Newbie Travel Advice: 13 Essential Tips Every First Time Traveller Should Know
It is May 2018 and I have traveled to these countries so far:
It has been an intense schedule. I've been travelling on the road full
time eight, ten months out of my backpack,
as a minimalist, full time on the road, I don't have a house right now. I've been to
about 45 countries and counting. But believe it or not
at some stage, I had to start travelling for the very first time.
So this video is dedicated for those hitting the road for the first
time. Some tips and tricks to make you feel more at ease for the
adventure of a lifetime you're about to embark on.
[Music]
On the screen here, these are the best places to visit
for first time travelers. Some countries
are a lot easier to travel to than others that's why I'm recommending these
ones because they are easy to travel to, affordable
beautiful, easy to get around. Mostly in touristy places people speak
English, easy to meet people. It's
just a joy to travel to these places. So I couldn't recommend going
to these places more for the first time. Of course this list is not
fully comprehensive and lots of people might disagree on
certain things. My opinion, though. What to see when you get to a place? Believe it or not
Google exists in different countries. Just google
top destinations to see when you're in this country and
it's gonna spit out amazing suggestions. And then, on top of that,
I would love for you to speak to the locals, whether you're staying
in a hostel, Airbnb -ask the receptionist, the host, the best
places they love to go to because they've lived there for a while,
they can provide you with the best of the best advice. And of course
speak to people that you've met, ask their journey, what they loved
about the place, what they haven't loved and just figure out what is gonna be
the best itinerary for you. A new country, the best way for
me to explore and get the most out of it is to get my
bearings of the place. So when I first land, I'm confused.
I have no idea what anything is and everyone's gonna
experience this. The best way to tackle this is to spend half a day
or maybe a day just getting lost. Allowing yourself to
aim wanderlessly (sic)
Figure out where the local supermarket is, figure out where the strip of best cafe is,
figure out where the things to do are in your
periphery. Knowing this really lets you
to understand the city's layout and get the most out of the city.
Booking accommodation overseas isn't ... isn't so difficult.
For hostels, I use Hostelworld. I oftentimes
also use booking.com especially in countries that are
really affordable. Sometimes you'll be surprised how cheap a hotel room
can be. However, just keep in mind it is a lot
harder to meet people when you're staying in a hotel. That's why very
often I still choose a hostel over a hotel
in a new country because I wanna have friends when I'm travelling.
So if I'm going solo for example, hostels are my bestfriend,
if you're going with a group of friends, don't worry, hotels are fine. And
of course, Airbnb is a really great solution also. So I use
all three platforms to find me a place to sleep. If you are on a really
tight budget, you can use couchsurfing or you can also volunteer
in countries abroad using websites like this. Passports and visas
very important. You can get stuck
and denied entry if you don't have a visa. So every single time
you go to a new country, every time, just type in your passport,
your destination country, visa do you need. And it's gonna spit out
how long you can go into this country without having a visa,
what kind of visa you do need, if you have to have one. And with your
passport, it has to have six months minimum validity. So
if it's not valid for more than six months, you will get stuck,
you will not be able to travel, you might even buy a
ticket, go to the airport, they'll check the expiry, if it's less than six months,
you are not flying. And that is an expensive mistake.
Also have backups of your documents stored all around. So
online, in different bags, just in case you need them as well. I do recommend
having insurance because things can go wrong when
you're overseas. Things can get stolen.
I've only had one pair of shoes stolen in 12 years so it's not that
big of an issue at all. Things can get lost, broken,
you can get sick so insurance is really, really great. Currently
I have insurance with my credit card and it's beautiful. And
I've used other services in the past but I don't wanna recommend any brand
because I don;t research into this area anymore because I'm so
well settled with the current insurance that I have.
This is up to you to find out what works best for you, what best coverage is,
etc. etc. So do your research. On that note, getting sick on the
road, as I mentioned, can happen. And most countries have amazing
facilities as well for hospitals. Of course some third world
countries aren't the best. But I've never been to a hospital in
like 12 -ish years of travel. Ever. If I have to
say for example, break my arm. Knock on wood. Not breakin nothin.
I'd go to the local hospital, get something put on
to it like a really crappy cast for example and find
myself to a nearby country where I know the standard of healthcare
is immaculate and I can get my arm worked after.
So there are always solutions so don't freak out.
Having money on the road is essential, believe it or not. Right now the deal I have with
my bank is [stammers]
... is amazing. So I don't
have to worry about these ever. No matter if I
buy something for $2 with my card, or a hundred dollars, if I withdraw
cash, nothing. So if my bank can do it, I'm certain
there are banks out there that are able to provide this service.
There are also travel cards, credit card deals, figure out the
best solution for you. Again you have to do your research.
Every country is different. Every bank is different. If
you haven't been able to find this deal before you're going overseas,
a great way to avoid a lot of fees is to take out a chunk of money. With this worth of
cash, make sure you separate it so it's not in one area 'cause
if it gets lost or stolen, that would suck bad.
Overpacking. Yeah, everyone. Oh my gosh, everyone does this.
My rule of thumb whenever I'm packing. Even now, always,
whatever you think you're gonna bring, halve it and
then halve it again. You really need so
little when you're on the road. It's ridiculous. And it's better to have less
so you can buy a couple of more things if you're overseas than have too much and you;re dragging
it around like crazy, it hurts your back, it's just awkward.
being connected when you're on the road is awesome because it gives you
access to knowledge about where to eat, what good things to explore,
you can contact your family and friends wherever, and the best way to be connected
is through your phone. You are always with it, however,
using your service provider back home is very expensive.
So my solution to that is just to get a local sim
card in every single country I go to and then I'm good. I'm set.
It's not expensive and I'm connected everywhere.
It's genius. Once you;re done in that country, just get rid of the sim card.
Voila! Safety. No matter where in the world you are
there are still creeps. You have to be aware of that. So you just have
to be on your guard, aware of your surroundings. Please don't get
ultra drunk when you're overseas. Don't walk around at nighttime
by yourself, don't walk around at nighttime with headphones
by yourself, don't draw attention to yourself and look
like a lost, confused tourist. If you're looking for a destination or
accommodation, or something, don't stop and just be like, where am I going?
Go into like a little convenience store, look down, check your map,
calmly, collectively be like, ooh I get it
and then walk and continue going. And... uh... just blend in
as much as you possibly can. I never say that because should ever
blend in. But when you're travelling you should definitely blend in. Don't be unique.
Only in this instance. Don't cram. A lot of us
have a tendency to do this when we first travel because we feel like
if we don't see this place, we might never see it again.
It is much better though to just enjoy the experience because
you sometimes cram so much that you forget what you've seen
or you forget to breathe and be present in these destinations. So just chill out.
Allow extra time for weird, unexpected adventures. If you
meet someone in a hostel for example and they wanna go on an adventure, they
invite you, if you've got a list of things you have to do,
you're gonna miss out on what might be a much,
much better adventure. So just list the top 5 things that you're
desperately wanting to do and if these things on the list that you like ...
I'm not so sure about that ... just don't do it. Don't feel bad about it.
Really. And that's another thing. Don't allow anyone to tell
you how to travel. If you love luxury travel, save
up and do that. If you love hostel living, couchsurfing,
that kind of thing, do that. If you do wanna cram your travels, do that.
If you wanna space out and not do anything, just
chill on the beach, do that. Travel is for you to discover yourself,
unwind, make the most of it, enjoy life
and it is different for everyone. Really different for everyone. So just
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Congratulations again for your first adventure. This is so very
exciting. If you wanna check out my Instagram with all my adventures, please do so
here. And until next time. Peace.
