Advice for First-Time International Travellers

[Ilithyia]

If you've travelled internationally and have any advice, reccomendations or anything related to add...please do so

[Rach83]

I'm interested in this topic. We will be going to Bali next month with our nearly 2yo


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[Sopdet]

Depends on where you're going. I try to do an international trip once a year, last year Bali, this year Hawaii.

Things I've learnt over the years

• Wear your heaviest clothing on the plane including shoes
• Have copies of everything, I usually leave a copy here, have a copy in my suitcase
• Register with smart traveller
• All medications in your carry-on luggage (I usually have a letter from my Dr for prescription ones, or get the chemist to put my name on the OTC ones)
• A change of clothes in your carry-on (or at least underwear & a clean t-shirt) because you never know when your bag goes somewhere else
• Underpack your clothes, honestly you do not need that much, do some research on where you're going, what is acceptable dress-wise etc
• Shove jewellery/underwear into shoes
• Make sure all your clothes can be successfully washed in the basin of your hotel bathroom & don't take 2 days to dry
• Jeans are not comfortable for travelling, they don't keep you warm, they take ages to dry
• Put shoes into plastic bags (which can double as dirty clothes bags for returning home)
• If you have international roaming on your phone make sure you turn off your message bank

[nickle730]

Where are you going?

[Rouge]

I think I'm tired. I thought you were asking about time travelling.

[nickle730]

Rouge, I lol'd at that!

[Ilithyia]

I think I'm tired. I thought you were asking about time travelling.

I wish


Not sure where I'm going yet. I'm looking into a Round the World ticket. Places I definately have in mind is Machu Picchu, Bali (Country not City), Hawaii, New York, Paris plus plenty of others.


Thanks heaps Sodpet...Heaps of good info there...Cheers!

[OceanPrincess]

Travel insurance.

[nickle730]

Sara, are you planning to take the kids? And how long will you be away for?

[HotI]

If you are arriving late at night it can be handy to arrange accomodation for the first night. For the rest of the time, we often find cheaper, nicer places by just exploring.

If you have stop-overs anywhere, check out the airport layout (on-line) before you go - some airports have shuttles between terminals and it is good to know beforehand if you have to move quickly.

[Ilithyia]

No kids hun. This is a spiritual journey for me - Think: Eat, Pray, Love (Corny I know but meaningful for me )

I'm looking at 2 weeks, 3 MAX.

[Sopdet]

Travel insurance.

Yeh that is VERY important, do this when booking the ticket and don't scrimp on it, look at what they will and won't pay out on.

[Amy_jellybean]

I'll second what op said with the travel insurance.... The amount of bookings etc that I have had to change for people because they haven't had travel insurance, it has ended up costing them a fortune. I can't write much because I'm on my phone but feel free to inbox me your email and any specific questions and I'll send u an email when I'm back at work on Wednesday - I'm a travel agent x

[Bengal]

All of the sensible stuff the girls are mentioning

You really need slipper socks for the plane, you take you shoes off and have a stretch and bare feet and your socks can feel yuck after a big flight . Not are how tall you are, however some of the airlines have the extra leg room seats over the emergency exits, these days you pay $300 extra to sit in them, depending on who your traveling with. They are comfy and great fir stretching

Sounds like a great trip

[Sopdet]

You really need slipper socks for the plane, you take you shoes off and have a stretch and bare feet and your socks can feel yuck after a big flight.

Actually I find that taking your shoes off is not a good thing on flights, especially if I'm in my hiking boots (my heaviest shoes) because my feet swell and getting back into them at the other end is annoying. I did this once, the taking off of the shoes, and couldn't get my shoes back on and had to leave the plane with slipper socks on, wait for the swelling to go down enough to put the boots on so I could leave the airport (it was snowing at my destination).

[meow]

Hmm... 3 weeks around the world is cutting it VERY tight! For a spiritual journey including Macchu Picchu you HAVE to walk the Inca Trail. That walk was one of the best things I've done.

You need to seriously cull your list sorry Flying can take up to two days (with time zones) alone! Maybe 1.5 weeks Peru, then 1.5 weeks split between New York & Paris. That would still be awesome but still whirlwind. I think you need to start with what you REALLY want to see.

[lisaandshaun]

Get travel insurance!!!

[Phteven]

If you can't afford travel insurance you can't afford to travel and if you are planning on anything out of the usual make sure your insurance covers it.
Photocopy all your documents and leave one copy at home.
Take sufficient tampons - it can be almost impossible to buy them in some places.
Observe local laws even the silly ones you don't agree with.
smarttraveller.gov.au is a useful website for up to date travel warnings etc
Make sure you have all your visas in order before traveling (some countries give you a visa on entry but you need to know which ones before you go).
The only customs officials in the world who enjoy a laugh work in NZ. If you're not in NZ don't joke with officialdom.
Do your best to learn local languages - just a few phrases can improve people's attitude towards you.

I wear sneakers and sandals on the plane - never had problems getting them on or off although they are a bit tight sometimes.