Everyone wants to travel the world, but not everyone knows how to do so comfortably and with courtesy. Foreign travel can be intense and stressful, so here are five helpful tips for making it a trip to remember and not one to regret.
1) Don’t over fill your itinerary
It can be way too easy to overbook yourself and your travel companions with all the exciting and Instagram-able sight-seeing spots. When someone goes on the same trip for the 5th time that actually becomes hard, but when it’s your first time overseas or simply your first time in a new location, we are more prone to forget how travel-induced fatigue will affect us (jetlag, man). Imagine the first time you tried cheesecake or a donut hole: how hard was it to not overeat simply because you had never tasted this specific delicious thing? Traveling is much the same, with the bonus of adrenaline.
Choose a few big things to do each day, keeping in mind operating hours and transportation, and plan in reasonable gaps of time for not only travel time but also resting, eating, and any potential emergencies. When my family was in Ireland, we were driving our rental car to attend a local congregation of our faith when we hit a curb and got a flat tire. We ended up being late enough that we didn’t make it and learned that not only that tire is spelt “tyre” in Ireland, but that our getting ready habits back home wouldn’t cut it in a foreign land in order for us to have an enjoyable experience.
2) Research before hand (make the trip unique)
There will always be those iconic sights you’ve been dreaming to see, and most of the time they aren’t going anywhere. The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, Chichen Itza, the famous and fun ones. However, sometimes specific places become either overrated or a tourist trap. It is totally worth it to do just a little bit of research and find the out-of-the-way and lesser known sights. On my family’s second trip to Paris we didn’t want to see the Eiffel Tower again but when I did just some basic Googling and Pinterest researching, I discovered the fairly famous Montparnasse tower, a skyscraper with a beautiful panoramic view of Pairs…including the Eiffel Tower.
Keep in mind ticket prices and working hours! Watch out for local holidays, too, because humanity is so diverse, yet we often forget to look outside ourselves. Do this research before you book your plane tickets and before you get there. You don’t want to travel to Paris and pencil in hours for the Catacombs only to find that they closed the day before for an entire month. Regardless of how and what you plan, though, be excited about it! Choose things you want to do, not the things everyone else does when they go there.
3) Packing, Packing, Packing
It is not worth it to overpack, ever, especially if you want to be able to bring souvenirs back. Trust me, the queen of overpacking. Don’t overpack on accessories and don’t under pack necessities. It’s a good rule of thumb to bring an extra set or two of underwear, and since you’ve done the researched planning you know what kind of activities you’ll fill your time doing—by extension, you’ll know what kind of clothing and shoes will best fit your trip.
Don’t forget to look up the weather for the time you’re supposed to be there, even if it’s just getting a general idea of the climate in that region at that time of year. When my family went to Ireland in August, I didn’t pack anything warmer than a light crocheted sweater, whereas when we went to central Mexico in November, I packed all sweaters and jeans. Mistakes on both parts, though I did ultimately survive and enjoy both trips.
Keep in mind not just the meteorological climate but also the socioeconomic climate: you simply do not wear tons of jewelry when in Mexico City, and you just don’t wear bright blue yoga pants and a neon orange t-shirt in Paris, France. Well, you can, but in terms of both safety and fashion, blending in is a lot more fun (and safety conscious) than you might initially realize.
4) Culture and Courtesy
Different behaviors are acceptable in different places. For example, in some countries it is polite and even expected to tip, while in others it can be seen as offensive. Burping and coughing in public can be annoying but fine in one place, but insanely rude in others. Remember how earlier I mentioned research? Well, here’s some more research you should do about the place you are soon to visit. Learn what some of the basic customs are and remember that even if you can’t get things perfect the people will appreciate your attempt to adhere to their standards of politeness.
Consider these things: which side of the sidewalk do people walk on, is the train/subway a better option than a cab, what apps might be useful there, and would a hotel or a B&B be more enjoyable? While in Boston the subway is perfectly accessible and acceptable, Houston doesn’t have much more than a metro and light rail system. Never forget: be aware. Not just for safety reasons but also to prevent offense (or apologize when it happens). People communicate with body language more than they do with oral communication no matter the language spoken.
5) Last but not least, Language
Not everyone can expect to prepare for a trip by learning how to speak the native language fluently and conversationally. However, important and universal phrases are worth memorizing (where is the bathroom, how much is this, good morning/afternoon, do you speak English, etc.). You never know who around you will understand your native language, so it’s important to also be mindful of your private conversations; they’re not always that private. It’s important to always be polite not just because being polite is the right thing to do, or even that you’re representing your home country while traveling, but overall it makes the trip significantly more enjoyable when you treat people the way you want to be treated. Some phrases or words mean different things colloquially so once again do your research and be mindful of what you say and how you say it.
There you have it, five tips so help prepare you for your first or next foreign trip. Just remember, that research and Pinterest aside, those aides will only get you so far—ultimately experience and trial and error are your best teachers when it comes to traveling in foreign lands.
Sarah Marin, while only 21, has been able to travel extensively both domestically and internationally in a variety of situations and modes of transportation. She hopes to graduate with a Bachelor's English degree from BYU-Idaho April 2020.
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