A Few Words of Encouragement For First Time Travelers

So you’ve decided to take the plunge and begin traveling — how exciting for you! You might see the summer approaching and think that it’s high time that you went out like everyone else and started exploring the world around you. It’s better to think about everything waiting for you in a balanced way. Yes, that means thinking about the downsides but don’t worry — there aren’t that many downsides to travel.

Yes, the subject of crime might be on your mind, but it’s highly likely that you already live in an area where crime happens. If you’ve managed to make it okay so far, chances are good that you already have every tool you need to stay safe in another country.

Yet if you’re looking online for tips for first time travelers, we have quite a few that should keep you happy, safe, excited and well all through the summer — and beyond!

First and foremost, it cannot be stressed enough: do not let things go until the last minute. Yes, you see a lot of searches for last minute information online, and we aren’t going to tell you that we have never done a last minute trip. But it’s all about knowing your limits ahead of time. If you know that you’re the type of person that really wants things done in a certain fashion, you really want to stick to that pattern. The last thing that you want to do is find yourself having to make tough decisions only because you didn’t budget your time properly. That just wouldn’t be right or proper at all!

It would be smarter to actually think about everything else that goes into the trip. Where do you want to go? There are actually a lot of different destinations to choose from. You don’t have to try to pick the most adventurous place.

A nice Mediterranean holiday can be just as peaceful as backpacking in New Zealand. Or mountain climbing in South America somewhere. You don’t have to feel like you have to walk on the wild side just because everyone else is doing it.

You might want to be a little more conservative for your first vacation until you’ve gotten your confidence up.

A word about budget — you can never really have enough money for travel, but at the same time you can’t wait until all of the signs are right before you travel. If you wait too long you will miss out on everything waiting for you when you reach your destination. Just focus on the things that really make your trip shine and you’ll see everything else works out in the end.

Group trips can be stressful for your first vacation, but nothing says that they can’t happen. You’re just going to have to make sure that you really plan everything even more carefully. Don’t feel like you have to be the responsible one for everyone — if other people can’t work out their own details, they can stay home. It’s your holiday time — use it wisely.

Don’t forget to take along a camera. It’s an absolute must if you’re going to travel. Why would you want to leave your camera at home when that’s really the only way to capture your world? Think about that for a moment. You’ll find that you’ll make the right decisions in the long run, given enough time.

Most importantly, you have to have fun while you’re away. If that means that you sit around reading a book in a cafe far from home, then rock on! If that means that you are out kayaking, backpacking, and interacting with people that don’t even speak your language, that’s cool too. It’s a matter of doing what makes YOU happy, not what a travel forum thinks you should do.

Now is the perfect time to plan your trip — are you ready for it? We hope so!