Traveling can be a fun experience, no doubt. However, getting ready to leave, being at the destination, and coming back home can be hassles that can stress you out almost enough to cancel out the enjoyment of the trip. I myself am typing this from Korea as I'm here on a six-week stay, the longest stay I've had outside of the country.
To prepare myself, I looked through the internet and asked friends for their tips while learning my own on the way. This vacation was already hard on the bank account with the ticket, so why make it any harder than it has to be? Here are three common problems that can come up when planning for (and being on!!) a trip, and some solutions that can make your trip that much easier.
1. Problem: Various packing issues.
My first main issue was a bunch of different sub-issues with packing. First, I didn't know how much clothing to pack. Then while pushing that aside I had to realize how to organize where to put everything I was packing. On top of that, I was having trouble about thinking what I even needed to pack besides clothes at all!! The more I just sat staring down my luggages, I just felt clueless.
Solution: Some calculations and recording.
To solve my first sub-issue, I asked my dad who used to travel a lot for work. He said to first think about if I were to do laundry at all. If no laundry plans, pack enough clothes for a set of clothes for each day plus emergency clothes equal to about 30% of the total number of days. If yes to laundry plans, plan enough clothing that I'd be willing to wear before doing laundry, as well as extra clothes to wear on laundry day. I planned on doing laundry (as well as buying new clothes here), so I brought about a week-and-a-half's worth of clothes.
For the next issue with organizing I found a great tip in another article. Make a log somewhere of everything you pack and where you can find it for easier searching and access during the trip. I made a Google doc where I logged everything I packed. Later I even shared it with my friends to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I even plan on making another list for going home, since I'm probably going to have even more stuff later.
To tie in with that last issue, the last issue was solving what I had to bring. I figured it out a few years ago. I visualize everything I do in a typical day and slightly-less-but-still-common days and think about what items I need to get through those days. For example, I need my supplies for my eye contacts, my toothbrush, a plethora of device chargers, etc. It takes a bit of time to visualize myself going through an entire day, but it works, and I stick by it.
2. Problem: Money. 'Nuff said.
Trying to survive in a world without carelessly throwing money at shopkeepers and restaurants can be one of the hardest things. Not only that, but traveling out of the country can be even tougher when working with a different currency. This had problems that I couldn't even foresee, but could do a lot of things to prevent as well.
Solution: A mix of planning and going with the flow.
The issue of careless spending is always a budget, but doing so can seem so time-consuming. If you use cards to buy everything, you can always check your activity on your account online to track your spending. If you're using cash, a quick way to gauge your spending is to see how much total cash you have at the beginning and the end of the day and log it somewhere. It's just a basic way of seeing how much you spend in a day without the hassle of having to record where you went, what you spent money on and whatnot. Through either method of activity-tracking, you can gauge whether you should slow down on the spending or if you can treat yourself a little more.
Working with physical foreign currency can also be troublesome due to all the converting to do. For this, my solution in coming to Korea was checking with my credit union to see if my debit card would work internationally. It turns out it would, with just a small fee for each transaction at either a bank. Ask your bank about to what extent your card may work any fees that could arise when traveling outside of your home country.
Another tip I think all travelers going abroad should know is to alert their bank that they're leaving the country! There have been many a time my family has gone even to Hawaii and used a debit or credit card and had it lock up from use on us after the bank noticed that a transaction was made out of state, and we would have to call later, telling the bank that it was in fact us who were out of state! This can only get more complicated when traveling internationally, so do make sure to call your bank and ask if there's any protocol on travel, otherwise just watch out for alert emails.
3. Problem: Spending way too much on food.
Traveling somewhere - again, especially internationally - means exploring lots of great new food. In trying it all, however, you can drop more money than you intend to no matter how hard you try to stay on budget. It may seem like the thing that's supposed to keep your body alive on this trip is killing your wallet.
Solution: Eat like the locals.
I feel like this a no-brainer, but it's something people still miss all the time. Wherever I went the cheapest food was always the food that was part of the area. Think mom-'n'-pop, hole-in-the-wall places and things that "native" to the area instead of looking for things you can only get at home. For example, I went to a franchise bakery-cafe here in Korea that also has locations at home, but the food was not only delicious, but also cheap: what can be more than six dollars at home was under 4 dollars here!! Search your travel destination online or ask for recommendations from the locals. You'll be learning more about the area as well as saving money.
Those are my top three problems and solutions for when I travel. Are there any other tips you have to share? Comment below with anything else you think is helpful.
