General travel tips
Travel can be overwhelming, I know! But you're in the right place. I'm here to share all my travel tips and useful websites which are so handy when you're overseas and booking things along the way.
If you're planning your own trips overseas, whether it be to Europe, South East Asia or another destination around the world, the below will definitely be of some help to you. But, if you're looking for destination specific tips, I have lots of information for specific destinations I've travelled to in their own blogs, here!
My general tips
1) Use a multi-currency travel card
Wise is the company I use and it's great. They have an app which you can download and easily send over money from your own bank account. They have great security, where every online purchase needs to be approved via the mobile app.
2) Book hostels
Hostel World s a great website to book accommodation on if you're young and open to stay in Hostels. If you are wanting to meet lots of people and socialise, I highly recommend it. Hostel World has lots of different options available, including private rooms. Just don't forget to read the reviews section before making your booking, this is so important.
Booking.com is my next recommendation for non-hostel bookings. There's an abundance of hotels to choose from and they have an amazing system. I’ve never had an issue with using this website. They have options suitable for everyone, budget backpackers, luxury hotels, solo or families!
3) Book excursions and lots of travel needs online
Booking online can save you time and money when it comes to excursions. There's nothing more annoying than getting to your destination and you have to wait in a long line to purchase a ticket. Tripadvisor is amazing for booking a variety of activities, hotels and they even have other helpful information for all things travel. It's an all round awesome website.
4) Invest in a good quality travel adapter
Travel adapter plugs are so important when travelling overseas and I highly recommend investing in a good quality one, not the cheap $2 one. Believe me, been there, done that and they just end up breaking your iphone charger cord and then eventually not working. So buy it once and buy it right!
5) Travelling Europe and don't want to fly?
I travelled around Europe for 3 months and only caught a flight once. If you plan to cover a lot of ground in Europe I highly recommend getting an Eurail pass. This gives you unlimited access to trains all over Europe, with the exception of some longer routes you need to pay to reserve a seat. This was one of the best purchases for our trip and saved us so much money, with the amount of ground we covered.
6) Packing
Something so simple yet it can make a big difference is the way you pack. I highly recommend using a backpack, instead of a suitcase. I've travelled with both and lugging around a suitcase was a nightmare for me, it just ain’t it. My next tip would be to get packing cubes to keep all your clothes together. Packing cubes are so helpful so your backpack doesn't end up in a mess! I used cheap plastic ones however I’d recommend getting fabric, because if you stay in a hostel, plastic can be too noisy. And of course, pack light. Something everyone says, but you don't fully understand it until you've experienced overpacking yourself. Pack smart and choose items you know you'll wear on the regular. Don’t take white, it tends to get dirty and take comfy clothing!
8) How much money do I need?
This is something people commonly ask, but is very hard to answer. How long is a piece of string? There are so many factors that go into budgets it's not possible to say exactly how much you may need for a trip. Advice I can give you is to make a realistic budget for different aspects, for example: have an idea of how much you want to spend on accommodation per night. You can use Hostel World or Booking.com to research different prices related to the destination and get an idea of how much you'd like to spend whether you go budget, mid-range or high-range. Then, think about the same thing for activities, find out how much they cost and then work out a budget, factoring in that there are bound to be more things you want to do, that you find out about when you are there. Things like transport, will you be catching public transport? Maybe you can walk most places? Or, maybe you need to catch taxis? Food, if you stay in a hotel with a kitchen, you can cook and save money, or, will you be eating out the whole time? Generally I would type into google 'how much money do you need for a week in (enter destination)' and this can help to give you a rough idea. The rule I always follow is, have more money than you plan to spend, because you'll always find more things to do when you get there.
