Getting ready to travel for the first time? Learn more about how to plan your trip, what to pack, safety tips, and more. With these tips, you'll be ready to travel with confidence!

The first trip for a beginner traveler has many challenges: where to go, how to pack things, what to consider when planning a trip, how to travel safely?

Our 16 tips will help you cope with all the difficulties of preparation, which will save you time in planning and 30% of money during your vacation.

We are planning an unforgettable trip

● Select the country or place you want to visit

Choose the country you plan to visit. Familiarize yourself with the main tourist attractions. Determine which sights are worth seeing. To do this, use sources on the Internet or watch videos on YouTube that are advised to visit by experienced travelers. However, don't overwhelm yourself with too much planning. Having an itinerary is a good idea, but the joy of traveling is also getting lost in a new place and having amazing experiences.

● Choose the country or place you want to visit and plan your route

When planning a trip abroad, be sure to pay attention to the language barrier. If you speak a certain foreign language, you might be interested in visiting a country where you can put all your language skills into practice. If you speak English well, it would be advisable to choose places where the population speaks it. Popular English-speaking countries include Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain and the USA.

You can learn English on the following resources: BritishCouncil, BBC Learning English та Voice of America.

How to learn a language? Useful tips in our material.

● You should plan your trip in advance

Once you've chosen your destination, it's time to start planning your trip. Start browsing flights and comparing airfares to find the best deal. 

When booking a flight, follow the 60-day rule: search for flights no earlier and no later than 1.5-2 months before the intended trip. Try to buy tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 14:00 and 16:00. Airlines usually offer the lowest prices these days. So you can save up to 80% of the cost.

In addition to finding a ticket and booking a hotel, think about how to get to your accommodation after landing. But always have a backup plan in case of an emergency – your flight may be delayed, public transport may be off schedule. Therefore, in addition to the bus schedule, you should have taxi contacts in your phone.

● Travel budget tips

To travel more budget-friendly, avoid traveling during the peak season, which is usually summer and the holiday season. Prices for flights and hotels are much lower in the fall than in the spring.

When moving around a new city, use public transport.

Instead of hotels, you can stay in a hostel or rent an apartment.

Buy food at the supermarket and cook it yourself.

Buy a local SIM card to save on calls.

● Prepare the documents

To travel abroad, you must have a foreign passport. If you have never left your country of residence before, you will need to issue this document before traveling. It can take up to six weeks to receive your passport, so it's important to plan ahead to get your travel documents in time for your flight. If you already have a foreign passport, check its validity period. For most international destinations, it must be valid for at least six months after the end of your trip.

Also check the entry rules of the country you are traveling to. For any traveler, visas are the most difficult thing for most tourists, as each country has its own rules and filing requirements that differ depending on your nationality.

Some countries do not require a visa, some allow you to get one on arrival, and others require you to apply for a visa in advance and wait a long time for it to be processed. Look for entry rules for any country in the world for citizens of any country on the Visit World portal.

● Take out a travel insurance policy

Insurance can significantly simplify life in many unforeseen situations. In addition to the basic package of services, which includes assistance in emergency situations, transportation to a medical facility, outpatient and inpatient care, you can add many additional options that will make your policy a truly useful document: luggage insurance, programs for sports and active recreation, insurance in the event failure to make a trip, etc. You should definitely buy insurance policies only from verified agents.

The insurance policy from Visit World includes: outpatient, dental care, treatment in case of injury, doctor's consultation and diagnosis of diseases, emergency medical evacuation, inpatient treatment, ambulance and hospitalization, repatriation of remains or local burial or cremation, compensation for lost luggage, etc.

● Make copies of important documents

Do not forget to make copies of all important documents such as passport, visa, insurance policy, in case your originals are lost or stolen. It is better to have both hard copies and digital copies.

● Contact your bank

Before traveling, be sure to check with your bank about the conditions for using the card abroad and possible fees when paying by credit card.

● Be careful when packing your suitcase

There is nothing worse when traveling than lugging a huge suitcase or backpack full of unnecessary things. When packing clothes, give preference to synthetic materials, because such clothes are lighter and dry faster, which makes them ideal for traveling. Layering is a great way to transition between warmer and cooler weather.

Usually a tourist does not need an outfit for every day, quite often during the trip people wear the same clothes. In order to properly plan and pack all the necessary clothes, you should start preparing at least a week before your trip.

We also advise you to invest in good equipment - a reliable backpack or suitcase and a comfortable pair of shoes are the main components of a successful journey.

● Take a basic first aid kit with you

Stock a first aid kit with different types of medicine, especially if you are traveling to a country whose language you do not speak, as well as bandages, ointments and antibiotics. Make sure you have a sufficient supply of the medicines you take every day.

● The rechargeable battery will definitely come in handy

An extra battery for charging your phone will save you from stress if your phone suddenly runs out of power. It is also a good idea to have the address of your hostel or hotel written down on a piece of paper. That way, even if you don't have access to GPS or Wi-Fi, you can still ask someone for directions to it.

We are going on a journey

● Keep money in several different places

Never keep all your money in one place in case your bag or outerwear gets lost or stolen. Try to keep some cash on you, some in your purse, and most in your hotel safe.

In which countries of Europe pickpockets are most often found, read here.

● Contact local residents

Locals are your best source of information. They can tell you which parts of the city are safe, share hidden points of interest that you can explore, and give you a much better insight into the local culture than you could get from just talking to fellow travelers. Start with the person at the front desk of your hostel or hotel.

● Use free Wi-Fi

Research and remember which places have free Wi-Fi (eg McDonald's, Starbucks, etc.). Download city maps to your phone when you first arrive in a new city. Then you'll be able to use them even if you're not connected to Wi-Fi.

● When choosing a restaurant, give preference to local establishments

The world is shrinking, and even in the most remote places, you can easily find chain restaurants. However, it is better to visit a local establishment, because exploring the country's cuisine is an important part of any trip.

● Follow local customs

The world would be a very boring place if we all had the same customs. Therefore, before traveling, familiarize yourself with the culture of the country of the future trip and be sure to follow their customs.

Travel can give many good experiences. When embarking on a journey, it is worth remembering that many things can go wrong, but if everything is planned properly, the reward from the trip will be quite high.

The main thing is to collect all the necessary documents and take out a travel insurance policy.

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Products from Visit World for a comfortable trip:

Medical insurance all over the world;

Legal advice from a local specialist on visa and migration issues (to receive the service, select the country of interest and citizenship).

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European Health Insurance Card. Read here how to get preferential medical care in the EU countries.

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