Travel tips for beginners?

Welcome to Fluther.

Pack lightly. You have to carry whatever you pack around with you.

Keep an itinerary with all of your flight information, reservation confirmation numbers, etc. very handy.

Write down people’s addresses and phone numbers that you may want to contact while you are on the road.

Bring something for immune system support before you go on the plane (such as Airborne or EmergenC).

Don’t plan every second of your trip. Leave room for some serendipity.

Where are you traveling to? And welcome to fluther.

Thanks for the welcomes. I’m not sure where I want to go yet. I just filed for my passport this week. I’ve made it a mission this year to get out and see more of the world.

Begin your traveling experiences by arranging to be in a place which isn’t where you live.

Not to be a downer, but figure out a worst case scenario and plan accordingly.

Don’t pack expensive, irreplaceable (as in jewelry), or electronic items in your luggage. I always carry my computer, camera, iPod, etc. in my carry-on. I know people who have had things stolen from their luggage while it was in transit. I also recommend getting some of those TSA locks and locking your bags closed. It’s not high security, but it makes it much harder for someone to just open up the bag and steal things.

Put a toothbrush, a change of underwear, any medications you might need, and so on in your carry-on. It really sucks to be in a foreign place and have the airline lose your luggage. Best case scenario, they get it to you the next day, but sometimes they don’t find your bags for days or weeks. You don’t want to be without your meds, for sure, and I personally would enjoy having something fresh to change into after traveling all day.

Be open, friendly, and patient when dealing with people. You know the saying ‘you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar’? It is so true, especially when traveling. People are so much more willing to help you out, or even to bend rules for you at times, if you treat them nicely and respectfully. It also opens you up to serendipity, as @marinelife said. If you’re open to possibilities, you may meet a local who has the skinny on what to do or where to eat. You could make a new friend or two.

That being said, exercise some caution, as well, but not in an anxious way, simply in a common sense kind of way. Keep an eye on who and what is going on around you, keep your belongings close at hand, and trust your gut if someone/something feels shady. I generally don’t let people bump into me, as skilled pickpockets use that as a diversion. Don’t keep all your cash in one place, in case your purse/wallet gets stolen, your pockets picked, etc. Keep only a reasonable amount out and available at a time, so you have a backup if anything happens to it.

Welcome to Fluther and happy travels! :)

Bring two credit cards and keep them seperate. It’s no joke if you loose your one and only credit card in a different country, especially if you’re on your own.

Welcome to Fluther.

I read some great advice last year that sounds excellent: A week before you go, pack what you think you’ll need. The night before you go, remove half of that… and take twice as much cash as you were planning.

A specific tip about packing lightly: I have found while traveling that I wear the same clothes every day. Specifically, the same leggings, skirt, and sweater/jacket. You can save SO much room if you count on wearing a couple stretchy casual skirts (good for dinners out AND climbing volcanoes!). Pants take up a lot of room. Rather than bring a jacket, I bring three different weighted black sweaters. Therefore I have 7 warmth options (A, B, C, A and B, B, and C, A and C, or A B and C on colder days). I wear sporty mary-jane shoes like Keens or El Naturalista, again good for both dinner or more rugged activity.

In summary, my perfect travel outfit is: those shoes, neutral leggings, neutral skirt, colorful shirt, combo of black sweaters. And don’t bother bring more than a couple pairs of earrings (I believe I did pearl studs and black plastic hoops last time).

If you’re trying to save space, don’t forget that you can wash out your socks and underwear in the sink, and hang them to dry overnight. That way you only need two pair of each.

Pick up a cheap multi-function outlet adapter. You can probably get one that will work pretty much anywhere for $10 or so.

Consider taking a laptop with you if you plan to take a lot of photos. I take pictures of everything, but then once I’ve gotten home I can’t remember where some of them were taken, or the name of the tiny town, etc. It’s so much easier to upload your pictures onto your computer as you go, and label the folders so you won’t forget what’s what.

Think about getting travellers’ cheques. They might seem silly, but really, they’re super safe. Speaking of money, let your bank and/or credit card company know that you’ll be travelling. Some places will stop your credit card if they see uncharacteristic activity – best to let them know in advance.

Pick up travel-sized shampoos or other toiletries at the dollar store. Ditto for a small package of wet wipes. Don’t forget that you’re only allowed to take small bottles of liquid onto the plane.

If you carry a purse, take one with a long strap so that you can wear it diagonally across your body, so that it’ll be less likely to be snatched. Don’t leave the strap so long that you can’t easily rest your hand on your purse.

If you’re travelling to another country where you don’t speak the native language, pick up a phrasebook to help you ask for directions, etc. Worst case scenario – point to the phrase if you can’t pronounce it properly.

Good answers guys, I appreciate it! Every little bit helps.

Pack light! :) It makes adventuring more flexible and allows for more spontaneity.

Nothing worse than hauling around a heavy suitcase.

One of the things I’ve noticed after years of travel, is that I tend to wear the same couple of things, every day. Those outfits that I used to pack thinking, “Oh I might like to wear that” never got worn.

A really freeing experience was traveling to Samoa for 3 weeks with only a small ‘carry-on’ sized backpack. I found I had more than I really needed, too!

If you like to shop, you’ll want to buy clothes while you’re traveling, too. It’s always nice to ‘blend in’ a little with the locals (safer, too) and there are lots of great finds no matter where you travel to.

Enjoy discovering the world around you! Travel can become a fantastic passion.

Whenever you are traveling, just write few lines daily about your travel experiences. It will hardly take five minutes or so. At the end of your travel when you will combine all the things together then it will come out with a wonderful trip report which will help you in your future travels. The little things you have experienced while on your travel will be captured and it will help you a lot in your future travels.

Excellent idea shonbro. I usually try to keep a few notes from each day of vacations. It’s amazing what you forget without a little reminder. Welcome to fluther.

Get a nice travel bag for carry-on. Not too small, not too big. Just right for your essentials. Like this.

Photocopy your travel documents ie, passport, plane tickets, bus tickets, itinerary (if you have one), travel insurance and bank statements and leave one copy with your parents or someone responsible at home and pack another copy in your backpack separate to the originals.

First and the foremost thing: do not take with you a lot of luggage, instead carry along some light weight bags with you to make yourself feel comfortable while traveling. Carry casual pairs with you. Know about the place in terms of temperature, localities, people etc.