- See my 16 Things I Pack Every Time article for gear you should considering assembling in 80’s movie montage style.
- Make sure your passport is up to date and check visa/immunization requirements: A US passport will get you into most places without a hitch, but I have never been to Asia, South America, or Africa before and cannot speak from experience there. Maybe you don’t need a visa, but you will need proof of certain shots and immunizations before you are allowed to enter the country.
3. Bring extra passport photos in case yours gets stolen: Also make a note of wherever the US embassy is in case this happens. Other bloggers also recommend scanning your important documents and emailing them to yourself for this reason.
4. Invest in travel insurance if you’re a clumsy human or will be traveling for more than a week: you know who you are.
5. Plan time to not have anything planned: Some cities are accustomed to the regular pit stop for tourists and are ready to exploit your trip to whatever site your travel book recommended. Some things you can’t miss, but take time to talk to locals and see what they actually recommend, most of them are dying for you to check out something way cooler than that restaurant you saw in a magazine.
6. Focus on the longest flight and work around it: Everyone knows that getting from any European city to any other European city is dirt cheap. Because of this, don’t focus on flying directly to your final destination: Just work on getting to your continent of choice first. If you are planning a trip to Madrid, but you found a cheap ticket to London, those two cities are only a $50 and a two-and-a-half-hour flight away from one another. Check out my flight buying guide for more info or specifically how I recently planned a trip to Spain doing this.
7. In addition to #6, don’t be afraid to fly home from a different city than where you stayed (and vice versa): Sometimes leaving from a different destination than the one you actually vacationed in will be cheaper, so booking separate one-way tickets can sometimes help save money.
8. Be realistic about your budget and be prepared to make sacrifices: When I went to Ireland, I packed about 50 meal bars that I had for lunch every day rather than buying something. The travel budget was mostly spent on the flights because we were working with very strict Spring break dates.
9. Don’t be afraid of hostels or Airbnb’s: Hostels and Airbnb’s are key for budget traveling. Oftentimes, hostels in a big city will be way nicer than most three or even four-star hotels in the same area. There is usually a really cool common area with a bar and a kitchen where you can meet fellow travelers and share local finds. Nobody sketchy is allowed in to murder you, because only guests have access keys or wristbands to get in, and there is always 24-hour security.I still have friends I keep in touch with from staying together in hostels abroad. I have also stayed in over a dozen Airbnb’s abroad and was treated like a damn kween by every host I ever had.
10. Makes sure to notify your bank that you are traveling: The second you land in Peru and try to get some local cash from an ATM, you bet your ass your bank will not process your request. Do not get stuck in an airport (for the sake of using the free wifi to make a phone call) trying to get the travel notice set up when you’re already on the road. Make sure to include all the countries on your notice that you have layovers in! If you try and buy something in Iceland on a layover to Norway, but you only have a travel notice for Norway, you might get a declined card in Iceland.
11. Make a Google Doc with your itinerary and share it with your friends and family: Whenever I have planned a trip, I have written everything down on an Excel sheet: Flight numbers, confirmation numbers, landing and takeoff times, local accommodation addresses, name of tour guides, maps of the train lines I’ll be taking, the works. They are extremely intricate and help me keep track of not only my budget but for easing general travel anxiety. Organization is key. I then share this magical document with my parents and all my friends to everyone knows where I am at all times.
12. Make an email folder to put all your confirmation notices in one place: Don’t be the traveler who is desperately scrolling through their phone to find the hotel confirmation number or the phone number of the tour guide you can’t find. Every single trip related email should be filed away into its own email folder. There is no easier way to keep track of your itinerary if you don’t get around to making a master document or Excel file.
13. Don’t use the airport currency exchange unless you really have to: The exchange fees at airports are atrocious. If you can, also try to find a credit card company that doesn’t charge currency exchange fees. For example, when I use my USAA credit card to pay for a €10 EUR item using $12.29 USD, my bank won’t charge me an additional $3 for the exchange fee. When I travel with friends who don’t have a card like this, I just have them Venmo or Paypal me for what they want and I will just pay with my card.
14. In the name of all that is good and holy in this world, try and learn some of the language before you go: You have no idea how much better you will be treated by locals if you make an attempt to learn a few basic words or phrases. It also helps to ease pre-travel anxiety. The “but everybody speaks English mentality” is why everyone hates American tourists, Carol. Just learning the phrase “do you have an English menu?” can give you a much more accommodating wait staff in a place like France. Make the attempt by playing on the free Duolingo phone app for 10 minutes every day before your trip (they also have more languages available if you play on your computer).
15. Speaking of new languages, download the Google Translate app: This is a good lifeline if you are at the end of your rope without a bilingual local to help you out. The translate camera can translate pictures of menus, road signs, advertisements, and anything else you can’t read on your own.
16. Read up about local customs and restaurant etiquette before you leave: For instance, if you want to visit certain landmarks, it is not uncommon for women to be required to cover their knees or shoulders before entering. You might need to pack a scarf or long skirt for this reason. Some countries also pay their restaurant wait staff full salaries, and you don’t need to leave tips unless it’s small change from your bill.
17. If you booked on a budget airline, have back up entertainment: obviously not all airlines have TVs on the back of the seats for you to watch anything. This is not news. And Yes, I can read or play sudoku for 5 hours straight if I’m not tired, but otherwise everyone needs a good back up plan. Netflix now lets you download most of their movies and shows onto your phone so you can watch whatever you want without wifi on the plane. This is a lifesaver.
18. Travel with Airborne, vitamins, and anything else you would need to kick a cold: I almost always feel like I’m coming down with a cold on airplanes. Something about the warm air and the condensed bodies just makes my ears start to tingle. You are going to become best friends with a lot of germs when you travel, you are probably not going to be eating complete nutritious meals, and long nights or jet lag will really take its toll of stress on your body. Make sure your immune system is ready for traveling by packing some multi-vitamins or cold supplements.
Bonus Tip: Speaking of gross airplane germs, prevent a oily skin breakout from the airplane by wearing some face lotion with SPF in it – this creates a protective layer on your face to stop gross build up from happening.
19. Pack by outfit: Don’t just throw your 10 favorite tshirts into a suitcase and call it a day. Really take the time to think about what things you are going to wear together, otherwise you will seriously end up overpacking. Stick to only 2 pairs of shoes. Nix the “nicer going out shoes”. Keep it simple. I also highly recommend planning on doing laundry when you travel, so consider packing a single washing pod or individual package of dry detergent.
20. Don’t be dismayed by expensive long-haul flights: Places like Southeast Asia or South America are very hard to get to, and the cost of flights can get way up there. However, I know from my fellow travel bloggers that these prices are very easily offset by the cost of living in those destinations. For instance, it can be up to $600 from Boston to Thailand, one way, but it also costs less than $20-30 USD/day to stay and eat there. It’s a main reason so many people end up staying there for months at a time. I usually end up with my expenses working in reverse (cheaper flight, more expensive destination), but don’t cross certain destinations off your list for this reason alone.
21. Track the prices of your flights over time: Keep an eye on the flights that work for you by tracking them on Google Flights. Jump on good deals when you see them, but otherwise, prices outside your budget will usually start to change once you get within 6 months of the departure date. This tool is especially useful if you are waiting on a few different options to become more affordable. If nothing is changing, new flights are often added within the 3 month period. Everything is based on the previous years data, current interest, and fuel prices. This is hard to predict, so once something drops into your budget don’t wait!
22. Bring the lube: I asked Paul what my last tip should be and he actually said that out loud to me right into the air I breath. He’s still snickering about it. I’m going to shame him by actually listing it.