International Travel Tips
Before we take our first international trip, we hear a lot of the same advice: pack light; budget well; beware of pickpockets and thieves; have fun. This is all great advice, and you should listen to it. Yet I find that the more I travel the more little things I learn and re-learn (and I’ve been to over 30 countries!). Some of these items seem pretty basic, but it’s easy to forget basic things when you’re suddenly in a new country, culture and don’t understand the language.
In no particular order, here is a list of Shana’s Top Tips for Traveling:
1. Smile.
When you don’t know the language (or even if you know a little), a smile will get you very far. Even if you can’t exactly communicate with hand gestures what you’re looking for, smiling will increase your odds the person will continue to try and help you, or that they will find someone else who can.
2. Gesturing.
What do you do when you’re in Budapest and you’ve caught a cold and you need a packet of facial tissue? For me, I walked into a drug store, mimed blowing my nose, and the clerk pointed me exactly to where the facial tissue was located. Problem solved in 30 seconds. I’ve received semi-complicated walking directions, just based on gestures (and I was able to follow them and find my destination).
3. Get off the beaten track.
For me, the best way to learn about a city is to start walking, without a particular destination. When you do this, you are apt to find more of the ‘local’ hangouts, local shops, residential neighborhoods and parks – most, or all, of which may not be listed in your guidebook. Walking through a city gives a greater sense of how the city is, instead of just ticking off landmarks and Must See attractions from a list. Even if you don’t have much time in a city, take at least a couple hours to walk around somewhere that is not the major hub of tourists. For example, if you’re in Paris, walking from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe doesn’t take very long and will take you through some nice residential neighborhoods.
4. Try new things.
You’d think this would be obviousâÂ?¦but it isn’t. I was appalled listening to college guys from my hostel in Florence, when we were all on the bus into town and they were saying “It’s time for Mickey-D’s.” Huh? These guys were in Florence, and they were willing to spend much more for McDonald’s, than spend less money and eat wonderful Italian food. Eating local cuisine is generally cheaper than fast food, and it also gives you more of a sense of the local culture. Even if you don’t know what all the ingredients are, give a dish a try if you know what the main ingredient is. Granted, if you are a vegetarian, you need to know what the local words for meats and seafood are, so you don’t end up with something you’re unable to eat.
5. Strike out on your own occasionally.
Yes, it’s fun to go out with your friends (if you’re traveling with friends), or with people you’ve met from your hostel. However, once you strike out on your own, you’re more apt to meet locals and notice things you wouldn’t have otherwise. When you’re with other people, especially people from your own country, you’re more apt to be more focused on them, than exploring more of the possibilities of wherever you are. Also, you may meet some cool locals who tell you of a party; then, you can go back to your friends and invite them along, and then everyone gets to share the fun.
6. Have a flexible schedule.
A large part of traveling is discovery. You can only learn so much in advance, from guidebooks, friends or accounts from travelers on websites. In addition, different guidebooks list different attractions and cities. One of the best ways to discover new places is to ask the people you meet (generally in your hostel). On a recent trip to Europe, I met someone in Bulgaria who recommended I visit Edirne, a city just across the border, in Turkey. My guidebook basically called it a ‘truck driver pit stop’ and didn’t have anything particularly nice or noteworthy to say about it. Edirne has perhaps the nicest mosque I saw in Turkey (and yes, I did visit Aga Sofiya and the Blue Mosque). It was a great place to spend a few days, and it was super cheap since it was not a “tourist destination” (in fact, I saw only 3-4 other tourists there). By not following a set-in-stone itinerary, you will be able to try new places on a whim or recommendation, or if you find you particularly like someplace, you can stay there for a couple extra days.
In all, be open to however things are wherever you are. It can certainly be overwhelming to be in a new country (even for me!), regardless of whether or not you are with someone or if you are traveling alone. Try not to take things too quickly and remember to be open to the people around you, the different ways of doing things and the difference of the culture. If you follow these guidelines, you will surely have a more memorable experience and see more than what you can read about in a guidebook.
