Got the travel bug growing inside you? Do you scroll through social media and see how people are adventuring beyond and wish that could be you? Want to see the world but don't know the way? Here are some of my tips and takeaways that I've learned through my experiences abroad and around. From preparing for your trip to what to do when you are there.
1. Strive for Sustainable Travel.
I wanted to start this blog post with talking about sustainable traveling. Since the pandemic started, there has been a high demand for mass tourism that has led to detrimental effects. Unfortunately, traveling is negatively impacting the local communities, cultures, and natural environment. The UN World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism perfectly:
“Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”
For example, research the impact you might make when you decide on a place to go. Right now as I am writing this blog post, Hawaii should not be the place you should be traveling to as we transition out of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are struggling with gentrification, homelessness is at an all time high, and their hospitals cannot keep up with the demand of medical supplies to take care of Covid patients. As you travel, keep in mind ways that we can continue to preserve the nature, culture, and history of the place that you are visiting. This blog post explains sustainable travel, the three pillars of sustainability and how to be a mindful traveler.
2. When planning an itinerary, have days that are completely empty.
- As a organizer and planner myself. I've had to learn this the hard way through my trip to South Korea. My best friend and I only had about less than a week to see Seoul and so when it was time to plan the itinerary, we tried everything to cram as much as we could into each day. When it came time to pack out bags at embark on our trip, we ended our trip drained. It was fun looking back and I don't have any regrets, but we wished we had a day that was unplanned to relax and take it hour by hour. With that, learn how to be present. Instead of crossing things off your to-see list and prepare for what's coming next, learn to enjoy the journey. You have saved so much time and money to take yourself on this trip, so take in every second of it. Without the consequence of draining yourself at the end of each day.
3. Check if the city you are visiting has a city pass.
This is money-saver! Basically a city pass gives you discounted access to the city's main attractions. They have different kinds ranging for how long you want to use the use the pass for based on your trip. I talk more about the DiscoverSeoul pass in this blog post here.
4. Use Mobile Passport and TSA Pre-check.
To make your traveling experience smoother, I would highly recommend using the Mobile Passport and getting TSA Pre-check. The Mobile Passport allows you to go through customs faster when you arrive back to the United States from a different country. It's an app that you use where you upload your passport information and it's verifies you right away so you can easily skip that long line! (And trust me, you're not going to want to go through that line after a long flight). The TSA Pre-check allows you to pass through the airport security line. It you pay a small fee for the background check, but you can use it up to 5 years.
5. Using your debit/credit card? Call your bank!
Some banks will close your account if they see that you are using your card internationally. So make sure you give them a heads up to open your card during your trip.
6. Using your passport? Check if you need a visa!
Some countries require you to have a visa before you enter. Before I visited China for a study abroad trip, I had to apply and pay for a visa. Because sometimes when you have to pay for a plane ticket, they are going to ask for your visa number. Luckily having a visa there lasts for 10 years before it expires. So make sure you research if your travel destination requires you to get a visa.
7. Don't pack until the week of your trip.
What helps for me is to gradually add things to my luggage on things I might wear/bring for the trip and then on the night before do a thorough sweep on what you will be wearing and bringing. Because you won't know exactly the weather of your destination until the week of.
8. Have emergency essentials for your carry on.
You never know if your checked-in luggage is lost or accidentally transferred to a different place! That actually happened to my friend when we flew to China and she had to spend the first 2 days of our trip using things from her carry on and had to buy some clothes and toiletries as well.
Here's a brief rundown on what I usually have in my carry-on backpack:
- Toothbrush + toothpaste
- Tissues
- Hand Sanitizer
- Chargers
- Small face towel
- 1 or 2 days worth of clothes
9. Make a list of souvenirs/gifts/things you want to get.
By narrowing down a list, it will help you from over-spending on your trip. It also gives you an idea in your head on what things to seek out as you are sight-seeing in the day.
10. Always be flexible and open-minded.
Sometimes the best things in life come when you most least expected it. Echoing what I talked about in #1, don't have everything planned. You will never know what cool exhibit, cafe, or place that you will come across once you've decided to take the road less traveled.
10. Document your trip.
I'm a memory hoarder. I never want to forget the experiences that happens in my travels. I always bring my traveling journal to write down stories that happened, my thoughts and experiences and emotions visiting the place. I also like keeping ticket stubs, postcards, maps, receipts, boarding passes, polaroids pictures, stickers and things of that sort.
12. Try on their traditional clothing.
That was something that I wish I could've had done. When I was visiting Guatemala, they have tons of different designs of their huipil, which is their traditional clothing. Or when I visited Seoul, they had opportunities for you to rent their hanbok, their traditional attire. And if you can, support the local artisans there instead of buying from department stores!
13. Every time you leave a place, a part of yourself stays there.
You leave becoming a slightly different person. And that's what happened to me whenever I left to go home. I'm always itching to go back and visit because I realize there are so much more to explore and see.
And that's it! I hope that you have learned a thing or two about traveling based from my experiences. Wishing you the best adventures and the constant urge to explore beyond. Remember, leave only footprints and take only memories. ~
*I am not paid or sponsored for anything in this blog! Everything that I said here are my genuine experiences.
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