8 Tips for (Almost) Seamless International Travel

It’s so weird to think that almost exactly a month ago, I was flying back home from a few months of travel and adventure. These days, I’m laying pretty low, usually doing some combination of cooking, cleaning, working out, sipping hot beverages, walking my dog, reading, and watching Game of Thrones (why did I wait so long?).

Since coming back from Europe, I’ve gotten rather a lot of questions about how to do the whole traveling thing, especially solo. It can definitely be intimidating, but it gets easier with practice.

You have to be willing to make the occasional mistake, but that doesn’t mean everything needs to be a fiasco. In fact, I think you can plan some pretty successful travel even as a total rookie - and I want to make it easier for you! Here are 8 simple, helpful tips that hadn’t crossed my mind in September.

Plan your transportation

If you’re thinking, “Duh, Ellen,” I get it. Of course, you’re going to book your flight or train or boat to your next destination. But don’t forget to think about what happens when you get there with all your luggage and need to find your way to the place you’re staying.

Some options:

• Taxi: It’s usually pretty easy to take a taxi from a major airport or train station, even if they cost a bit more than some other options. Make sure you know what the local taxis look like, though, because there are imposters waiting to take way too much money from you. 
• Public transportation: Again, most airports and train stations will have a metro or subway station attached or nearby. Do your research to see if one will take you close to where you’re staying. If you have a ton of luggage, this is not a fun option, but it is relatively cheap. I used it for my weekend trips, but not upon my initial arrivals in London and Paris.
• Uber: The rules about Uber are different in pretty much every country. In the US, they’re much cheaper and more convenient than taxis, but some places in Europe have regulations on Uber that make them about the same price as taxis, and in some places, they aren’t even around. They’re also usually not as easy to take from major stations as taxis, but you can usually walk nearby and grab one.

Use packing tools

You only have a limited amount of space in terms of packing, so use it wisely. I’m obsessed with Eagle Creek for all this, but I’m sure that there are other lovely companies that do it well, too.

Packing folders for clothes help you fold everything well and then compress it into a small amount of space. These bags are great for everything from containing workout clothes and socks to making sure your toiletries don’t leak all over the place or keeping cords separate.

Carry cash

If you’re from the US, at least, I think there’s a good chance that you are used to using credit cards a lot. And you can use credit cards a lot in Europe, too. However, it’s good to be prepared. Sometimes, credit cards get randomly declined, or you haven’t spent enough money at a given place to use a credit card, or you’re simply at a small restaurant that doesn’t take them. Having some local currency (depending on your travel destination) is a smart move. And yes, you can withdraw some once you’re here if you run out, but that incurs fees. I recommend ordering some a week or so before you leave to make sure it gets to you in time.

Find travel sites you trust

Unless you know someone who lives where you’re going or has been there in the past, you might very well be going into a country where you don’t know the language or the landscape totally blind. That’s okay, and it can be fun! You get to explore a brand new place all by yourself. However, if you want a little guidance (I usually do), find some internet friends/strangers you can trust.

I love Trip Advisor for opinions on everything from tour companies to sites worth seeing to restaurants to adventures. It’s how I found my skydiving company!

Expedia is pretty good for booking relatively cheap, comfortable flights. I’m told RyanAir is for those who don’t care about comfort at all, but if that’s you, go for it. AirBnb is excellent for usually-cheaper-than-hotels lodging (plus a little more local flavor). HostelWorld is good for anyone looking for cheap, quality rooms - I’m not into slumming it in terms of where I’m staying, but if you go for the highly-rated ones, you’ll find great cheap hostels.

And for all the walking and most public transportation schedules, I use Google Maps. It only let me down a few times in three months of near-constant use.

Buy tickets & tours before you land

My dad and I went to the Eiffel Tower with tickets I bought about 6 weeks beforehand. If we hadn’t, we would have had at least a two-hour wait just to go to the second floor. That’s crazy. If you know there’s something you want to do, book it far in advance and work the rest of your time around it. You can skip a lot of lines that way.

Keep a hand on your valuables

Though I’ve never thought much about it in the US, even living in Chicago for a few years, pickpocketing is apparently pretty common in a lot of large cities. Consequently, I began to practice not keeping more valuables on me than I can safeguard at a given time. So, my phone and ticket were usually in one jacket pocket (with my hand on them) and my wallet and camera were usually in a cross-body bag (with my hand on the closure).

I always heard I should bury everything at the bottom of my bag, but I personally feel safer always having an inventory of what’s there, rather than having to dig around to see everything. You do you, but I definitely didn’t get anything stolen.

Don’t try to do too much

You’re in a new place. You are going to be a little slow getting around. If Google Maps says it’ll take you a half an hour to walk somewhere, no matter how fast you think you walk, expect to get lost at least once and distracted by something at least once. Plan for 45 minutes to an hour. If you’re actually on time, it’s a fun surprise.

{I had a bunch of time to kill in London, so I looked up a few of the most highly-rated museums and wandered around.}

Similarly, if you try to pack your schedule with back-to-back tour reservations and meals and shows, you’re going to be rushed and overwhelmed. Focus on two to three things each day, unless your things are geographically close together.

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Your turn:

Any travel tips to add?

If you could go anywhere right now, where would you go?