Things to Keep in Mind When Planning Your Trip (The Necessities).

In this post, I will list a few of the important thing every person needs to do/consider/research/complete before embarking on any travel experience. Many of these things I figured out along the way and didn't realize they were something I needed to think about, until I realized part way through my planning that there were a few other things I needed to account for. I knew that there was a lot I needed to learn and a lot that I didn't even know to ask about.
That's when I turned to my well traveled friends and adults, advisors, the woman at my college that works with the international students (if anyone knew about navigating through countries, it would be her), and many others. I looked to the internet for my other random questinos, for reviews, and to other travel bloggers who had years of experience on me.
And while I'm no expert, here's some of what I picked up along the way. This post will cover:
Visas

Vaccines

Where to stay/what to look for

Seating on the plane

Food on the plane

Safest countries

Do's/Don't's of other countries

Packing

Staying the night in airports

STEP

Visas - Look up visas - volunteer, work, tourist, etc. - need proof of exit → buy tickets accordingly

If all one way tickets, be prepared for some extra questions.

Requirements for visas will differ from country to country.

Some won’t require one if you’re coming as a tourist for x amount of days, and some will want one regardless of the purpose of your visit and/or how long you stay - some of these might cost a fee, others might just be a simple application. Be sure to look up the embassy of the country you’re planning to visit and see what is required of you as a citizen of whatever country you reside from (your home country will also add variation to what is needed to visit other certain countries. - for US citizens, go here: https://www.usembassy.gov and/or https://www.travel.state.gov to find out the information you need.

Upon applying for a visa, or visiting a place where a visa isn’t required (depending on your length of stay and destination) you *will* need a proof of exit, whether that’s your round trip ticket, or a separate ticket to somewhere else.
I like to buy my tickets in stages for a few reasons: 1. You usually can’t buy a ticket so many months in advance, 2. I want to have some flexibility as to where I want to go, and 3. The cheapest time to buy (and this is up for debate) is 3-4 months out, typically. So when I bought my ticket to New Zealand, I didn’t have proof of exit, but as long as I buy my next ticket well before my trip to New Zealand, I should be fine.

If you do like I did and buy all one way tickets, be prepared for some extra questioning, as one-way tickets could raise some eyebrows: why are you not returning home? What are your plans and reasons for coming abroad?

Vaccines

Some countries require you to get certain vaccines, some countries strongly suggest certain vaccines, and some countries don’t need you to do anything. Again, this should all be found under the embassy website, but here https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel should give you some information too (notice these are both .gov websites). For example, some countries, such as SE ASIA will require a vaccine for Yellow Fever *IF* you are coming from an area where Yellow Fever is a concern. (It’s a good idea to get the vaccine anyway, because you don’t want to pick that up along the way.)
Many countries will warn against malaria as well. Talk to your doctor and they should be able to provide you with some medication you can take (malaria can’t be prevented with a vaccine.)

Where are you staying? - Check it out first.

I think this goes without saying, but you want to make sure to look up reviews of where you’re hoping to stay before you book the ticket. Whether this is a hostel, hotel, homestay, WWOOF, Workaway, HelpX, etc, there should always be reviews. You’ll want to look at friendliness, cleanliness, safety, and overall experience (and whatever else is important for you to know). Once you’ve decided it’s where you want to stay, check for bed bugs. Put your bags down on a hard, solid surface, then check the mattress and blankets for any signs of bed bugs - the bugs themselves, or a rust colored staining on the mattress by the seams. Other travelers have also suggested investing in a simple rubber door stopper. This can be used for extra safety in your room, especially when sleeping. From the inside, just plug the door stopper in and it’ll make it much harder for unwanted visitors to enter.

Choose your seat on the plane - where is best to sit - front, back, middle, aisle, window, etc.?

When you buy your ticket, most times, many airlines will allow you to pick your seat (without additional fees, however some airlines will charge a small amount, like JetStar).
Suggestions:
If you know that you’re going to have a short connection, pick an aisle seat in the front of the plane so you can get off quickly and make your next flight.
For long flights, I like to choose an aisle seat. This way, I don’t need to disturb anyone when I need to use the bathroom (several times over many, many hours), and it also makes it easier for me to just stand up, or walk up and down the aisle a little bit to stretch my legs and body. As silly as it might look, definitely get up and move your body, touch your toes, move from side to side, etc. Your body will thank you. I also choose the aisle seat because I typically can’t sleep on planes, but if you’re one of the lucky sleepers, maybe you’ll want the window to lean, since you’ll be sleeping in your seat for most of the flight, while I’ll be awake and wanting to move around.
For shorter flights, I’ll probably aim for a window seat so I can watch the landscape as we fly over. Some people like the window for long flights too if they don’t mind crawling over their row mates to use the bathroom; this way, you have hours and hours of landscape entertainment. :) (Although many long flights, I’ve noticed that most of the windows are shut the whole time and everyone sleeps, but you can be the exception!)

Airplane food - Call ahead for Vegetarian meals - if you are one, or even if you aren’t, they always come out first and are usually a bit tastier (confirmed by the women next to me on the flight to Tokyo.)

If you have any dietary restrictions, be sure to call the airline well ahead of time, I like to soon after I book my flight, but a week or two out from flying will also probably be fine. I do recommend the vegetarian meals, even if you’re a happy meat eater.
Why?
Because,

They come out first,

It generally looks, smells, and tastes better,

Sometimes you get an extra dessert ;)

And I’m not just saying this to be biased. On my flight to Japan, once the meals started coming around, the women next to me looked at mine and looked at hers and said I had won the better meal. She then looked at me and said, “remember that moldy smell I was smelling when we got on the plane? I figured out what it was.” as she disappointedly looked at her food. But at least she had something to eat.
Alternatively, you can just bring your own food with you, and then you never have to worry about whether or not you’ll like the food. This website http://blog.tortugabackpacks.com/airplane-snacks/ has some great ideas for all kinds of diets and flight durations!

If traveling alone, make friends with other solo travelers, or with families. (Like the women and son to Tokyo - I appreciated their help SO much!)

This is great especially if you're new to traveling (whether solo or not). You will definitely find other people who have years of travel experience under their belt. Undoubtedly, you’ll be able to find a kind experienced traveler who will be able to help you along the way, whether it’s finding customs when you get off the plane, navigating through a tricky airport, or answering some questions you might have.

You’ll probably feel safer if you can create a pod to stay in, especially if you have a long/overnight layover. Become friends with a family and you can all take turns watching luggage and feel safer if you need to fall asleep.
This will also be a great way to get to meet people and engage in fascinating conversations! After all, isn’t that part of traveling, talking to new people?

Safest countries

Not a bad idea to look this up. Do a bit of research before you go anywhere, or think about going anywhere. You want to be fully aware of what you might or might not be getting yourself into. Again, the embassy website should have travel warnings if a place is considered unsafe for you (a citizen from which ever country you’re from), but do some other searching beyond the embassy. The embassy should also list resources that they will have available to you in case of an emergency. For example, if a US citizen was thinking about going to Thailand, this would be one of the first places I would look: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/thailand.html  Investigate that country's relation with yours, how is the political system, are there outstanding acts of terror often, is pick pocketing a concern, are you a solo, female traveler - is this a place that is safe for you, is the water safe to drink, are there animals/insects you need to be concerned about, does human trafficking occur there, etc.

Also be sure to call your insurance company and tell them where you’re going. Be sure that you’ll be covered in case of an emergency, and it might not be a bad idea to look up the health care system of your country of interest and talk to the locals once you get there. Also consider travelers insurance. Know the number for the country's equivalent for 911 or other emergency numbers, the embassy, location and number of hospital police station, etc., have a number for friend/emergency contact (friend’s parents) and be sure to give those numbers to someone in the US too.

Be aware that there are some days in some countries when everything shuts down for certain holidays. Like when I was in Costa Rica with my class and everyone needed to pee and not a single place was open due to Good Friday. We ended up begging the driver to pull over at a bus kiosk so everyone could run around behind one at a time and finally feel the sweet relief of an empty bladder, and also the surprise of a dog off lease that wanted to see what we were up to. (It was actually super hilarious.)

Country customs - dos and don’ts - general politeness/cultural expectations

Learn some basics in the language - the native speakers will appreciate it.

Before flying to a new country, do a little bit of research on their customs. What are the do’s and don’t’s? How do they typically dress? Are any hand gestures that are fine back home but incredibly offensive or hold different meaning to where you’re going? Are people loud, or quiet? Do they tip in restaurants, or is the common US gesture considered rude (it’s rude in France! The “tip” is build into their wage.)
Learn some of the language basics (if the language is different from your own - and if it’s the same, maybe try to pick up some of the lingo they use that you might not be familiar with (in England, the trunk of the car is called the “boot” - things like that). People will really appreciate if you make the effort to speak their native tongue. It shows that you don’t expect people to know your language (why should they?) and that you’re respecting where you are and how they speak. Even if you’re a little bit slow forming the sentences and the accent is off, they’ll understand. :)

Packing - to carry or not to carry, pros and cons, + duration of trip - how much do you really need?

I’ll be traveling for 8 months and I packed it all into 1 carry on, and 1 school sized backpack. I contemplated this for a while and had originally planned to take a checked bag as well, but I decided against that for a few reasons.

1. While many international flights will allow you to take one or two checked bags for free, I knew I would also be taking a number of smaller flights on smaller airlines (especially throughout Europe) and a checked bag would be an additional charge. Now, if this was one or two flights and I was going to a destination where I would be there for months, then perhaps I would have checked a bag, but I know this will be several flights to places where I will be for 2 - 5 weeks, and those extra checked bag fees would add up, especially as airlines continue to up the prices.

2. Sometimes, my carry on bag is going to need to be checked, despite its “carry-on” claim. Many of the smaller airlines (and big ones too) will have weight restrictions. For example, Jetstar, which is used in the Australia/New Zealand, etc. region allows only 7kg of weight, including both your carry on and your personal item… 7kg is about 15 pounds. I tried my best to keep my luggage as light as possible, but with the combined weight, I could only get to about 26 pounds. Therefore, if I had also packed a checked bag, my fees would be even hire to check in two.

3. It was a good challenge to pack minimally. How many things does one really need? Traveling with just the essentials, and a few small, light comforts will be reassuring to know that you can get by just fine with only what you need. Think about where you’re going and what kind of clothing you’ll need - weather/climates, modesty, country norms and expectations, etc. My plan is to travel with the seasons, one, because I don’t do well in the cold (despite living in New England all my life), and two, because then it reduces the amount of bulky warm weather gear I would need to bring.

4. Maneuvering through airports, bus stations, car rides, and from house to house will undoubtedly be much easier with fewer bags to lug behind.

Besides, if you realize you forgot something, or need something along the way, the rest of the world as stores and you can probably find what you need.

Staying the night at the airport?

Check to see if you're allowed to sleep in the airport. Some airports are not open 24/7 and require people to leave if their layover is too long. Also check to see if there are cheap hostels nearby where you could sleep.
A friend recommended this website to me: www.sleepinginairports.net Check to see if your airports makes the top of the list for best airports to sleep in!

Things to keep in mind/look for:
- While some airports are open 24/7, that doesn’t mean that all of their food courts are. I would suggest packing a meal/snacks for your airport stay, especially since airport food is overpriced anyway.

- Check to see if this airport has showers for you to use. In some airports, this might just be for certain members, of for a fee, but I know in the Auckland airports, free showers are available! If you need soap/shampoo, or a towel, that’ll be an extra cost, but chances are you have those things packed with you already.

- Are there lounges available? Many of these are for members of certain clubs/airlines, but many will also offer a guest pass. Lounges will include more comfortable seating, sometimes sleeping areas, other snacks and drinks, etc.

- If this is an airport that is open 24/7, check to see where the best sleeping areas are - you don’t want to be stuck with the chairs with the armrests, you’ll never be able to lie down. (www.sleepinginairports.net will tell you all of this information, with ratings too.)

- I could list many more, but the website does a really great job of that already. ;)

STEP

Check the embassy websites of the countries you intend to visit. Look up the news about the countries you intend to visit and assess the political on General situation. Check to see how the relation between your country and your destination country stand.

STEP stands for Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Check it out here: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/step.html/ Once enrolled, this program will keep you up to date on travel alerts and warnings, provide safety information, will update family and friends back home, etc. And once enrolled, you can list the places you’ll be visiting and during what times and STEP will be able to track safety hazards in those areas at those times.