First time travelers often have a feeling of anxiety. They are confused and don’t know what to do before they travel abroad. If you’re a first time traveler, you may feel the same way. You’ve seen your friends move to another country and it looked so smooth and sweet. But whenever you think of how you’re going to take the same steps, some kind of fear seems to grip your heart. This is a normal thing with every first travel. 

Most people feel scared during their first travel. The reason is that they don’t know if they are doing the right thing or having the complete documents. But traveling shouldn’t be that scary. To make it easier for you, we have provided useful advice to guide you and make your travel smoother. 

What You Need to Know as a First Time Traveler

1. Get the Required Documents 

No matter the country you’re traveling to, you need travel documents to enter. Here are the important travel documents to get ready:

Passport 

You need a valid passport before you can enter another country. Sometimes, first time travelers can forget to check if a passport is still valid. Some passport are valid for 5, 8 or 10 years. If you already have a passport, ensure that it is not already expired and need renewal. 

Almost all countries accept only travelers with passports. If you don’t have one, you will not be allowed to enter the country. Some won’t even consider your passport if your passport will expire in six months. Other countries may even deny you entry if the passport you possess doesn’t have enough pages in it.

So it is important that you have a valid passport before traveling. If your passport will expire soon, go to your country’s immigration office and renew it before thinking of booking your flight. Also remember that passport takes time to be ready. So apply for a renewal on time to avoid delay of your travel plans. 

Visa

Some countries don’t require a visa to allow entry. Others will demand to see your visa before you step foot on their soil. It is important that you do your research before traveling. Check if the country you’re traveling requires a visa. You don’t want to get rejected when you appear without the visa to the destination country. 

However, if you’re from the US or UK, you don’t need a visa to travel to so many countries. But if you are not from these two privileged countries, find out if you need a visa or not. 

2. Learn everything about your destination country 

Find time to learn everything you need to know about your destination country. You need to invest enough time, attention and resources to research where you are traveling. Moving abroad is always exciting, and that’s good. However, you don’t want to overlook the reality that will meet you on arrival. 

Studying everything about a country has a lot of benefits. You will discover the language of the people, their culture and the dos and donts of the country. For instance, you are not allowed to feed pigeons in Venice, or chew gum in Singapore. In Scotland, it is illegal to ride a cow while drunk. Every country has things they consider legal or illegal. A thorough research will help you to discover what you need to know about the country you’re traveling to. 

Plan your finances 

The first thing that should come to mind about money is to make sure that you notify your local bank. They should know about your travel plans so they can assist you. You don’t want your bank to become suspicious when they notice some international transactions in your account. 

Another important financial advice is to make sure you have enough cash on you wherever you go. Since many countries may not give you access to their ATMs, you may have to pay for groceries, coffee and donuts using cash. Whatever the case, find a safe way to carry cash to avoid embarrassment. 

4. Plan your transportation and accommodation 

The transportation and accommodation abroad may not be the same with the ones in your home country. It is important to research the best means to move about and the best place to stay while abroad. For transportation, subway system and public buses are way more cost efficient than many other means of transportation. In addition, you have the rare opportunity to view the city and relish its beauty. 

For accommodation, staying in hotels may feel cool but it is more expensive than using guesthouses, Airbnb or hostels. If you’re traveling to enjoy your destination, staying in cheaper places will afford you the opportunity to meet other travelers. This will definitely enrich your experience and make your stay worth it. 

If you choose to spend a long time in an accommodation, find out if they offer discounts to people who intend to stay longer. If they do, use it to the fullest and make the best of the time and experience that come your way. 

5. Book everything on time 

Once you have the money, go ahead to book whatever you need to book in advance. Don’t wait for the last minute to make the decisions you should have made earlier. As you think and plan to visit a particular country, other people have the same plans and thoughts. You don’t want to book too late when all accommodation or transportation is scarce. 

Travelers who book too late may be lucky to get some accommodation. But they may likely pay higher and may even get an accommodation lower in standard than what they expect. That’s why it is advisable to make early bookings so you don’t get stranded on accommodation or transportation. 

6. Slow down and take your time 

The excitement of travel can be overpowering. First time travelers often get carried away with the beauty and sights of the destination country. Ensure that you slow down and take things one at a time. Avoid travel fatigue as much as possible. Don’t rush out to see all the available mountains, lakes, cities and parks in one day. Have a plan for each day and take a different direction each time you go out. For instance, on day one, choose north and visit everything you wish to see in that direction. On day two, go south or east or west. This will help both your body and mind to relax while you enjoy your first time traveling. Don’t forget to take enough rest after you arrive at your destination country. Give time to recover from jet lag before you jet off for sightseeing and adventures. This is very important.

7. Pay attention to health and safety 

Your health and safety are important things to look after. You don’t have to worry about everything during your first travel. Don’t feed your mind with negativity or allow fear to steal your enjoyable moments. However, you need to follow these health and safety guidelines to help you make the best of the time:

• Keep your items safe. Every country has thieves and pickpockets. You don’t want your valuables to go missing especially when you need them most. Once you protect your items, it will be difficult for anyone to pick them and run off. 
• Keep your loved ones informed of your travels and adventures. It is always a good idea to let someone else know where you are and what you’re doing at every point. The advantage is that it will be easy to know your location in the case of a sudden incident, civil unrest, kidnapping or natural disaster. 
• Get a travel insurance as part of your travel plans. This insurance will cover any losses you may incur during travel. These include emergency evacuations, lost items, and other unexpected twists of events during the travel. 
• Use your head always throughout your stay in a new country. Human behaviors are the same to a large extent in every country. If a place or person makes you uncomfortable, move away. Leave immediately and avoid them next time. You can also ask the locals for information on places that are safe and unsafe for travelers or foreigners. 

8. Organize your luggage 

Carrying the appropriate luggage is essential. You don’t want to carry too much or too little. The inability to stay organized in this area has a lot of disadvantages you may want to avoid. Here are great tips to packing appropriately:

• Travel light if you can. Although you need all the necessary items and clothing, make sure you don’t carry too much. A single sweatshirt is enough, and you don’t need to carry more than what you will practically need. You can buy a few clothes in the new country to remind you of your travel. 
• Protect your belongings and make sure they are safe. Put a lock on you suitcase or travel bag to keep thieves off your items. If you stay in a hotel or hostel, put your valuable items in the locker and use your own lock to protect them. 
• Pack your items in packing cubes.  They help to keep them neat and organized. Packing cubes are way cheaper than most travel bags. 

9. Control your airport anxieties 

It is normal to feel anxious on your first travel day. You can control this negative feeling if you know your way around the airport. Even regular travelers experience anxiety, so calm down and don’t think too much about it. You can stay in control of your anxiety by doing the following:

• Make copies of all essential documents such as passport, visa, flight tickets, hotel details, etc before going to the airport. 
• If the airport is large, make sure you identify the terminal your airplane will be waiting for you. 
• Look up your flight schedule online days or hours before going to the airport. 
• If you can, download your best movies shows and songs to keep you company during the flight and waiting moments. 
• Check the weight of your luggage at home first before leaving for the airport. This is to ensure that you’re not carrying above the weight limits. 

10. Stay in touch with family and friends 

Traveling always has its own excitement and thrills. But sometimes it can get so lonely that you wish you had a companion. This is the time to keep in touch with loved ones. When doing that, remember to use the medium that is cheap and reliable. Since you’re on foreign soil, international communication may not be as cheap as it is locally. Here are some advice to follow:

• Decide if you are going to use international roaming or buy a new SIM card abroad for all your calls while you’re there. Remember that you will also have to purchase an unlocked phone for the calls you have to make. 
• You can choose to call family and friends using internet connection. WhatsApp, telegram and Facebook Messenger all have features that allow for calls. 
• If you decide to use the internet, there are many places with free Wi-Fi connection. Go to those places; they could be way cheaper and will save you money too. 
• If you are traveling to countries such as China, UAE and Turkey, Facebook, Instagram and whatsApp are prohibited. Look for other apps not banned in the destination country. Or you can use a VPN to gain access to the prohibited sites. 

Conclusion 

Your first time travels shouldn’t be scary or filled with anxiety. Go through the useful tips and follow them accordingly. You will find the confidence you need and discover how easy, simple and enjoyable to travel for the first time. 

Good luck to you!