Beginners Guide to International Travel
International travel is one thing that should be on everyone's bucket list. Whether you’re going to a neighboring country or you’re planning a trip halfway around the world, there is so much to see, you don’t want to miss out.
It can be scary taking your first international trip, but with proper planning, it’s much easier than you think. We have put together this international travel guide to make sure you are ready for your next trip abroad!
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Apply for a Passport
This is the most important part of the planning process because in order to travel internationally, you’ll need to have a valid, unexpired passport. Many countries will also require you to have at least three or even six months validity left on your passport from your dates of travel. So, if you don’t have a valid, unexpired passport, or your passport is expiring in three to six months, it’s time to get a new passport before your trip.
This process can take a few months! So plan ahead, and submit your passport request early to save yourself the stress or expediting fees closer to your departure date.
If this is your very first passport, your last passport was from when you were under 16 years old, your previous passport was lost, stolen, or damaged, or your last passport was from 15 or more years ago, you will need to apply for your passport in person. Here are the official steps for the new passport process.
If the above doesn’t apply to you, you simply have to renew your passport. You can do this via mail. Here are the official steps for the renewal process.
Choose your Destination
Now that you’ve either already have your passport or have applied for a new one, you can pick your international travel destination. This is largely based on your own interests, but as this is your first trip internationally, keep in mind things like language, similarity in culture to back home, and ease of travel-related infrastructures like trains or buses.
Do you want to go super simple? Maybe an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean to “get your feet wet” with international travel. Everything you could need is all in one place, food, drinks, entertainment, and you don’t even have to leave the resort. Or maybe you want to go on a more immersive trip and travel between cities by bus, train, or ferry. Whatever you decide, we know you’re going to have the most amazing time.
Apply for any Visas
Once you have chosen your destination, check whether you will need visas or not. A visa is essentially permission from a foreign government for you to be in their country. Some countries may grant you a free visa upon arrival with a simple stamp on your passport. Other countries simply require you to fill out a form online and pay a small fee before you can board your flight. However, some countries require expensive visas which you must apply for months in advance. It all depends on the country you are visiting, your passport country, and how long you plan to stay in that country.
Other Travel Requirements
Before confirming your destination, be sure to check if any vaccines are necessary or required for that destination. Some vaccines are simply recommended for your own health, while others are requirements before you will be allowed into the country, or even allowed into other countries afterward (like yellow fever). The CDC website is an easy way to check this. Some vaccines, like yellow fever, are low in supply and hard to get last minute. Others, like malaria pills, require a doctor’s prescription, so don’t leave this step until the last minute!
Also, make sure there are no travel restrictions or decision-altering political tensions for your destination. Do this by checking the Travel Department site. Simply type in your destination country’s name into the search bar on the left-hand side of the screen.
Determine your budget
Some destinations are very credit card friendly, while others operate on only cash and debit cards. Some countries don’t even have ATM machines, so you’ll need to do a bit of planning before departure to make sure you’re not stressing during your trip, and to save yourself transaction fees.
Most banks charge a 3% fee every time you use your credit card to pay for a foreign transaction. As you can imagine, this adds up to a lot over the course of even a one-week international trip. The good news is, many banks offer credit cards without foreign transaction fees.
When you travel, spend your cash on what you love. Don’t feel like you have to go to all of the hyped-up tourist attractions. Save your money so that you can splurge on things that you’ll always remember. Get one night in a fancy hotel or go out for an incredible meal rather than shelling out cash for Starbucks or experiences you can have back home. We like to find all of the most unique experiences that we wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else!
Plan an Itinerary
Ready to make your dream a reality? It is time to start planning your itinerary!
While you want to leave some wiggle room for spontaneous adventures, it’s best to have a list of things you want to do and see. It’s also important to decide how long you can travel and where you want to go.
If you are planning to visit a few different places, figure out how many days you want to stay, and how easy it’ll be to get from one place to the next. Can I take a train, do I need to fly between cities, can I walk from place to place, is a rental car a good idea, are there taxis out this far? You can definitely plan a trip on short notice, but for first-timers, questions like these are the main reasons we suggest planning as far in advance as you are able.
Another item to note is that operating hours vary from country to country, and some activities are seasonal so search online to get all of the details. From personal experience, we can tell you how important this is!
Don’t have time to do all of the planning? Let us do it for you with a custom trip itinerary!
We are not sure we believe that “everyone” should “always” get travel insurance. But for a first trip abroad, it’s worth considering. We typically never purchased it when we traveled places we knew well. However, these days, we do purchase travel insurance. It often only costs a few dollars per day, and usually covers lost baggage, medical visits for accidents or illnesses, theft, and more. If you are planning adrenaline activities or traveling somewhere distant, you should consider it!
Book your flights
After you’ve decided how many days you need, and what your travel dates are, you can start looking for flights. The person sitting next to you may very well have paid double for their airline tickets, or worse, they might have paid half the price you did! Not all travel websites are created equal so do your homework before you hand over your hard-earned cash.
One of our favorite sites to search for airline tickets is Google Flights. We love how easy it is to customize searches. For example, you can add multiple departure and arrival airports (just hit the plus sign in the entry field), filter on certain connection airports, and get flight price alerts for any changes saving all of your filters. It searches through every single airline to find you the best prices. If you are flexible when it comes to your travel dates, you may be able to fly even cheaper. Sometimes one day can make a huge difference in prices.
Book your accommodations
Once your flights are booked, it’s time to start looking at accommodations. Depending on your location, you might not need reservations. We would always recommend booking at least the first night, but you can leave the rest of the nights open if you’re more of a wanderer. If you’re traveling to a city, it’s usually easy to find the perfect spot to spend the night.
The easiest way is to do what works best for you! If it stresses you out to not have your room booked, get everything set in stone. If you’d rather play it by ear, go for it, but have some knowledge about your destination first.
So many things can affect your ability to get a room, like festivals, events, local holidays, and business conferences, so make sure you know what to expect before you arrive.
We typically have accommodations booked for every night of our trip before departing. When we book we make sure that there is free cancellation (normally requires at least 24 hours notice) so if our plans change, we can cancel and book something else!
Preparing for departure
Scan the front page of your passport
Before leaving home, make a copy of the front page of your passport (the page with your picture). Either print it out or send it to yourself via email. In case your passport gets lost, stolen, or damaged during your international trip, this makes it easier to have your passport replaced abroad at an embassy.
Expect cultural differences
Every country or region has its own culture and norms, and that’s what makes traveling so interesting! In some places, like the US, it’s common to greet strangers “hello,” or for shop associates and waiters to be extra doting. In other places, like much of Europe, the slower cafe and restaurant culture means your waiter might not come to you unless beckoned. It’s almost seen as if the waiter is rushing you in their culture. Similarly, in Japan, it’s offensive to tip waiters, as it suggests their only incentive to do their job well is receiving your pocket change. No culture is right or wrong, but keep an open mind as you travel, and don’t assume something means the same as it does back home.
Language barriers
Many popular travel destinations have adopted English as a common language due to how many international tourists they encounter regularly. So, if you know English, chances are you’ll be fine getting around many travel destinations around the world. But it still doesn’t hurt to learn some basic words in your destination’s language.
Saying “hello” or “thank you” in a person’s mother tongue can go a long way in warming them up towards you. Learning common menu items or words on train station signs will also likely make your life easier and give you more confidence abroad. If you have an international phone plan or access to wifi, Google translate will be your new best friend!
International Flights
Even if you’ve flown domestically before, flying internationally can be a whole different experience. Here are a few of our tips for international flights!
Carry-on Luggage
Packing carry-on luggage for an international trip is similar in many ways to a domestic trip. The same rules apply with regard to liquid sizes and electronics. However, as international flights tend to naturally be longer than domestic flights, there are a few extra considerations.
Make sure you are comfortable. Bring your own favorite headphones instead of using the uncomfortable free or for sale headphones onboard the flight. Also, bring an eye mask (and a neck pillow if you need that) so that you can try to sleep a bit. You’ll also want to pack clothing items like one pair of pajamas and one or two proper outfits, in case your luggage is lost or delayed. It would be super inconvenient to buy these things right after you land in a foreign country!
Flight Etiquette
No one likes flying. So to make it easier on everyone, here are some best practices for being polite while in the airport and on the plane.
While in the airport, don’t stand up and crowd around the gateway before your boarding group is called. Everyone will get their chance to board, and more than likely you all have assigned seats, so your seat will still be there when it’s your turn to board.
Once on the plane, the middle seat person gets dibs on the inner armrests. This is a common courtesy.
Right after the plane lands, don’t rush to pull your luggage from the overhead before the plane doors have even opened (especially if you’re in the back of the plane!). If you’re in a rush to catch a connection you think you might miss, ask the flight attendants BEFORE landing if they can help you get off first. Sometimes they’ll make an announcement that everyone should stay seated until those about to miss a connection exit the plane first.
Stay Healthy
The last thing you want is to get off your flight and feel unwell the first days of your epic trip! Here are precautions you should take to ensure you land in tip-top shape.
Stay hydrated! Airplane air has less humidity (only about 10 – 20%), so make sure you are drinking enough water, especially on long flights. We always bring large, refillable water bottles when we fly far distances. We fill up at an airport water fountain right after passing security and finish it all before boarding. Then, refill it again to have a full supply while on board. This is important not only for headaches but also to prevent skin breakouts on the days after landing.
Keep the blood flowing. Not only are you not moving for hours upon hours when flying internationally, but your feet are flat on the floor the entire time, too. This isn’t great for blood circulation and can cause swelling in your ankles and feet the days after your land. (It’s also just not good for your health to not move!) So, make it a point to get up and walk around the plane. Since you’ll be drinking a lot of water anyways, maybe walk up and down the aisles for some minutes each time you finish using the toilets. Do some simple stretches. If you have a layover with enough time, walk around the terminal before boarding your second flight.
Stay clean. Even pre-pandemic, planes and airports have never been the cleanest places to be. Wash your hands frequently with soap, use hand sanitizer, and consider disinfecting your food tray, screen, and armrests right after getting on board. Make sure not to touch or pick your face too much either, especially since it’s already dealing with the dehydrating air!
Let us know what some of your international trip planning tips are in the comments!