If you are someone who is looking forward to their first time travel abroad, then you will likely be very excited about the whole thing. However, you should make sure that you properly prepare for the trip and that you do everything you can to enjoy your little holiday without putting yourself into risky situations. Below, we look at seven simple tips that every first time traveler must keep in mind:
Plan The Trip
Always have a well-detailed plan for the entire trip. This includes things like the airlines you will travel, the hotels you will stay in, the places you will visit, and so on. Without a proper schedule, it is very likely that you might miss visiting some places. But with a travel plan, you will be able to do everything you wanted during the trip.
Book A Reputed Hotel
When it comes to booking hotels, private homes or resorts, it is recommended that you use reputed businesses like vallartarentals.com instead of choosing the shady ones. Research about the hotel on the internet and read through all the customer reviews. Make sure that the hotel you choose to stay in has a very high proportion of positive reviews and very low negative reviews. And ensure that the negative reviews are not too harsh on things like customer service, food etc. Plus, you should also book the hotel in advance so that you get the best rates. If you delay the booking, then not only will you have to pay too much, but you may not even get the best rooms.
Budget The Costs
Prepare a budget of all the costs you might incur during the trip. Each aspect of the trip must have a separate budget. So, there must be a travel budget that compromises of airline tickets, car rentals etc. There should be a hotel budget that will detail the total cost of hotel rents. There should be a food budget that will set aside a fixed amount to be spent on food. And finally, there must be the shopping budget which will have the funds you will use for buying local items. Once you set up these detailed budgets, make sure that you stick to it. And as long as you do so, you will always have the travel budget under strict control and will never overspend too much. You can keep track of your budget and spending by using a travel money card. Well, what is a travel money card? and why is it beneficial?
When travelling, using your debit or credit card can incur fees for currency conversion. However, with a travel money card this can be avoided – saving you a substantial amount over time. Carrying a card also saves you walking around with lots of cash, and you can control your finances with an app in most situations. This includes being able to access security measures when needed, but also simply tracking your finances to stay on track with your spending.
Mingle With The Locals
Many travelers tend to solely focus on visiting places while avoiding mingling with the locals unless necessary. This is not a great way to travel. In fact, the educative aspect of travel comes from the fact that you will be living with people from other cultures and thereby expand your thoughts and beliefs. By limiting your interaction with them, you are sacrificing a huge part of such experience. So, if you wish to make the full use of your trip and have some memorable moments about it, then do remember to engage with the locals.
Beware Of Scams
You should also be vigilant about the various scams in the place you are traveling to. Many tourist spots will have fraudulent people waiting to scam you out of your money. They will normally be very charming and promise you an exciting experience in return for money, only to run away with the cash. So, watch out for any such exotic offers from strange people. Visit the travel forums and search for any such experience of tourists. Going through their experiences should give you a good idea of what scams to watch out for when traveling to your destination.
Insurance
Some first-time travelers tend to avoid taking a travel insurance in order to keep their budgets under control. This is a bad choice. There is no guarantee that you will be safe when traveling to a foreign location. If you get into an accident or get hospitalized due to a sickness, you will end up paying a lot of money. Only a travel insurance can protect you from such unforeseen expenses. Even if you plan to just lie on a beach all day during the trip, it is still recommended that you take out a travel insurance in your name. As the wise men say, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Don’t Fully Rely On A Guidebook
When exploring a location, don’t limit yourself to just the guidebook which may not list all the interesting spots in a region. This is truer if the guidebook is a few years old. So, ask the locals for interesting places nearby and visit them. And by exploring such places on your own, you will make your first time traveler experience even more interesting.
