Want to travel abroad for the first time but not sure what to prepare for? Here are the 5 most important travel tips worth knowing before you leave.
1. Always pack at least 1 destination appropriate outfit in your carry-on
Let’s face it after a 16-hour flight, it’s time to change your clothes. Having a fresh outfit ready to go in your carry on makes for a quick and easy outfit change as soon as you arrive at your destination. It also can come in handy if your luggage happens to get lost or is delayed.
2. Pack your medication including Tylenol and Ibuprofen
Many foreign countries have very strict rules and guidelines with it comes to getting medication.
On one of our earlier trips, my husband and I didn’t even think about packing ibuprofen. When he ended up with a giant headache, we thought no problem, we’ll just pick up some pain meds and be on our way.
Nope! Definitely, a lesson learned. We could only get pain medication behind the counter, pharmacies were closed on Sundays, only available in 50mg instead of 200mg, and were in an 8-pack. Yikes.
3. Check if you need a travel adapter.
If you’re going to a foreign country and you need to charge your electronics, don’t always count on your hotel providing USB chargers. Even if they do, don’t plan on them being in working condition.
Here are the 2 travel adapters I personally use:
Travel Smart by Conair EU Adapter Plug with Outlet and 2 USB Ports
This one is great for Europe. It’s perfect for charging your smaller electronics like your smartphone and tablets. You can charge up to 3 devices at a time (with 2 of them using the 2 USB ports).
Travel Smart by Conair All-in-One Adapter
This adapter is universal so you can use it for multiple countries. It is also great because it includes a built-in surge protector. I would recommend one of these if you are going to try to use a curling or flat iron or charge larger electronics. This way just in case there are any voltage fluctuations, you’ll save your electronics from frying since the surge protector will protect them by popping the fuse first.
4. Use a Debit Card with no fees
Something to keep in mind when traveling internationally is that you’re going to have to find a way to access your money. When traveling in Europe, Canada, and Asia, I found that it was almost impossible to get a bank to exchange USD for the local currency. Finding an exchange place was also extremely difficult, the conversion rate was pretty terrible, and it also meant I would have to travel with A LOT of cash on me. I knew I had to find another solution!
This is where I found the perfect solution. My debit/ATM card!
Now you can use your existing ATM card but I highly suggest checking to see what fees are associated with your card. I don’t like paying fees of any kind so I did some research until I found a debit card that had no international ATM fees or foreign transaction fees.
TD Bank and Charles Schwab have some good ones. (I personally use the Schwab Bank High Yield Investor Checking Account and since it provides interest similar to a savings account, I earn a little bit of money on my travel funds.)
5. Get a local SIM card
If staying for longer than a week, I always purchase a local SIM card. You can purchase these from the airport or train station. A SIM card is usually $30-$40 USD including minutes, text, and/or data. You can choose which plan you want based on your expected needs.
It is way less expensive than the $10 a day my cell phone provider charges for using my phone for international travel. Plus, using data on the local SIM card is usually significantly faster and more reliable.
When I use my original carrier, I am limited to a certain amount of “high-speed data” and it is unbearably slow after I blow through it. Which tbh is pretty quick since each day I use data to navigate, research, and share photos with friends and family.
If you want to talk with your loved ones at home during your trip, I recommend apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
Traveling international has been the most eye-opening, amazing experiences I have every had. Enjoy your next adventure!
*Disclosure: I only recommend products or services I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.