Dec

Ask the readers: best tip for first time international travelers… ?

Kevin on December 15th, 2009

First, a couple of quick updates from the airline mileage side:

I’ve updated the older posts to reflect this, but you can no longer get miles from buying $1 coins from the U.S. Mint. Credit Card purchases made with the Mint are now treated as cash advances. The scheme simply received too much publicity; an article in the WSJ a few weeks ago probably didn’t help. If you want to read the post update, which includes a link to an article about the topic which appeared in the LA Times, click here: http://is.gd/5nSDd
Sadly, the British Airways 50K+50K sign-on/initial activity miles bonus is over. Call me (or us) crazy, but both Pat and I got B.A. cards and will use the miles for our trip to Italy.
A couple of months ago or so I was ranting about how US Airways confiscated 81K miles from my account without warning. They wanted $300 to reinstate them, and I was balking. Then I started thinking… “75,000 miles is enough for 3 coach round trip domestic tickets, so what’s that worth?,” I reasoned. Then I went back to the US Airways site, and discovered that there were actually 3 ways to get the miles back: give them $300, or travel on US Air w/in the next few days, or charge something on one of their credit cards. One of the available cards had a $49 annual fee (all the others had higher annual fees). So… I have another credit card, and the 81,000 miles are back in my account. This time, I’ll use them before they expire!
And if all this talk about credit cards and miles seems crazy to you, read this post at Frugal Travel Guy. Yikes!!

BUT BEFORE YOU DO… help me out a bit, please. I’d love it if we could build an article together. I’m looking for your best (or your best two or three!!) tips that you’d give someone who’s about to travel internationally for the first time.

Here’s one of mine, and I’ll stick with the credit card theme: call your credit card issuers before you depart, and advise them that you’ll be traveling internationally. Otherwise, they might put a hold on your card(s)!!

Can you pitch in? Please contribute by commenting. (If you’ve never commented on the blog, this would be a great way to take the plunge!)

Thanks for your help!

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Travel

19 Responses to “Ask the readers: best tip for first time international travelers… ?”

Berg
December 15th, 2009 at 6:14 am

I plead ignorance when it comes to airline miles programs. I’ve cashed in points a fw times, and belong to the Star Alliance program, but don’t have extra cards. For those who can figure it out, more power to ya!

My tips:
Don’t get carried away with travel gizmos and gear. Take a few things that make you comfortable, be it jeans, or your favorite shirt. That being said, it is advisable to take a waterproof jacket.

If going somewhere that doesn’t speak English, really make an effort to practice a few phrases in the foreign language before you go. Not only will you feel more comfortable during your trip, but the locals will really appeciate your effort, even if you kinda stink at it. In the same vein, familiarize yourself with the local customs to avoid offending someone. While it can be an adventure to make a fool of yourself, I prefer other forms of adventure. ;)

Download/acquire good, detailed maps in case you can’t find a good one once you’re there (especially for public transit), or at least one in your own language. It can be fun getting lost, but it can also be a pain in the butt at the wrong moment. Many local maps lack the detail needed to be really useful.

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Paul Z
December 15th, 2009 at 9:10 am

The best advice my father gave me on my first trip overseas? “Remember, here YOU’RE the foreigner.”

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Mau
December 15th, 2009 at 12:04 pm

I’d say this.

I’ve only traveled internationally twice, but this has worked for me as far as dealing with jet lag.

Plan to be on the local time schedule during your flight. For example. If you will arrive in the evening, then try to stay awake during your flight so that you’ll be ready to go to sleep.

If you will arrive in the morning then get as much rest as you can during your flight so that you’ll be awake for the day.

I’ve also heard that there’s a clear “best choice” when it comes to when it’s best to convert currency. It’s either “convert before you leave”, or “convert when you arrive”. Just not sure which is best.

Also research how your bank operates as far as using ATMs and such.

Enjoy!

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Michael W.
December 15th, 2009 at 12:54 pm

1. Carry a small wide mouth bottle to refill at a water fountain. Flight attendants will also refill for you at their stations, if you ask politely. I reuse a Gatorade bottle, it’s more sturdy than regular water bottles and has the wide mouth I need.

2. Take along some aspirin in case you have a stroke; airplanes don’t stock aspirin, just Tylenol. You can buy a tiny 2 aspirin pouch in the departure store.

3. Don’t “one bag” it the first time; but pack for redundancy. Follow Kevin’s article here on 3 day trip with daypack for some ideas, and carry a daypack onboard with essentials so you can make it through your trip with sinkwashing if necesary.

Then check through a 22″ wheelie (carryon sized) which will fit in local cabs and is easy to wheel around. Remember there isn’t a bag fee on international flights yet.

4. Remember not to overpack! I have yet to hear a traveler say “they didn’t pack enough.”

5. The Granite Gear Air Sack or Air Tote or Rick Steves stowable tote, all provide extra room for any bulky warm clothing not needed at the destination, and save room in your carryon daypack. A Trader Joes re-usable polypro shopping bag is only 99 cents and works fine too. Just fold it into your daypack until you need it.

5. I download books onto an iPod Touch for reading inflight. Not as neat as a Kindle, but good enough. It holds music and video too. A “must have” beach book goes in my checked bag. Books are too heavy to carry on!

6. The daypack you use for your carryon item will double for destination duty. If you don’t have a daypack yet, the Rick Steves Civitas is very traveler friendly and unlike student daypacks, is superlight and compresses down to nothing.

8. Carry a few bandaids, a wipe, some butterfly closures and Krazy Glue. Read up on how to “stitch” a small wound closed with Krazy Glue.

9. Take along a couple of current passport photos and also some copies of your passport stowed in alternate locations. Pdf a passport copy to yourself, along with a .pdf of credit cards and contact information, you may need to retrieve it locally via your email.

10. Open a seldom-used, good password protected email account with Google or Hotmail or Yahoo to hold the stuff in #9. Just use this account for travel and change the password after every trip.

11. Buy a second watch, something cheap and digital with alarms, keep your regular watch on hometime, the new watch on local time.

12. Earplugs! Eyeshade! (Or a watchcap that will roll-down over your eyes, for sleeping on the plane; also surprisingly good for keeping you warm, since our heads radiate, and lose, a lot of heat).

[Reply]
Michael W. Reply:
December 15th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Oh – my philosophy is that it’s a better tradeoff, to be stuck waiting for luggage sometimes, than to tire yourself out trying to carry everything onboard. It’s much different for an international vacation vs. a short domestic business trip.

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Fabricio
December 15th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

To compliment Paul Z when traveling internationally ‘acknowledge that you are in the country where you are. Things WILL work different and never expect the will work like at home’

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Scott
December 15th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

Here’s a few that apply to vacation travel:

1. Have a general plan for what you want to see, being aware of schedules for closings for the key places. Then be willing to adjust the plan if something looks interesting. We would have missed a wine festival in Paris (and be forever labeled an idiot) if I was married to the “troops on parade at Oh-Dark-Thirty” schedule I developed.

2. As someone mentioned above, learn a few polite phrases like please, thank you, and hello/good day. They’ll figure out you’re not from there and usually switch to your language if they’re better at it than you are at theirs. Then ask them about their favorite restaurant.

3. Hotels around the world don’t look and work like Hampton Inns. Decide on your must haves (private bath, for instance), and figure out how many stars that equals. Don’t go below that.

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Berg
December 16th, 2009 at 12:35 am

Oh, yeah, and often times, asking for iced tea will leave some restaurant staff staring at you quizzically, especially in “British” countries like the UK and Australia/New Zealand. In fact, many countries don’t really use ice in their drinks as frequently, or in the same way Americans do (I sometimes had ice put into my orange juice, but not soda or water, oddly enough), so just something to keep in mind.

And speaking of drinks, before you leave, check the potability of the water supplies where you’ll be going. It will alter what you eat as well as drink (and don’t forget about brushing your teeth with clean water!). Beer is almost always a sure bet. ;)

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Till
December 16th, 2009 at 5:13 am

Have fun reading this entertaining 300+ post thread on FT and learn from the mistakes of frequent travelers:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum.....-made.html

These people are serious travel pros and they make super basic mistakes like forgetting their passport or not having the entry formalities (visa etc.) done right. Some people wonder why they cannot pay in US$ or why there are so few ATMs or why credit cards are not accepted. This is all really basic stuff and even seasoned globetrotters can and do get it wrong.

Then read this thread on how to do it right:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum.....uette.html

If I had to distill it to three tips I’d say:

1. Get the basics right like health issues, passport, visa and date of flight.
2. Pack light but still in the comfort zone. Rather take more money but less luggage.
3. Prepare for culture shock. Be open and ready to learn.

[Reply]
Kevin Reply:
December 16th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Till,

I’ve made it through about a third of it thus far… some funny stuff! …and of course, some things to keep in mind, many of them surprisingly basic.

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Till Reply:
December 16th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
I haven’t even read all of it. This thing is the most successful (in terms of responses) thing I’ve ever started and it’s based on failures and mistakes. Ironic, no? You are right about the most common mistakes being surprisingly basic. That was the most salient thing of the thread and that’s why I posted it here as part of the tips. You may think that could never happen to you but if it can happen to these folks, it can happen to anyone.

Like me mistakenly booking a return transatlantic flight just two hours after my flight going there landed. Basically returning on the same aircraft. Something went wrong online, like I didn’t click correctly on the return date and it defaulted to the same date I was arriving. Little mistake that cost me $300-400. :(

Or when I thought I’d leave ORD to TXL on Tuesday but in reality my flight was only leaving the next day.

Or my GF who goes to Copenhagen with a friend and notices she forgot the passport. She rushes home to get it while I stand on the platform of a metro station in Paris with the name of her friend on an improvised cardboard sign. We had never met so I didn’t know who to look for. It worked out alright but it was just.

Till

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K-eM
December 17th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

I’ve been traveling internationally (both Europe and Africa in spurts) since I was six and packing my own bag since I was 9. So here’s what I do. I’d like to note that I’m a woman and it’s generally much more difficult for us to travel light than men. However, if I can do it, most people can. I took a 2 week trip to East Africa and a 3 week trip to West Africa (including rural on both) and did it the same both ways.

1. Pack everything for everyday use that you can in a carry on. This includes clothing and toiletries. Keep it around 12 lbs or less and have it small enough to fit under the seat in front of you. Then you don’t have to freak when your seat mates take up all the overhead space.
2. Keep your personal item very small and, if possible, leave room for it in your carry on so that you can put it in there if regulations or just plain practicality require it.
3. If you don’t REALLY need a computer and have a smart phone, leave the computer at home. If you want to journal, take a moleskine cahier and a pen. It’s lighter and if it breaks, you won’t cry. The smart phone is enough to keep you in touch.
4. Check a duffle bag and keep it under 25 lbs. I often carry stuff to people since getting things into or out of Africa is difficult and expensive. So I pack it in a duffle bag that is about the size of a 22″ roller. Because it’s a duffle I can pack more in it than the roller and still keep it light. The frame and wheels on a roller actually add A LOT of weight and take away A LOT of usable space. When you come home, fill the extra space with your souvenirs and/or things you carry back for the people you carried stuff to.
5. Make photo copies of all important documents and carry in a separate place on your person. Passport, visa, medical card…
6. In both bags, include a slip of paper that has contact/address info for your destination in case your contact info on the outside comes off.
7. Take a Platypus water bottle. When it’s empty it’s flat and it’s not hard to fill at the water fountain.
8. If, when you weigh everything, you’re over 12 lbs on your carry on and 25 lbs on your checked bag, open it up and see what you can switch out or eliminate.

[Reply]
Kevin Reply:
December 17th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Fantastic! Thanks, K-eM – glad to see you here again!

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Kevin
December 17th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!

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notmensa
December 18th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

I’d add four things:

1. Travelling can be both physically and mentally draining. Long haul flights, jet lag, long days walking / touring when you’re not used to it, stress of trying to do basic things like buy lunch when you don’t know the language or even where to go…. Plan rest days or days where you can retire early or sleep in.

2. Take your packed luggage for a test run. Take it out the front door, try handling up / down stairs and if you’re really game, take a ride on public transport. Better to realise your luggage is too heavy & cumbersome before you head off than during your first long trek, over cobblestones, to your hotel!

3. Road test all your clothing and footwear before you go. If you’re planning to do sink washing, try it out at home for a few days. See if things dry and decide if you can live with whatever stink remains!

4. Use a packing list, perhaps find one online as a starting point.

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Till
December 18th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

One could subdivide the issue in target categories. Think of things that keep you:

a) safe (legally and physically) and healthy (physically and mentally)
b) involved in the trip (what I mean is that you actually profit from the trip be it for the business side or the pleasure side)
c) comfortable (this includes packing and luggage weight but also the right clothing, accessories and preparation)

If for a given person anything is absolutely necessary in these categories, they should definitely do it. Everything else is secondary and can be dealt with when and if it comes up.

Till

[Reply]
Patrick F.
December 20th, 2009 at 11:25 pm

For the first time international traveler I think there are a few things that can be done to acclimate and be prepared.

1) Check websites that serve the area you want to visit. Look at the clothes and rank things by popularity. You aren’t looking to purchase any of these things, but it gives you a good idea of what people are buying. Also, it may give you an idea of what not to bring(thinking of white tennis shoes here).

2) When you reach your destination, go to the first grocery store you see. Make a note of the open and closing times for further reference if you have an emergency(need some pepto) and to give you an idea of the shopping times in the area.

3) The last thing I can think of is a little more specific to being prepared for weather changes. But, since I travel mostly to the UK, I have made up this one along the way. There are shops that offer/require grocery bags to purchase, like Netto’s, they have the bulk standard grocery bags and the sturdier model for pence more. Go for the sturdier model and when it rains, you have something to keep all your electronics dry. I know you could travel with a trash bag, but that looks funny. This will make it appear a lot less likely that you are carrying valuables.

Also, sorry to Till about the name/gender issue. I read that forum post of yours and there was so much talk about woman’s clothes, I made an ass out of Uma Thurman(ignore the bad SNL reference).

[Reply]
Kevin Reply:
December 21st, 2009 at 6:24 am
Patrick -

Thanks! Great suggestions!

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Till
December 20th, 2009 at 11:34 pm

Wow, those are some serious spy techniques. I like that. No worries for the gender confusion! :)

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