So You Want To Plan a Trip…
I’ve received a ton of questions this week about how Ben and I planned our trip to Italy. Planning a trip overseas can be overwhelming. Where do you stay? How do you know what to do when you get there? What about the language barrier? Here are my Top 10 tips for planning a trip overseas.
1. Determine your budget.
Determine how much you’re willing and able to spend on your trip. Remember to factor in the amount of money you’ll need for food, sightseeing, getting around, shopping etc. once you arrive.
2. Decide where you want to go.
Will your destination be a tropical island, or a snowy getaway? Are you interested in sight seeing or relaxing? This will also determine how much money you’re going to need to have on hand once you arrive. Ie laying on the beach isn’t as expensive as buying a mountain pass to ski all day.
3. Decide when you want to go.
Heading to Australia during your summer break may seem like a good idea, but it’s actually winter down under when it’s summer in the US. Make sure you’re aware of what the weather conditions are going to be like at your destination before you book your trip.
4. Figure out how you’re going to get there.
If you’re able to drive to your destination, and only need to book a hotel, I recommend Hotels.com. Thier website has a great structure for comparing prices, ratings and areas.
If you need both a flight and hotel, my go-to booking agent is Expedia.com. Expedia always has the lowest prices of any of the travel websites, and they have the wonderful option of booking a multi-city trip. For example, I was able to book a flight and hotel in Rome, then a hotel in Praiano and return via the Naples airport, which was closer to Praiano then Rome.
Whether I’m flying or driving to my destination, I always check out TripAdvisor.com to double check the hotels I’m thinking about booking. Simply search for the hotel you’ve found on Hotels.com or Expedia:
Then check out the reviews:
I’ve never been steered wrong by this website. Of course, you’re going to get the occasional bad seed who bashes the hotel just because they’re the type of person who can’t be pleased in life, but generally you can get a really good feel as to if it’s going to be a good choice or not.
5. Research things to do.
If you’re going to Bora Bora, your list of things to do may be as simple as lay on the beach. If you’re planning on going to a large city with lots to do, make sure to do some research. I love reading travel blogs or checking out guidebooks at the local library to get ideas. Googling “Top 10 Things to Do in XYZ” always turns up some great ideas as well.
6. Look into transportation methods available at your destination.
Will you be traveling to multiple cities during your trip? A call to your hotel might help you determine how to get from point A to point B, but a quick search on the Internet will most likely answer your questions too.
When trying to figure out how we were going to get from Rome to Praiano, I simply Googled, “how to get from Rome to Praiano” and the answer popped right up.
My encouraging statement is – it’s often easier than you think!
7. If you’re planning on traveling Internationally, and need a passport, allow at least 3-4 months to acquire one.
Getting a passport takes a long time these days and, if you’re recently married, allow the same amount of time to get your current passport updated. I completely failed in that department, as my still valid passport still had my old last name on it, so I took along a certified copy of my marriage license, which worked too!
8. Exchange money before you go.
You’ll often get better exchange rates if you go through your bank to get the local currency instead of waiting until you’re at the airport. Make sure to do this at least a week in advance of your trip as most banks will have to order the currency. Often times they don’t keep a ton of it on hand!
9. Brush up on the local lingo.
Don’t assume everyone speaks your language. When I lived in Japan for a summer in college, nearly all the locals I interacted with knew enough English to get by. That wasn’t really the case in Italy. Having a pocket translator book and knowing a few key phrases helped immensely!
10. Notify your bank, family and friends before you leave.
Make sure someone will know where you will be at all times of your trip. Hand out copies of your itinerary to anybody who will take one and let your bank know that you’re leaving the country, if you plan on using your credit card, so they don’t suspend your account for suspicious activity.
All in all, traveling overseas is one of the most rewarding things you can ever do in your life. At times, the thought of planning and actually DOING it may seem daunting, but you’ll thank yourself a million times over in the end. You only live once, see the world while you’re at it!
Have a good day!
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What’s your best tip for traveling overseas?
I just found your blog I am from Iowa too. I love traveling overseas, so far I have been to Mexico, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Italy and France and I think this spring/summer I am likely going to Norway and possibly Iceland or Sweden as well. I have to get my exact details all sorted out and decided on. I like traveling with a cruise ship best because there is no switching of hotels 10 times or anything but I have gone the other route as well when I went to Scotland and Ireland and still a great time. :)
Those are all great tips, but I have to disagree on a couple of points. Number one, getting a passport these days actually doesn’t take that long. It used to be 6-8 weeks. The turnaround now is more like 2 weeks. I know this from personal experience and experience of friends.
Number two, I would say NEVER exchange money before you travel overseas. The best thing to do (and best way to get the right exchange rate) is to get money straight from an ATM in the country you are visiting. These are usually readily available right outside of customs. I’ve traveled extensively around the world (every continent except Africa) and have honestly never gotten money before I left. I would also recommend talking to your bank about international fees. Credit Unions offer the best option as most of them have zero international fees. ATMs in other countries do not charge fees but your bank may. Although anymore banks cover ATM fees to stay competitive.
Your tip about contacting your bank before you go is great! I forgot to do that once and got stuck in Paris for about 12 hours with little money.
First of all – that looks delicious. I have something like this for breakfast (oatmeal/red river cereal, with cardamom and raisins, and banana and milk on top) and I’m starting to get bored of it every single day.
Second thing: thanks for the tips. I’m planning on volunteering in Chile this summer then traveling around for a few days afterwards.
Nice list! I’ll say though that the best way to change money depends on where you’re going. For most places that I’ve been to (India, most of the EU countries, Switzerland) using the ATM is the best. Usually this gives you the very best rate, especially if you are taking out a large amount.
In Ukraine, Hungary and Czech republic (the latter two are EU but are for now still using their own currency) there are plenty of places to exchange currency that are clearly marked. Often these will be next to/inside a bank, department store, or large grocery store. Sometimes they look like small shops. You will notice them because they prominently display exchange rates. It is fine to exchange money at these places, the thing you don’t want to do is exchange with people on the street who may offer this. In many countries that is illegal.
Pack light! You don’t want to end up like I did when I went to Italy and having to buy an extra suitcase to bring home everything you collected while visiting. I guarantee you won’t end up wearing all the clothes you thought you would die without and if you pack light it will save you more at the airport when you check your bag and you’ll have more room to pack new purchases while you’re there! Great site by the way- you put a lot of work into this for sure and it shows!
Oh. my. gawd!!! I stumbled here through like, 3 or 4 blogs that I stumbled on from I don’t even know where at this point but your Oatgurt has me salivating!!! I am one of those super-obese people (not joking) and I know my kids are at like a zillion percent higher risk of becoming obese because of me, so I’m always looking for great recipes, but this I think falls under AWESOME! I’m checking out those chia seeds, too!
Good post Iowa Girl. I believe that everyone should travel at least once a year. Travel broadens the mind and makes you look at life in a different way.
Great tips!
I don’t travel anywhere without a copy of Lonely Planet, but good ol’ Rick Steves knows Europe.
great post – very interesting and some excellent tips there! x
Thanks for the great advice! I’m tentatively planning on a trip to Europe next summer. I need to just go for it and get planning or it’ll never happen :)
Thanks for all of the great international travel tips! We do A LOT of traveling and I’ve never even noticed the multi-city feature on Expedia! That is absolutely life-saving!
Also, I’d be curious to know what you packed in your one bag? We’re traveling to Guatemala summer with just a backpack.
I love your vacay pics and tips. It looks and sounds like it was an amazing experience for you and Ben! I am in need of a trip!
On a completely other note…I just bought my first bunch of Honeycrisp apples at the store this week and ironically thought of you! It definately is fall–I can’t believe the changing leaves in Iowa already. In KC everything is still pretty green.
Have a great weekend in Chicago with the girls.
Kelsey
Great travel tips! It can be so intimidating, especially when someone hasn’t traveled overseas or has done very little traveling. In my experience it has been better to change money where I’m headed – I’ve gotten a much better rate. I do have to suggest not doing it at the airport though, usually rates are lower and ATM fees are higher. Check with your bank about their rates for ATM transactions and with a local bank – I usually try to both bring cash and have my card so I can go with the best rate! My other suggestion is being sure to check lots of different sites for flights – kayak.com compares lots of sights, but for international flights momondo.com has been my best bet. Old standbys aren’t always the best, especially when you’re traveling somewhere you never have before!
On another note I absolutely love this essay: http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-stories/why-we-travel-20081213/ It’s such a good representation of travel, suggestions, advice, and an excellent explanation of WHY we travel! I love it!