Part One – The Logistical Stuff
Once upon a time, specifically in 5th grade, a guest Liberal Arts Teacher introduced my class to French culture and language. Needless to say, I was mesmerized (it took very little to mesmerize me then). Throughout my teen years, I took as many French classes as I could since I knew that someday, my dream to travel to France would become a reality. Fast forward to 2013 (it took a long time), I was days away from boarding a plane that would finally make my dream come true when it happened. I was so stressed about my trip that I self-induced shingles. This blog entry isn’t about shingles but just FYI, they are terrible. This entry is about helping relieve some unnecessary stress when planning for an international adventure. To date, I’ve been to England, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia so I’ll pass on what I know specific to those countries and hopefully, you don’t self-induce anything. 😉
Timing can be a deal breaker when looking for your international destination. It is especially important make sure that your passport is valid. I cannot even tell you how often this happens when someone has to pay to expedite their passport so it arrives before their trip (soooo stressful). Some countries may not allow you to travel if your passport expires within 6 months of your travel dates. Also, make sure to make some copies of your passport (1 to leave with family and 1 to pack with you in case you lose your passport). Timing is also important with regards to weather. Do you want to visit Ireland when it’s so cold that you can’t feel your face? If not, search for weather records on the world-wide web so at least you have an idea of what to expect.
Searching for the right location can be stressful and to add to your stress, before you go booking a trip, I highly recommend visiting the CDC website. With the current Zika scare, it is super important to make sure that your international destination doesn’t turn into a nightmare with wings. On top of that, I also suggest visiting the U.S. Passports & International Travel site because it’s probably important not to kick the bucket while you’re trying to check stuff off your bucket list.
Shots aren’t fun unless they are the alcohol kind – JK those are pretty bad too! Make sure that if vaccines are recommended for the destination(s) that you’re visiting, that you do this ahead of time. So, don’t be like me where I didn’t get the whole series of Hep A / Hep B combo since it’s about a 6 month process and I only started it 1 month prior. Tisk tisk to me.
You’re going to learn today, or tomorrow, since it’s important to learn about the culture, customs, local laws…etc. about the city / country that you’re visiting. Especially, if it has religious places of interest. For example, in Bangkok, if you’re visiting the Grand Palace / Temple of Emerald Buddha and you’re a woman, your shoulders need to be covered and your skirt / dress needs to be at least knee length and the men must wear pants ? (not shorts) in order to be allowed in. It’s always a good idea to know basic phrases and thanks to YouTube, you can learn just about anything. As a wise friend once said over and over again, “they’re so nice if you just try.” Truth!
Mo-money mo-problems said no one ever. Maybe one rapper did but still, the larger your budget the better (obvs) but have no fear, you can do many things with a smaller budget as well. For instance, in Rome, there are self-employed individuals that will do tours for tips. This also holds true in the states (Seattle, NYC…etc.). These are great opportunities to get tours by locals on the cheap. You just need to reach out to them (email) in advance to save a spot. If you have a bigger budget, I recommend pre-paying / booking tours so you don’t have to worry about exchanging money in person. Don’t forget about Groupon and LivingSocial since sometimes, they have deals in the areas that you may be traveling.
On the $ front, also make sure that you notify your bank and credit card companies that you’ll be out of the country beforehand. This can usually be done online. If you don’t do this, there’s a chance that your cards could be temporarily frozen. Typically, I pull money beforehand to avoid pulling money overseas since I don’t like all the fees (I’m a part-time rapper). It’s also a good idea to download a currency converter app so you can open it / refresh it every morning (over WiFi of course) during your trip. This way, you can use it throughout the day even when you’re not connected to the internet. Some destinations’ currency system is totally different than ours so try to learn the difference ahead of time so when you pull 2 million Rupiah (Bali, Indonesia) from your bank account, you don’t shat your pants. In some rare occasions, you might need to bite the bullet and exchange some money at the airport for the cab fair or for public transportation (I.E. Airport train from Bangkok’s airport doesn’t take card). The airport exchange services often have fees and the exchange rate is lesser than going to a bank or exchange booth outside of the airport so it may be best to exchange the rest of your cash money elsewhere. If you do plan on exchanging money at a bank, make sure to bring your passport.
Places of Interest are typically packed all the time. For example, say you want to visit the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin but didn’t purchase tickets / passes in advance. You best bring a book cause you’ll be in line for a while. Irish-it wasn’t true (see what I did there?) but it is and when we were in this situation, I was so relieved that the Dublin Pass took us to the front of the line. More importantly (just kidding, nothing’s more important than beer), when creating your itinerary, it’s also super important to confirm the operating hours and last entry hours of the venue since this can totally ruin a trip.
Packing is like the worst. Deciding which outfits will go down in Instagram history can be grueling. Anticipating the weather will help with part of that and so will the attractions. Make sure that you research public transportation options since that may determine how much walking you’ll do. Either way, comfy-walking shoes are a must! Many hotels provide shampoo, conditioner and lotion so unless your locks are high maintenance, you can leave those at home. It is generally a good idea to “pack light” but I usually start heavy (pre-pack water bottles) and end heavy so meh. The essentials include sunblock, mosquito repellent, vitamins, electrolytes supplements, money-belt, stuff for the plane (earplugs, earphones, eye mask for sleeping, book…etc.) or you’ll be bored out of your mind. I also pack a large empty overnight bag / tote with a zipper as a potential 2nd carry on (1 personal item like a purse, 1 carry one are usually allowed) for souvenirs since I love buying stuff. All joking aside, the fees for overweight luggage are heart attack inducing so still be mindful of that when you pack and leave room for shopping.
Jet-setter would be my middle name… if I had one. I could fall asleep before everyone has even boarded the plane. Yes, I’m talented / narcoleptic in that way. Flights are a pretty important part of your trip so if you’re going to multiple countries in one trip, make sure that the flight times and accommodations are aligned. Case and point: arriving at the airport at 7am is great since you’ll have the rest of the day to sight-see but some hotels won’t let you check in that early (some will though) so I usually email the hotel in advance so they know what we’ll be there early and hopefully we can snag a room. If they can’t, they’ll usually hold your luggage while you’re out and about. The same applies to later flights. We had a midnight flight recently and did sightseeing throughout the day so we didn’t return to the hotel (had luggage with us / our tour guide driver) so after a long and sweaty day, we had to board a plane for a 25 hour flight. ‘Twas as gross as it sounds and not even the cleaning wipes or body spray put me at ease but no regrets! Also, remember that flights can be delayed (thanks Jetstar #neverforget) so they can also interfere with pre-scheduled plans. This is why I like attraction passes that you must use within a certain amount of days (usually 3-10 days from 1st use) so that way, you don’t buy tickets a la carte for a certain time that you might be stressed for. Sometimes, you don’t have a choice but when you do, those flexible passes are awesome just make sure to print your vouchers / purchase receipt to redeem them!
::Cue Safety Dance song::
In a previous entry, I mentioned safety awareness so I’ll briefly touch on that. Italy, France and Spain have the sketchiest of characters since they are prime locations for tourists. Rule #1: Don’t make yourself a target. Save your diamond earrings and flashy necklace for a fancy dinner at a restaurant near your home unless you live in Santa Ana then just don’t. ? Rule #2: Be vigilant. These jerks look normal (not like the hamburgler) and travel in pairs. One to distract you while the other grabs the goods like,”Oh, look at this map that is now blocking your view while my friend steals from you.” Seriously, I saw this happen at a Starbucks near the Moulin Rouge in Paris and that family lost their fancy camera. Fear and sadness followed. Rule #3: When using public transportation, don’t put your stuff down that you don’t want to lose and watch your purse / wallets. Metros, Trains, Skytrains…etc. get pretty packed during rush hour (learned this the hard way lugging around luggage) so just keep an eye on your valuables. Rule #4: Don’t hand your camera over to someone who is eager to take a picture of you and your boo boo. Chances are, they want something in return…like your camera. Plus, everyone is a pro at selfies nowadays so you’ll be fine. If those don’t make due, single out another poor tourist to be your temp photographer.
Cell phones are great for quick pictures and emergency situations so I typically take mine when I travel overseas. I don’t buy the international phone / data plan (this is recommended for remote areas that have limited or no WiFi) and just put my phone on airplane mode and run off of the free WiFi. If you download an app like Viber, you can make calls over Wifi for free or for real cheap. And as you know, if you’re calling another Apple device, FaceTime works too. Just be careful when connecting to public networks since hackers are everywhere. Everywhere!
Part 2 will hopefully be more fun than this one! ?
