3 Keys to Traveling Abroad

So, you are a prospective international traveler planning a nice getaway abroad huh? Or you could possibly be entertaining the idea of going abroad at some point and just want to know some tricks of the trade to ensure that you have a good time when you do. Either way, I have got you covered. Planning a trip abroad can be a very stressful process of planning, booking, and researching and that is often times well before you even secure a plane ticket. The last thing that you want to happen is to go someplace and not be able to relax, take in the scenery or enjoy yourself at all when you do. I am here to make sure that after the stress of booking and researching, it is well worth the trip when your extremely long plane ride does finally touchdown in a destination vacation.

1. Be Open to the Culture 

This one boils down, in the simplest of terms, to understanding and appreciation but, it may surprise you to know that this is one of the toughest things for most travelers to do when going to another country. To be open to understanding and learning about another culture entirely different than your own (with possibly minor similarities, of course) is not an easy feat to accomplish for everyone. Many people lack this basic skill due to clinging to the idea that it can seem unnecessary. The question becomes, why would I need to learn about this country’s culture to have a good time? I can simply see and interact with all the things that this country is known for and the lack of a local perspective on it all will become obsolete. That is not very accurate. You see, no one can understand or appreciate a country better than the people that live there. Being an outsider you lack that perspective entirely so your appreciation for all the cool little details and places in that country cannot exist in the way you may think about it. When you have a friend come to visit you in your state, city, or even country of living do you let them learn about all of the things that truly make living there great on their own? Do you give them a map with all the “coolest” things to do in that place and send them on their merry way? Your answer SHOULD be a very strong NO. You tell them about that place yourself and explain the little details like neighborhood slang terms or accents, social behaviors, and hidden gems. You give them a perspective that allows them to enjoy the things that they do while visiting there much more because they understand what it means to have the opportunity to do them in this place, even for the people that live there every day. Being open to another culture’s understands and perspective on the aspects of their country you will find has a much better chance of helping you to enjoy just being there. This reigns true even if you do hardly anything other than walking around and taking pictures. It will amaze you how much fun you can have just walked around a place with an exciting local country guide with the metaphoric keys to the city and a passion for sharing why their country is so great. 

2. Take Trips away from Tourist Traps 

This is thankfully is becoming more commonplace with travelers but the importance of saying it still holds strong. I am not saying that you should not visit the known tourist spots to see the famous attractions after all, what is going to Paris if you don’t see the Eiffel Tower? What is going to London if you don’t take a picture in front of Big Ben? Attractions are a great place to begin an international adventure and you should go to see the ones that the country you will be visiting is known for. However, do not plan your trip around seeing these attractions. One thing you need to understand is EVERYONE wants to see the things just as much as you so the chances of them being extremely crowded, difficult to navigate and more than likely get you cheated out on souvenirs due to VERY overpriced merchandise is a virtual certainty. If you are traveling alone try to find out about the local hot spots that most tourists don’t know about. There are often places more fun to hang around than the ones that every American traveler will most certainly be. Having a local guide also helps with this and be aware that often times, the scripted tours are the worst offenders of taking you places that everyone already knows about. Now, this is where planning ahead comes into play very heavily. You don’t want to wander into a place you shouldn’t be or get lost because you took a round turn on bad directions but you should try to make a habit of walking around the neighborhood of your hotel or asking the desk attendant about some great places. They are a very great source of information about local hot spots and you have already paid for their services when you booked your hotel stay. Utilize them! 

3. Don’t Plan EVERY Aspect

 This one is more short, sweet and to the point but again, it is very much worth mentioning when it comes to traveling abroad. Planning to go there is hard enough a lot of times. You should plan your trip only as far as where you want to go and where you will be staying and getting around. DO NOT, however, plan EVERY aspect of what you will be doing down to the hours between each activity and for how long you will be there doing it. You need to remain as flexible as you can while still being able to understand what you came to the prospective country for. I can not list the amount of travel nightmare stories that I have heard and even been a part of because of planning too much in detail and just a single thing going wrong because we would be here all day. If you plan your trip this way you leave open the massive possibility that something can and probably will go wrong and it will throw off the rest of your planned vacation schedule. Know where you want to go. Know how far it is from your hotel and plan only a day or two around making sure you hit those spots but do not plan down to the hour. Give yourself some time to stay in a place for more time if you want to or to leave one place earlier than expected to head somewhere else because you don‘t enjoy it. Flexibility is an international traveler’s best friend!