61 Handy Tips For First-Time Travelers

About to head off and see the world, but feeling a bit daunted by the whole thing? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. Luckily, a little knowledge goes a long way, especially when you’re starting out.

Here are a few useful tips I wish I’d known before I went traveling for the first time. This list started off with 50 tips, but there have been so many good suggestions in the comments, it’s growing every year!

Planning and Packing

• If you’re not sure if you need it, you don’t.
• If you’re pretty sure you need it, you don’t.
• If you’re absolutely certain you need it, you probably still don’t.
• Take more money.
• Take more pairs of underwear.
• Take fewer pairs of shoes.
• Don’t forget toilet paper. An almost-finished roll is fine. You may not use it, but when you need it, you really need it.
• A cheap little corkscrew can officially turn you into a hero.
• If it can’t be worn for three days then washed and dried in a hostel laundry room, don’t bring it.
• Your airline’s baggage allowance is a limit, not a challenge.
• Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel.  Pick one.
• When showers and laundry are hard to come by, good deodorant makes all the difference. The stronger, the better.
• If you can’t carry your luggage up a flight of stairs easily by yourself, it’s too heavy. See hints 1,2 & 3
• Make sure your passport has enough pages and validity (> 6 months) to last your entire trip. The visas for some countries take up an entire passport page. No, I don’t know why.
• A little planning is good. Accommodation in Western Europe is hard to find in peak season.
• A lot of planning is not. The best experiences are often spontaneous, and detailed itineraries don’t allow that.
• Learn a little of the local language. You’ll be surprised how far even just “please”, “thank you”, and “sorry” can get you in daily life.
• Scan or take a photo of your passport and drivers license, and store them online somewhere secure but easy to access. Take a printed copy as well.
• Speaking of passports and photos, keep a few passport photos in your bag. You’ll often need one (or more) when applying for a visa.
• Aspirin, Band-Aids, and Imodium. The traveller’s trifecta.
• Contraceptives are not the stupidest idea in the world either.
• Travel insurance will save your ass — it’s certainly saved mine, and that of several friends.

In Transit

• Arrive early. Airports suck, but missing your flight sucks a lot more.
• Jokes about security are hilarious. Spending time in jail is less so.
• The only thing worse than the taste of airport food is the price. Eat beforehand.
• Having a few drinks on the plane is fun. Being hungover on the plane is horrific. Your call.
• Earplugs are your friend.
• So is an eye mask, even if it makes you look like a dork.
• Mild sleeping pills complete the arsenal, for when the people beside you really just won’t shut up.
• Learning to eat using plastic utensils, with your elbows tucked in and your knees bumping the table, is an essential flying skill. Start practicing now by sitting in a cardboard box during your next meal.
• Take something that can entertain you for several hours. A novel. Playing cards. An iPad. A ball of twine. Whatever. Just take something.
• Set your watch to your destination timezone as soon as you get on the plane, and use that time when deciding when to sleep. It’ll help with the jetlag. Maybe.
• Get up and go for a walk now and again when you’re in the air. It’s good for the circulation and helps relieve the crushing boredom of a long haul flight, even if only slightly.
• After 20 hours in planes and airports, toothpaste will change your life.
• When it comes to conversations with border officials, less is more. Answer questions truthfully but don’t volunteer too much.
• Likewise, pay attention to the signs at immigration. If they say not to take photos or use your phone, don’t. Border guards are often grumpy enough without you giving them an extra reason.
• Distinctive luggage is a good thing. Surprising as it might seem, yours will not be the only black suitcase on the conveyer belt.
• Don’t change all your money at the airport. It’s usually the worst rate in town.
• Having a change of underwear in your carry-on will be the smartest move you’ve ever made when the airline loses your bags.

At Your Destination

• Being polite goes a very long way.
• A smile goes even further.
• If somebody doesn’t speak your language, that’s your problem, not theirs.
• Lack of a common language does not equal deafness. Speaking more loudly will not help.
• Be alert for scams and danger but don’t let that dictate your trip. Most people are not out to harm you.
• Opening your heart and mind doesn’t have to mean opening your wallet.
• Get out of your comfort zone. Eat, drink, and do things you wouldn’t go near in your normal life.
• Bum bags/fanny packs are the stupidest travel accessory ever, for more reasons than I can even list.
• Money belts aren’t much better, but if you must use one, don’t keep diving into it every five minutes. Hiding your valuables isn’t much use if they don’t stay … y’know … hidden.
• Things will be different to how they are at home. That’s kinda the point.
• Public transport can be cheap, comfortable, and efficient. It can also be the bane of your life. You will experience both.
• If you miss that public transport, don’t stress. There’ll be another bus or train soon enough, and if you don’t have a fixed itinerary (see above), it won’t make much difference to anything.
• Meet the locals. If you’d wanted to hang out with people just like yourself, it would have been much easier just to go to the mall back home.
• Have an emergency source of funds hidden away somewhere, and treat your passport as if it were made of gold. It’s not quite the end of the world if you lose it, but it’ll feel like it at the time.
• Keep some small change in your pocket. Many taxi drivers and street vendors can’t change larger notes, and it’ll save a lot of time and hassle.
• Don’t be afraid to screw up. It’s ok. We learn a lot more from our failures than we do our successes.
• Having flip-flops for the hostel shower can be a really good idea.
• Don’t be the one who comes back to the hostel smashed after a big night out, turns on the light and wakes up the rest of the dorm. No really, don’t. Payback’s a bitch in the morning.
• If your friends back home haven’t seen an updated Instagram post from you in the last hour, it’s ok.
• Make time to stop and smell the roses. Some of the best memories of my travels are when I just sat in a cafe or on a park bench for a while, and watched daily life unfold around me.
• When looking for somewhere to eat, find the place where there’s nobody who looks like you inside. Bonus points if it’s not in the guidebook, and extra bonus points if the menu isn’t in your language (or there’s no menu at all). The food will be better and cheaper, and the experience more memorable. Trust me.
• There will be times when it’s all too hard. Tough it out. You won’t remember the bad times in a couple of months, but the good times will stay with you forever.

Got some more handy tips for first-time travelers?  Share them below!