Today's article post will talk about some of my travel experiences and tips that I've gathered from my many years of traveling. I'm by no means an "expert"and will say that everyone's traveling may differ from what I've done, what booking sites I've used.With that being said, I'll dive right in!
(Source)
My trips usually begin with a thought, a picture and with the invention of Pinterest my brain is on travel overload. (I send myself e-mails and store them in my travel folder so I can go back, if we are serious about a destination...anyhoo..) From there I start researching the place to see if it would even be a good fit, not only for our personalities, but more importantly our budget (sooooo important!)
So you've finally picked the place you want to vacation. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- The amount of people going directly corresponds to the budget you have set. You can decide to go over or under that, but be aware of any travel emergencies, missed connections, taxi fares or any unforeseeable things that may pop up...and they do. (Anecdote: My husband and I missed our flight from London to Chicago, despite having left our hotel at what we thought was an early enough time. The underground took about an hour to get to Heathrow. We had no choice but to book the next available flight, which added an additional and unexpected cost to our travel plans.)
- Your final destination, whether it be a country, state, city; there are many different areas in which you can stay. It might be good to determine if you're going to want to stay in just one location or travel around. Another option would be a day trip and then go back to the place where you're staying.
- It is imperative to have the correct identification for each person that is traveling. (Especially if you're flying. If you're driving to your destination, you may not need to go through this) In other words, your passport and appropriate visas to be able to travel to that destination. Visas require you send your passport to the embassy of the country you would like to visit. It is important to allow for processing time. (Anecdote: We have family friends in Brasil and since I was staying in their home, they had to write a letter to the embassy, identifying who they were, how long I would be staying as well as the reason for my visit as I was not staying in a hotel.)
- Are you going to stay in a hotel, bed and breakfast, hostel, with relatives or friends? Each has their pros and cons and that is something that you have to determine is right for you. (Anecdote: For the Europe trip I planned in 2010, I used Bed and Breakfasts; in Paris, we stayed in a place that was more like a hostel and in London, we stayed in a hotel (but the rate included breakfast). They were outside of the touristy areas and staying with locals allows you to see something you may have otherwise missed.)
(We were in the nearby town of Frisole looking down on Florence at night. Our wonderful host Carla Ulivieri suggested we go up there on our last night in the city. I wish this picture did the place justice. It was so wonderful.
That is my review that I posted)
You have your passport and other appropriate travel documentation. You know the place you're heading to. Now what?
- Are you planning on renting a car? Are you taking a cab? Are you driving to your destination? Flying? Are you taking a motor coach? Train? Subway system? (Anecdote: Since I was very young, 'til now my family and I have rented a car and driven to the Carolinas to visit family. Often times staying with relatives. Renting a car is a nice option to not put miles on your personal vehicle. While traveling in Europe, we used public transportation...with the exception of Paris on our last night. After he proposed to me under The Eiffel Tower, it was too late to take the subway back to our hostel, so we had to get a cab. We would spend the first day in a new place walking around and getting our bearings and studying the train/tram/metro lines.)
- If you're taking any form of public transportation, if it is outside your country of origin, it is important to make sure you have the correct currency for tips, tickets and/or fares. I like to check the exchange rate and/or currency converter of the place where I'm going to see where we would get a better deal. Most often we wait until we get to our final destination, if it's outside of the U.S., to exchange money.
- Some people in the past have recommending taking travelers checks. My only problem with that, is you cannot track how much you are spending and is often just easier to carry around your own currency to exchange as well as a credit card.
(Source)
A big concern these days is luggage. With airlines charging for your first and/or second checked bag, it might be a good idea to consider ONLY carry-on. I find that is the easiest and most convenient thing. Depending on the destination, here's what I like to pack:
T-shirts (Black and one bright color)
Sweater (Not only for travel day, but if there's a cold evening)
Dress Shirt
Jeans
Yoga Pants (for travel day)
Dress Pants
Shorts (depending on the location and time of year)
Socks
Walking shoes
Dress Shoes
Underthings
What's nice about having these pieces is that you can mix and match and depending on where you stay, you can wash your clothes. (Plus, the less you bring the more room you'll have for items that you would like to bring back from your destination.
This is just the foundation of traveling. In the next article, I will be talking about what to do a month out from your trip to day of your trip, as well as what to expect at the airport. I will also include the travel sites that I use the most when booking our vacations.
Until next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment