Travel Tips for First Time Travellers: How to Prepare

Our freelance Blogger, Sarah continues to help first time travellers as they prepare to pack their suitcases for the time of their lives!

Last month, I promised that I was going to dive a bit deeper for first time travellers, so here are some more tips you could use to prepare for your trip!

Tip 1: Get your travel documents in order.

It is essential to properly organise your travel documents before leaving for a holiday. You definitely do want to be stranded in a foreign country with no one of getting home. Whether it is your visa, passport, boarding pass, accommodation confirmation letter or a driver’s licence, make sure you keep all your important documents together in a SAFE, easily accessible place. This way you will have less chance of misplacing anything. You may even want to make copies of each document just for extra security.

Hidden Gem – Renew your passport…

Another important thing to do is make sure your passport is up to date otherwise you will not be able to leave the country at all. The best thing to do is get your passport renewed a few months before you travel as it takes about 3 weeks to receive your brand-new one.

Tip 2: Learn a few local phrases.

It will be 100 times easier to get around unchartered territory if you have a basic grasp of a few of the local phrases. It will also make it a lot easier for the locals to help you with directions if are familiar with the local tongue, rather than just waving your hands around and speaking loudly, expecting them to decipher what you are trying to say.

Hidden Gem – A list of key phrases to learn:

  • –  Numbers from one to ten
  • –  Simple greetings like ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’
  • –  It is also very important to be polite, after all manners are universal. Phrases like‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ are a must to learn.
  • –  ‘Do you speak English?’
  • –  When in an emergency, ‘Help!’ is essential.
  • –  ‘How much is…?’
  • –  ‘Where is…?’

Tip 3: It’s OKAY to make mistakes.

It is your first trip abroad, so give yourself a break. It is not going to be completely perfect; you are still human after all. Things may go a bit off track but it does not mean your entire trip is ruined. Don’t let a little difficulty put a damper on your holiday. Learn from your mistakes and move on!

Hidden Gem – Remember why you are travelling in the first place…

The most important tip I can give you when travelling, is to just have fun! 

Enjoy every minute of your adventure until it’s over, regardless of what does and does not happen. Why else would you go on a holiday?

Make the most of your time overseas and don’t go home with any regrets!

By following these 7 simple tips, (you’ll find the first 4 here) I hope your holiday goes off without a hitch!

Stay safe, stay happy and stay travelling…

Sarah ?