If you’re planning your first trip abroad and need travel advice to get it all organized, you’re in the right place!
I would like to share several points to consider mainly for first-time travelers who plan to fly abroad for a few-day sightseeing trip. However, if you’re organizing your week-long beach vacation on an exotic island, some of the below would still apply for you!
1. Luggage
Let’s say you’re traveling to Paris to see the Louvre and the Eiffel tower. You’re going to spend 2-3 nights there and spend most of your days sightseeing or trying national cuisine. Now, having that in mind, do you really need those 4 shirts ‘just in case’., the 3rd pair of jeans and several pairs of shoes? I didn’t think so too.
The main rule for luggage on your sightseeing trips is: essentials only. You don’t want to pay for additional luggage fees, right? Try to gather most in hand luggage – a small travel bag or a backpack should be enough.
Your main essentials would be 2 shirts, 1 extra pair of jeans besides the one you’ll be wearing, and underwear. Don’t get carried away with the clothes – you can always buy a small pack of detergent and wash the clothes you will need to wear again. Depending on the weather, take a lightweight jacket with you as well.
More importantly, make sure you take your passport and any medicine you need to take. Never carry more than the absolutely essential documents.
2. Money-related
In my experience, it’s better if you don’t carry big amounts of cash. Only buy a small sum of the country’s currency so you will be prepared to pay entrance fees or buy food or water. In my experience, almost all of the hotels, guest houses or hostels can take credit or debit card payment. That would be the wiser choice, due to several reasons. You won’t risk losing any money due to currency exchange and if anything happens you can always dispute the charge with your card issuer.
Carrying little cash has other benefits as well. If you get your wallet stolen, all you need to do is call your card issuer to block your card. This will protect your finances, as opposed to losing all the cash you’ve brought.
I would also suggest to look at anti-theft wallets, backpack and purses. Travelon offers such items to protect you from pickpockets and ‘slash-and-grab’. Some of them are also protected against external card readers that can steal from your card from a small distance.
3. Health
Prior to your flight, don’t forget to check for any important health information in the country you will be visiting. Some countries require extra measures like vaccines or malaria drugs. You can use this site.
4. Accommodation
Don’t forget that you can use our instructions to book your stay in any hotel worldwide with 10% discount!
Rather than Googling ‘best hotels in Paris’ and then visiting the web page of each hotel you like, you should use a booking platform that keeps all hotels in your destination in the same place. Online platforms such as Trivago, Booking, TripAdvisor etc. keep an extended list of hotels all around the world. They feature guest reviews and hotel ratings that will help you choose your place to stay. Most of these platforms also serve for booking and payment, so you can choose your hotel and pay for it in the same place.
5. Planning how to spend your time
Every person who’s traveled a lot will tell you this – you don’t need to plan every hour of your short visit. Sure, it’s great to see all the landmarks of the city you’re staying in, but if you’re there for a short time, you may not be able to. Accept that and don’t fret over missing this church or that fountain. Some of the best experiences are the non-planned ones. Simply taking a long stroll through the city on foot or with urban transport could reveal places you would never see otherwise.
However, you should also have a general idea of the must-see places on your list. Personally, I would prefer to have as many must-see places as days I am in the city. This means, if I’m in Paris for 2 days only, I absolutely must go to the Louvre and to the Eiffel tower. All the other places I will visit will depend on my time and availability.
The reason you need a must-see list is because most of the popular destinations are over-crowded and you may not be able to get your tickets there. Plan this in advance and buy your tickets online to skip the queues and have more time to see it all.
Did you find this article helpful? Comment your advice and experience below!