You’ve decided on a foreign location and are excited to book your travel to that place that’s been on your bucket list for a long time. Even for seasoned travelers, overseas travel may be stressful. However, for a first-time visitor, it might be very overwhelming. First, there’s all the planning, such as getting a passport if you don’t already have one, applying for visas, and figuring out where you’ll stay and how you’ll travel from point A to point B. After that, you have to orient yourself in a new place, where the time zone, language, and currency may differ from what you’re used to. Not to mention any surprises that may arise along the road.

But the beauty of travel is that you don’t have to know everything; it’s a learning experience. As long as you have some fundamental information to cover the most critical components of your first foreign trip, you’ll have plenty of space to develop and learn, as well as gain some confidence for your future journey overseas.

With this in mind, planning ahead of time for foreign travel will result in a more pleasant experience. Here are some international travel guidelines to help you prepare for your first foreign trip.

Do Plenty of Research Before You Leave

Don’t rely solely on well-known travel guides and novels. The internet contains a nearly limitless source of information. Do you want to know how it feels to stroll from one tourist attraction to another in a foreign city? If you Google it, you will most likely discover that someone has already posted a video of the journey. This provides you with a birds-eye perspective before you leave your house.

Are you unsure whether to take trains or buses? It will be someplace on a travel blogger’s website, showing you things that no book or brochure will ever show you. I enjoy writing entries about how to go from one point to another, including photographs of buses, trains, and stations. This is critical information for first-time visitors. Do you want to know how much a cab ride should cost? Google it and you’ll find out.

Phone Maps and Paper Maps

While Google Maps on a smartphone can accomplish everything, it does require a solid internet connection. Don’t utilize roaming since it will leave you bankrupt before you arrive. Also, do you really want to be pulling out your phone and waving it about every few seconds? A paper map allows you to show bus drivers, taxi drivers, and helpful people exactly where you want to go. You may also draw on them, which is beneficial.

Keep Yourself Safe

Your first overseas journey may appear frightening, but it is nearly always scarier in your thoughts than it will be in reality. You may also visit our other blog to learn about safety recommendations for lone travelers.

Buy travel insurance

Most people only need this if they are going outside of their own country.

There are several travel insurance plans and options available, and most of them include emergency medical care, evacuation, lost luggage, and trip cancellation.

Always carry a small amount of cash with you

If your ATM card does not function, you may always spend cash and swap it for local currency. It’s also a good idea to have some local cash on hand in case you visit a restaurant or business that doesn’t take credit cards.

Check your documents

Before you begin booking tickets, you must ensure that certain paperwork are in order. To begin, foreign travel necessitates the use of an up-to-date passport. You’ll also want to make sure your passport has enough pages for visa stamps. While most nations require only a quarter-page stamp, some may demand a half-page or more.