rated restaurants, but the locals know the real deals for that hometown burger or authentic Mexican dish. That’s why when I travel I pick places where my friends are stationed, so I can get a real taste of my vacation spot.
- Make a list.
- By the time your vacation countdown gets down to days, not weeks like when you booked it, the to-do list can seem overwhelming. So make a list of things to bring, places to see, and what to do before takeoff. It might be a good time to face facts and devise a budget. Here’s a list of things to bring along on your travels:
- Pocket dictionary...for wherever you are.
- Small snacks...like granola bars to get you through the day
- Water...in case you find yourself surrounded by high turbidity H2O.
- Inflatable pool mattress...why you ask? If you’re without a bed, just blow that sucker up and there you have it: for under five bucks you’ll have at least two inches of space between you and the cold, hard floor, with a built in “pillow” to boot.
- Books to read...even though you’ll most likely be enthralled by the in-flight movies, have an emergency stash. Bring along at least two different types of books so when you’re sick of one you can switch to the other.
- Plug converters...because when you need to straighten that hair of yours, charge the cell, or reenergize the iPod while you’re abroad, you’ll need a converter to power up.
- iPod and charger.
- Phone charger.
- Passport...and check the expiration date at least six weeks before you leave.
- Cash...
And leave the dorky pouch that strings under your shirt at home. Although, maybe if I had had that I wouldn’t have gotten robbed by gypsies.Bring along the dorky pouch that strings under your shirt. - Hand sanitizer.
- Umbrella.
- Closed-toe shoes. I’m a flip-flops kinda gal, but even I realize most locations around the world don’t appeal to my love of the flips.
- Towel, but only if you’re rocking the hostel and not high-rollin’ in a hotel.
- A good attitude for the differences in the world and people around you.
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