Everyone does it differently, of course, but it’s important in my opinion: preparing for a trip. Of course it also depends on what kind of trip you make. Will it be a citytrip, a holiday or a backpacking journey? Read my personal 5 tips here.
Preparing for a trip: 5 tips!
Of course it is very different what kind of trip you make. For example, if you are going backpacking in Asia, you do not prepare everything down to the last detail. But if you make a citytrip, you tend to prepare a bit more. Preparing a little bit for trip doesn’t hurt.
A super handy website for searching and comparing airline tickets is Skyscanner.
You’ve booked a great trip and are very enthusiastic. I prefer to spend hours at the computer looking up useful information and cool sights about that specific country. Others may not have that at all and prefer to be surprised. I, as a control freak, have a bit more trouble with that. The anticipation is of course the best fun! Read my personal tips for preparing for a trip down below.
Tip 1: Read about the country you’re visiting
Before I buy plane tickets at all, I first start looking for useful information about the country. What’s the climate, when is the best time to travel, is the country actually safe (!). Also information such as: what currency do they have, is a visa required or are certain vaccinations necessary, are always useful to know.
What I also always find useful to know is whether the tap water is drinkable. That is certainly useful to look up for some European countries. Before you know it you are in bed with stomach flu after your cocktail with a huge amount of ice cubes made of tap water.
Tip 2: Learn about the local culture
What’s also important to know are the norms and values of the country. You may discover a lot in the country itself, but often you can also find some information in advance. Do residents generally speak good English, what’s the main religion, is there poverty in the country, how do residents generally view tourists and is it safe to hitchhike, for example.
Also, in some countries, certain clothes are not always appreciated. I like to know these things in advance, and this can sometimes avoid nasty situations when traveling.
Tip 3: Find the best sights and places
After buying the airline tickets and booking the accommodation it’s time to look for some cool trips and sights. I like to read others’ opinions and write down all the sights that I like!
This way I can enjoy my vacation to the fullest without having to look up all kinds of things. I also really enjoy it when I am making my overview;).
Tip 4: Find good restaurants nearby
If I make a city trip for a few days, I often look up good restaurants in advance via TripAdvisor. In the end I can then combine the sights with the restaurants during the trip. In this way I miss as few cool sights and nice restaurants as possible and I don’t have to look up or arrange anything on location.
Tip 5: Make a list of travel items
I usually pack my bags 1 or 2 days in advance, but often I already put some stuff together before. If I’m going to do this more in advance, I would check every day if I have packed the most important things, and that’s of course a bit too much.
On my Dropbox I always have this list of travelitems I should bring on a trip. As; a nail clipper, band aids, bankpass, clothespins and rope for example. That way I usually miss nothing during my travels. And of course you can just buy a lot of things in the country itself.
You can find a very handy overview for 15 useful travel gadgets for backpackers here!
Don’t forget to bring a copy of your important documents. Sometimes for the travel insurance you also have to take a picture of the contents of your backpack / suitcase.
