We are going to Hawaii next week (NEXT FREAKIN WEEK!), so I have been in travel mode lately, attending to the final details for our trip.
Last week I wrote my top tips for arriving at your destination feeling fresh so carrying on from that theme I thought it would be a good idea to write about some of my top things to consider when planning an overseas trip.
// Where are you going?
I’m assuming you’ve narrowed down the country at least, but within the country you need to work out where you are going to go. Are you wanting to visit the typical tourist sites – think the Eiffel Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa? You will most likely fly into a main city with tonnes of tourist attractions, are you happy just to stay in the city? Are you more of a country person and would prefer to get away from all the tourists and see how things are done in the countryside? You’ll want to think about how far you need to travel and fit it in your time-frame, you can search for your flights on Webjet if you are not already sorted.
// Which tourist activities are must do’s?
Are you wanting to check out some of the museums or events such as the Luau’s in Hawaii? If this is the case you will want to check in advance what days they are open as often places like will close one day a week, you’d be disappointed if you turned up on the one day it was closed! Similarly in Europe, often there is a cheap day a month for museums, knowing this could save you some serious moolah!
// How are you getting around?
Consider what mode of transport you will be using, if you need to rent a car then start your search before you go. See if you can wrangle an upgrade to a new car like the 2015 Ford Cars. The 2015 mustang is pretty and would be awesome to roadtrip the USA in! Plus there’s nothing like cruising around soaking in the sights in a brand spanking new vehicle, you’ll feel like a million dollars! You will also need to investigate how you are going to get too and from the airport, thinking about this ahead of time can also save you $$!
// Where are you sleeping?
Whilst it isn’t necessary to always know where you are going to be staying, I would recommend knowing where you are going to stay for your first night in the first new city you arrive in. This is especially important if you are arriving late at night into a country that doesn’t speak English, whilst you can certainly wing it you will feel a lot less stressed out if you have somewhere to rest your head planned in advance. Search Webjet or Zuji before you go to find a great hotel.
// Weather in your destination
Check out the 10 day weather forecast for your destination as well as take a look at what the weather is usually like in your destination at that time of the year. There is no point packing all winter clothes if you are going somewhere tropical but at the same time if your destination is known to be warm but is going through a cold snap you don’t want to be freezing during your trip.
// Money, Money, Money
Not only do you need to work out how much money you will need, you will need to consider how you are going to tote it around. I don’t advocate toting around a lot of cash at once. Although to be completely honest with you I have done it before using a money belt that goes under my clothes (no fanny packs please!). You could look into a cash passport style card where you can use it like an EFTPOS card and load it with your currency before you go (you can even add more online when you are away if you need more spending $).
// Duty Free
One of the major perks of travelling overseas (other than seeing the amazing sights and not being at work) is that you can buy duty free on your way too and from the country you are visiting. Often you can order your duty free online from Duty Free Stores so it is ready for you when you get there. This means you don’t have to look around for what you want when you have been travelling for hours and all you want is the comfort of your own bed!
There we have it, definitely not an exhaustive list – however these are some of the things you will need to consider when you are planning your overseas trip.
I’d love to hear any stories you have of not being prepared??? Or your top tip for being prepared?? – Just leave a comment below 🙂
I travel fairly regularly and I am such an anal planner, otherwise I get so worried. One big thing is making sure I have travel insurance – I’m so shocked when people don’t have it, if you get into an accident or robbed etc, which everyone hopes won’t happen, but of course is possible, you really will need it! If I’m travelling with someone, I like for both of us to have money/cards, in case something happens to one person’s money, you’ll be okay. I also print out, or have available on dropbox etc all of our ticket and booking information, in one handy place. Gosh I think I’ll stop this now as I’m sounding a bit over the top – but it’s all just routine, and once I’m organised I can enjoy myself stress-free. Have an amazing trip!
Definitely agree with checking out getting to and from the airport before you go. I made that mistake once and it ended up being a very expensive cab ride to the hotel (which I hadn’t investigated enough and ended up being across the city but nowhere close to the center!)
I also found that in most countries in Europe we just took money out as we needed it, Asia was a different story since some places barely had banks let alone atms.