Today’s list covers some important things to research about your next destination that don’t include what to see or what to do.
Going through these steps will help you plan a safer and smoother trip. No trip runs perfectly smooth and accordingly to plan, but there are lot of things we can do to help ourselves out ahead of time.
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1. Learn practical phrases
This is something I try to do (to the best of my abilities) ahead of time. In a lot of countries, if you stick to the tourist areas, like in the photo above, you probably won’t have much of a problem getting around and getting what you need. But if you’re anything like me, you might be wandering off the beaten path, where knowing some phrases in the local language will be very handy.
You don’t need to learn a lot, but learn a few phrases that are practical in common circumstances. Here are a few good examples of phrases, where you can plug in specific words needed in your situation.
How much is _ ?
Where is _ ?
How do I get to _ ?
I am looking for _.
These practical phrases will help you out when in transit, and shopping or buying food. You could even search up other phrases if there’s something specific you think you’ll need.
Other than those, I would also suggest you know how to say:
Hello!
Goodbye.
Thank you.
Have a nice day!
Being able to say even these few simple words in the local language shows you are respectful of their culture and are excited to explore their country, which I hope is what you want to do anyway!
2. Search what food is available
Though I would argue this is something everyone should look into at least briefly, this is especially important for those who are on a special diet or have severe allergies.
In some countries you might experience that there isn’t as much diversity of foods available compared to what you are used to.
If you are vegetarian, and the staple food source includes meat. That’s going to be a problem for you.
You might find yourself living off of crackers from corner stores. Which evidently, will make it hard to enjoy your trip.
If you are travelling to larger cities, I wouldn’t stress too much about this, because large metropolitan areas will have more variety of foods available. But, if you are travelling somewhere more rural and remote, be aware of what will be available to you, and decide if this will make or break your trip.
3. Search up areas to avoid
Even in the safest of cities, I feel like there is always one area where people will warn you to stay away from.
This is what you’ll to want to find out ahead of time if you are booking accommodation in advance. Make sure you are staying in a safe part of town, so you can safely enter and exit when you need to.
It’s also good to ask local staff at your accommodation once you arrive of where it is safe to roam around on your own. They will have good knowledge of this and be able to help you out.
4. Check for current political or religious conflict
Again, even in places that are generally deemed as safe, you could find yourself in a good place, at a bad time.
I would suggest looking up either current local news stories of the place you will be staying in, or check something like Tripadvisor for recent reviews. This will give you a good idea of what’s going on.
Maybe there’s an election coming up, or maybe some recent events have stirred up the public. News about riots or protests coming up? Maybe its best to wait a bit until things are settled.
Just be aware of what’s going on in that place currently so you know what you are up against once you arrive.
5. Check the weather and season
There’s been a few instances where I’ve seen a sweet flight deal, then quickly realize at that time of year it’s smack in the middle of rainy season.
Not that you should avoid places because of the season necessarily, because in some places there are pros and cons to travelling in different seasons. You just want to know what you are getting into before hand.
The most important part of this step is to be aware of the weather during the time you are visiting so you are prepared with what clothes you are bringing. Raincoats, thermal clothing, proper footwear, etc. This will help you decide what to bring to make sure you can tour around as comfortably as possible.
6. Check what clothes are customary
I’m not saying you need to buy traditional clothes before arriving. That’s not practical.
What I mean is, you should have a general idea of how people dress there. Do they dress more conservative? Are people more formal or more casual?
Firstly, for safety reasons this is important because you want to blend in as much as possible (see my blog post about women’s safety for more on this!).
For me I find the greater reason to be aware of this is because you want to respect the culture. Especially if they are on the conservative end, you don’t want to wear something completely revealing and out there, because this could make people uncomfortable. After all, remember we are guests in their country, not the other way around!
7. Check what vaccines you might need
I know the only thing you are probably thinking about right now is COVID-19 but there are a lot of other diseases (some more lethal ones!) you’ll want to worry about still.
When researching what vaccines to get, it’s important to keep in mind a few things.
1. Where exactly are you going to be? A lot of diseases are not just country specific but REGION specific.
2. What is your health status, and how long are you going to be exposed to said disease?
If you feel like a vaccine for a certain disease might be required, the next step would be to see a travel doctor for professional advice.
There are some diseases you might not be able to get a vaccine for, but you’ll want to be aware of your risk before leaving regardless, so do your research. You might also learn about how to avoid certain illnesses, and other preventative measures.
Next week I’m going to be listing some basic information and tips about several common vaccines and travel related diseases, so stay tuned for some more details on that!
That’s it for today! I hope you found this information helpful for you, and if you did please share with a friend.
Let me know what other things you make sure to research before leaving abroad in the comments 🙂
Thanks so much for reading, I hope you have a great week!
Much love,
Dee
