I’m going on my first overseas trip with my girlfriend since we started dating. I worked hard all last year to earn and save money for this trip. It will be our first international trip ever, and I want to make it perfect, memorable, and the best trip of our lives.
I’ve read countless articles online to ensure everything is perfect. It felt overwhelming to the point that my head started to hurt. Fortunately, I found an article that provided a detailed guideline, and it seemed like the perfect guide. My girlfriend and I have been following it, and it has been very helpful so far.
However, I decided to come to this community to seek additional guidance, advice, and tips from you all, just in case the article missed something important. My girlfriend and I would greatly appreciate any travel tips, advice, and guidance you have, as this is our first trip abroad together.
Look up how social norms in that country differ from your own. It would suck to need the bathroom and to then find out, while in the bathroom stall, that toilet paper is not provided because the norm is that everyone brings their own, and to hope that 1) there’s someone in the stall next to you 2) who understands you and 3) is nice enough and 4) has enough to share with you.
Three nights minimum in each location. It feels rushed if it’s shorter.
Call your bank and credit cards you have and let them know you will be leaving the country. This will hopefully stop them from putting holds on your account that prevents you from spending.
Honestly, expect shit to go wrong. Sounds like you’ve gotten all the important shit done. You’ve got a plan, you’ve been working towards it for a while and seems like your partner is into it as well.
We had a similar trip a few years back, first time overseas for some of us. Lots of planning and preparation went into it. Then our trip planner fucked up one of our bookings in Paris. Meaning we almost missed out on doing some tour that ended on the Eiffel Tower. A couple of times trains were missed/delayed.
The only times the trip strayed away from being the fantastic trip it was is because people let small (and sometime not so small, to be fair) disappointments or missed expectations turn into high stress/anxiety events. You’re going overseas, shit may go wrong; be ready for it and be cool with it (while also making sure you have travel insurance). Also take time away to do shit yourselves that the other may not want to do and always have set meeting times and locations to check in if you do.
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Buy good walking shoes, not just basic sneakers. Your feet will thank you later.
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Download offline maps so you can find your way if you lose data/reception.
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If your travel is focused on going around and not staying put at your accommodation (i.e. resort), don’t bother with getting super expensive hotels. What’s important is that it’s clean and safe. You can use the money saved for when you’re actually going around.
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Save scans of your passports and other important documents on your phone or somewhere online, in case it gets lost or stolen.
If possible pay to have international service in that country with internet data, I did it when I visited Japan last year and the extra 30 bucks were worth it for the couple weeks I spent there. I had Hotspot available to me as well and I used it to ensure my traveling companions also had access to data. I actually looked into getting a mobile Hotspot rented but just paying for international was a better deal for me.
Plus one for the offline maps. You never know if you’re going by an area with poor reception.
If it’s a country where you don’t speak the language check out the translating apps. Google does a great job and I also used DeepL to great effect.
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Figure out how many drinks you can have without getting drunk, and then drink only half that many. Altitude effects how hard alcohol hits you. Also, don’t mix alcohol and sleeping or anxiety medications.
None of us drink, but thank you very much for your tip.
Pro tip: trips aren’t perfect. It’s life, nothing will be perfect. BUT learn to roll with things and don’t take it super hard of something goes awry. Some of my best memories and stories are from agonizing parts of trips.
Also, don’t plan out all you time there, leave some free time open to list about. You’ll be there with your SO, you intend to spend quality time with them, it’s great to have open time to go do something that catches either of your attentions rather than dismiss it due to “vacation appointments” like a tourist spot you planned.
Take pictures or memorabilia of whatever suits you, I have pictures of cool mirrors in hotels, or a wonky bathtub. Again don’t dwell too much on making it perfect, the perfect spot, the perfect picture etc. I have a hilarious picture of an SO with a guy running across the shot, I got him in multiple frames. Still some of my favorites from the trip.
Grab some local currency before you arrive so it’s on hand, know what ATMs can allow you to pull money from for free (Bank of america has a bunch of partners all over Europe) and Don’t let the TSA disappear it from your bag.
I really love that pro-tip that you have mentioned. I was too naive to make it perfect, but your tip has changed my perspective on this. Thank you very much for this pro tip.
Absolutely! Glad I could help, enjoy your time together!
Others have said it, but I’ll stress it some more. Don’t overplan. Whenever I go somewhere I make a list of all the places I wanna go to and I only schedule one place/day. Two at most if they’re small things. But don’t plan a museum in the morning and then a second place/museum in the afternoon, for example. You’ll never make it to the second place. Or you will but you’ll be too tired to enjoy it.
1-2 places/day are enough. Trying to cram too much stuff into a day will ruin your trip, really.
Piggybacking to add that it will make you feel disappointed when you plan for 5 things and don’t get to them all, or don’t end up fully enjoying them because you were rushing from place to place. Plan some things, but give yourself room to want to take a lot of extra time at one place, or to explore stuff nearby.
In the army they say: “No plan survives first contact with the enemy” I believe, right? I think the same counts for trips abroad. You’ll probably get sick in the first days because of all thr built up stress preparing for it, you will forget something “important” when leaving the airplane, the museum you really wanted to see might be closed that week because of renovations, etc.
What I remember most from my trips are those cafes you stumble upon that afternoon you did not plan anything, that sunset on the edge of the river while walking back to the place you’re staying and the best souvenir is that painting you bought from that friendly guy at that market you came across. So, try to take it slow.
More practical tips: try to follow the local schedule. For instance, in Spain don’t try to eat dinner before 21:00 and in France don’t try to go shopping during lunchtime.
Also, take some emergency food for when you cannot find a nice place to eat that still has a spot for two but you are getting really hangry. A bar of some sorts for instance.
And take pictures, but don’t experience everything through your lense. Also, imagine what you would actually like to view when back home. I only take pictures with people on them and not in any tourist hotspots; I can find enough pictures of those online already.
Enjoy!
That reminds me. My favorite memory of my last trip was missing the last train and walking 25 minutes at midnight crossing bridges and walking by a river while we experience the nice cool air and melancholy streets of Japan. Definitely a vibe.
Yep. Agreed. Unplanned bits are often very memorable. Took shelter in a random café in Vienna and had amazing cakes. My favourite memory from that trip, I think.
Have a broad plan, but don’t fuss about sticking to it too much.
Except the pictures bit. There I disagree.I like taking pictures of touristy stuff and such. Because It’ll help me remember the way I experienced the place. And pictures of stuff in museums because it’ll help me remember what I enjoyed most. I don’t wanna have to look up a list of all the expositions later on in order to find something I wanna review or share with someone.
Plan some alone time. You don’t need to be together the entire time and it is ok to plan to do different things.
Don’t try to make this trip perfect. Mistakes and bad things will happen on the trip; this is fine. It is better to focus on the good. If anything bad happens, it makes for a good story.
Don’t talk to random people coming up to you on the street, especially if they are speaking in your language.
Take something to help with the jet lag.
Get in decent walking shape. If you or your girlfriend have a sedentary life, it is going to be a big change when you are walking around everywhere. If you don’t do 10,000 steps a day on average now, start walking more while you have time to train.
The article that we are following has some good tips to avoid jet lag, and I hope they work. Thank you very much for all the tips. I found them very helpful.
This probably isn’t helpful, but I like guided tours where a tour guide tells you about the castles and churches while everyone dutifully takes pictures to prove they were there. The guide/agency arranges the busses/boats and hotels so all you have to do is follow along with the program. The downside is that it always costs too much. The upside is that you spend less time waiting in lines because the planners will have all that worked out with the various sites. Some of those trips are almost exclusively senior citizens, but some have wider age ranges. Either way, you get to meet a set of fellow travelers who may become permanent online friends.
Where you going? Where you coming from?
For general non-specific advice, be flexible, have a plan, have a backup plan have a backup backup plan. It’s inevitable something’s going to go wrong, don’t let that bring your mood down, treat every event as its own adventure. Meet changes with joy, and you’ll have more fun overall.
We’re from Singapore and are going to Japan. Thank you very much for your advice.
Where you going? Where you coming from?
Something something Cotton-eye Joe
you’re leaving out a lot of relevant info-- where are you going? do they speak english, or do one of you speak the destination’s language? will you have a guide? do you have your international cell phone plan squared away?
as others have said, if you think or expect everything to be perfect, you’re in for a disappointing trip. it won’t be “perfect” because nothing ever is. relax and try to enjoy it for the experience
Others have already said to let go about everything being perfect, because there will be things outside of your control that you cannot account for, so I won’t harp on about that.
Instead, I recommend a little pre-trip prep at home to make the end of your trip a dream as well. Take some time to clean the house/apartment, do the dishes and laundry, make the bed.
There is nothing like coming home after a long trip, but coming home to a mess or chores after a (hopefully) amazing time is a terrible way to cap off your vacation, so do yourselves a favor and spend a couple hours on making home perfect before you leave.
OMG! The article that I am following has mentioned these tips that you have mentioned. Are you the one who wrote this article?
Do you both already have passports? Visas? Travel insurance?
How are you getting there and back? How are you getting around in-country?
How will you spend money in that country? Is it one that requires cash? How do you get that cash if so?
Can you speak the language? You may want a phrasebook.
How will your phone work or will you turn it off completely to avoid roaming charges?
Will you be doing laundry? Do you know how to buy detergent and such?
Edit: also, how will you charge things? Are outlets and voltage the same? Do you need an adapter (fine if voltage same) or converter (such as when you’re form a ~100v country going to a ~200v country that would fry your electronics with just an adapter).
Have fun, and when you get tired, chill out and relax.
Don’t make yourself “have fun” if you feel more like relaxing
