Traveling abroad for the first time can be exciting and somewhat daunting, especially if you’ve spent a lot of time watching the news. While the world may seem like a dangerous place, you’ll encounter the most difficult problems than your expectations from home.
Before you buy your first international airline ticket, consider the following seven tips for first-time travel abroad.
1. Get a passport. It used to be possible to travel from the US to Canada or Mexico with only a driver’s license. With the increasing threat of terrorism around the world, however, even our closest neighbors require travelers to have a passport. Although the process is relatively simple, you should allow yourself a couple of months to get it right.
To apply for a passport the first time, you’ll need to submit a completed application (available online), along with fees, a recent photo, proof of citizenship, and a photocopy of your ID. You must apply in person at a passport acceptance facility; local post offices are the most convenient locations. For photos, consider Costco if you have a membership or your local drugstore if you do not. Remember to keep extra pictures, as they may come in handy if you need to apply for a visa.
2. You may need a visa. While many countries allow you to visit for 30 to 90 days with a tourist card purchased on arrival, it is becoming increasingly common for countries to require a visa. To find out if you do, check the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs website. Remember that you may need to obtain a visa even if you are just planning to travel through a country. While the process is not complicated, it may be a hassle if you have to go to a major city to get a visa on short notice. Note that some countries require you to apply for a visa from your home country, so it is best to do your research in advance.
3. Travel light. As a rule, you’ll want to pack your bags and walk around the block with them before you consider bringing them aboard the airplane. While you may believe you need to bring one of everything, most seasoned travelers will tell you that packing light is the key to having a good time. There is nothing worse than being weighed down by a heavy bag if you have to make a last-minute change to your itinerary. In the worst case, you can purchase anything you need (except medicines) when you arrive.
4. Slow down. While it’s tempting to pack every minute with some activity, you’ll find you won’t remember much of your trip if you move too quickly. Six European capitals in six days may seem like an action-packed trip, but you’ll find any disruption to your plans will cause a cascading effect on your schedule likely to make you miserable. If you have a choice, pick one city and see it right.
5. Eat more dinners, see fewer sights. Seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Champs-Elysees are all worthwhile activities but don’t forget to spend time with friends and family (or even strangers) around a dinner table. While you may miss some of the sights, long dinners with friends, new and old, open a world of life and culture that you would not find at home. There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread or the buzzy high of a glass of Champaign as you feel the sun on your face. If you miss something significant, you can always look it up on your phone at the airport while waiting for your flight home.
6. Embrace serendipity. Some of the best opportunities you’ll ever have while traveling abroad will be unexpected events. While it may seem contradictory, you have to prepare for the unexpected. Make sure to leave room in your schedule to join a parade, hop on a ferry, or accept an invitation from a wedding party. If you are open to the opportunity, there’s no telling what unique and exquisite event you’ll find.
7. Buy souvenirs at the airport before you go home. Since most keepsakes are made in China and shipped to tourist sites, there are few authentic handicrafts that you can’t get at home or sent to you after you’ve arrived. Don’t waste your time wandering around tourist shops looking for that exact trinket for your cousin back home. If you have to buy something, then get it at the airport on your way home. No one will be able to tell the difference between tourist swag from the airport and stuff from a shop next to a church or museum.
While not everyone enjoys the first trip abroad, most find it a memorable experience. If you have an adventurous soul, embrace serendipity full throttle. There’s nothing more exciting than the feeling of arriving in a new country with no plans, no reservations, and no idea what’s just around the corner. Traveling is much more straightforward once you learn to look at everything within the context of the human condition: everyone has to eat, sleep, and use the restroom. As soon as you come to that realization, you have only to observe the world around you to know where to go and what to do next. In most places, you’ll find the locals will be warm and welcoming if you give them the benefit of the doubt. While you may have a bad experience from time to time, the risk you take on will reward you many times over if you give it the opportunity.
