World Travel Insider

When I told my good friend Emily about my new blog she was super excited to learn about new cities and read about my travel tips.  She herself is a international travel virgin and is embarking on her first journey to Europe this summer and asked me for some advice on where to begin.  I decided to share some of the basics with those of you that have yet to have their international cherries popped and I hope they help make your first experience abroad more enjoyable!

Get Your Passport / Visa

Before you can even think about leaving the US there is a little booklet called a Passport that you must get your little hands on. Also some countries may require you to have a Visa as well and for information about entry and exit of each country click this link to assess what you will need.  Plan ahead in case you need to obtain either of these documents because they can take some time. You must apply in person if this is your first Passport, follow this link for a step-by-step guide.  Check here for a time estimate for your Passport to be processed and delivered and also check the current status if you have already applied.  As it shows on the website you can receive your Passport in half the time by “Expediting” your passport for an additional $60. If you just need to renew your passport, click here for information to help you out with that.

Make a Plan and RESEARCH

I can’t tell you enough how much of a difference somewhat of a game plan and some background information can make when it comes to efficiency of travel and saving money.  Do some general research about the country / region you will be traveling to and assess which cities and sites are a must see.  I would recommend staying in each city for a minimum of 3 – 4 nights.  Any stay less than this proves to be too stressful to do all you want and really be able to enjoy the city.  Also typically the most expensive aspect of traveling abroad is getting from city to city.  Trains, planes, and automobile costs can add up, so be smart when mapping out your itinerary.

Me with all the essentials on the train from Amsterdam to Paris

Voltage and Plug Differences

Another important thing to be aware of is the difference in voltage and plugs while abroad, use this voltage guide for help. Basically this means that their voltage stream is a lot hotter and can fry many of your electronics.  I would recommend getting a basic adapter kit, such as this Brookstone one.  Also this global adapter is a personal favorite and has 2 USB ports to easily charge your iPod and other electronics.  I would not suggest wasting money or baggage weight on a currency converter.  Either most items are fine with just an adapter or a converter isn’t strong enough.  Straighteners will not convert voltage and you will FRY it, so please leave that $150 Chi at home and invest in one abroad if you can’t live without one.  I bought one in Europe for about €30 and it was a great investment. Also with hairdryers, don’t try to convert, only bring one if it is dual voltage.  The problem here is that they only work on their low setting, so it can take ages to dry your hair.  With laptops, most cords have built in converters so just make sure you have the right adapter and you should be good to go.

Pack Smart

Seriously pack smart, I can’t stress this enough.  Being an international travel virgin, you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to haul around baggage and what an asshole you look like.  Read my previous posts about “How To Pack Light Without Sacrificing Style” and “The Hidden Fees of “Low Cost” European Airlines” for some tips and things not to do.  To sum it up, bring comfortable shoes, versatile clothes, a minimum amount of toiletries, an umbrella, and your basic electronics. In addition I would also carry around some antibacterial gel and some tissues JIC (Just in case) the facilities abroad aren’t up to par, which is quite common.  One more thing, try and bring a little portable alarm clock, most hotels don’t have clocks in the rooms and I wouldn’t depend on “Wake up calls” from the front desk.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

I learned this the hard way when I had my camera stolen by a 12 year old gypsy boy in London.  It was the 3rd night out of a two month trip and it sucked not having my own camera! Also ladies try and get purses that go across the body, I know they’re not the hottest but sometimes you gotta sacrifice. For men I would recommend to make sure you pay attention and keep things in your front pockets and with backpacks try to bring them to the front of your body when in big crowds.  Another tip is to make a couple of copies of your Passport before the trip and carry that, along with your drivers license, around during the day.  Leave the passport back in the hotel in a safe place to prevent the chance of that getting stolen because you don’t want to deal with that!

Me rocking the over the shoulder purse in Venice, Italy

Local Currency

Before planning a trip and while traveling I would recommend to check out what the current exchange rate it.  My favorite site for this is xe.com.  By assessing what your local currency is worth in the countries you are traveling to, you can better budget and have a better understanding of how much money you are really spending.

So this is obviously just the tip of the iceberg of things to consider when heading off to a foreign land, but check my other blogs about specific cities and more advanced tips!