fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #6358 ]

[ SECRET POST #6358 ]

⌈ Secret Post #6358 ⌋

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[12 Monkeys (series)]

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How the heck do you plan an overseas trip? I have 9 days off and really want to go overseas somewhere (I'm in the US) but the planning is so overwhelming. I don't want to just go to one city and sit there, but coordinating anything else seems like an impossible task.

When I travel in the US I just kind of wing it. I mostly do hiking and roadtrips (with dayhikes) and that is easy to be spontaneous in a country I know.

I've looked at travel packages but they are all crazy expensive. Idk. I'm just so overwhelmed. It doesn't help that I waited until the last minute so a lot of things are fully booked already.

This is probably obvious but make sure you have a passport and that you've checked any visa requirements before buying any tickets. You can reserve hotels, trains, buses, etc online for traveling between cities. You can also rent a car, but make sure to check the driver's license requirements first; some countries will allow US licenses and some require an international license. It would most likely be cheaper to get a SIM card for your phone with a local number while you're there than to use the international plan for your network. Make sure to tell your bank that you're traveling to whatever country and the dates so they don't assume your card has been stolen and deactivate it.

I don't travel much at all these days, but my US-based parents do a bit of traveling in Europe.

They tend to fly to a particular city, spend some time around there, and then sometimes do a few day trips in the wider area. They research a lot, but they usually make very few reservations beyond hotel stays and sometimes a car rental. (Or a restaurant, if it's something that's been especially recommended.)

Is there anywhere particular you're thinking about going? Are you interested in places that have good hiking trails?

Part of the problem is I want to go everywhere so it's a bit of decision paralysis. I'm leaning towards a multi day inn to inn type of hiking trip in the UK. If I decide to brave renting a car I could also plan day hikes in a wider range, but I'm already overwhelmed so I figured renting a car in a foreign country might be a bit much for my first overseas adventure.

https://new.reddit.com/r/solotravel/ has been a great resource for me! However, if you do feel overwhelmed, you could do something like G Adventures or Intrepid. They have hiking/camping trips as well as city.

I was just looking at both Intrepid and G Adventures! They are pricey, but their 'active' trips look like so much fun and exactly what I'd want to do. I wish there was like a budget version of those, but I guess you don't get luxury adventure all organized for you on a budget.

I'll check out the reddit, thank you for that!

They are expensive but for your first trip might be a good option. Intrepid do have their Basix tours, which are cheaper. https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/search?style=Basix&page=1&sort=relevance

Also, they always have Itineraries for each trip. You can use those to create your own.

Edited 2024-06-03 00:36 (UTC)

Travel packages are expensive because they do most of the work for you. It’s pretty easy to do it yourself, though. Just decide where you want to go and then you can look up transport links between the places to jump around. Flying can be cheaper than trains but not always. To see more in a short time, picking places next to each other is helpful. Some places are always more expensive like all of Italy, London, and usually Paris. Transport to Scandinavian countries can run pretty cheap but everything there is more expensive. Precovid, lots of cities had a city pass that you could buy that would get you discounts and free public transportation. Usually these were offered as one day or three day passes. Copenhagen had the best because you got into Tivoli Gardens for free and their public transport zones extended out so far that you could see quite a lot of things. We rode to Helsingør then took the ferry across to Helsingborg, Sweden where we got a train to Stockholm, spent a day, then flew home.

- Make sure your passport's in order before purchasing any tickets to anywhere

- being USA based you have easier access to a lot of places than someone like me from Australia (30+ hrs to get anywhere and $2kAUD in flights, might as well spend a month or more there)

- try looking at things yourself before going through an agent. You're paying them commission on top of what the general cost is.

- sometimes it's worth ringing up hotels or directly messaging them to discuss the price of your stay.

- what's nearby the destination that you'd be interested in? are there museums or walking tracks to keep you entertained or are you just going to be staying in the hotel all the time you're there.

- look at walking tours. generally not priced as you'll pay your guide what you think the tour was worth at the end.

I take it you haven't done much international travel? Besides making sure that your passport and other documents are sorted out first, definitely do your research. This is general advice, since you didn't say where you were thinking about going. What kind of trip are you thinking about, physically active, relaxing on the beach, foodie adventure, city tour of museums and historical spots, etc.? Decide what you want to do first, that'll help you decide where to go and how to plan.

The biggest mistake beginners make is to try and pack too much into their vacation. It's a really common and tempting mistake because everyone wants to see as much as possible and not miss anything, but with international travel you'll likely have a harder time getting from place to place, dealing with possible language/culture barriers, etc. Trying to cram too many destinations or attractions can exhaust you faster than you think, and you won't be able to enjoy it if you feel stressed or pressured to limit your time in one place because you have to rush on to the next place. Just resign yourself to the fact that you can't see everything. Maximize your time there by researching before you go and figuring out what you REALLY want to see and do, and prioritizing your top choices.

Now again, this depends on where you go. Getting around in Vietnam is going to be very different than getting around in England. The further you get from home, the more likely it is you'll feel the effects of jet lag, and it's not uncommon to lose half a day or a day while you're adjusting to local time. 9 days is a really good amount of time to see a lot of one city, like London, with possibly a short trip to the countryside or a smallish loop that hits smaller cities/villages, finishing back in London for your flight home. It's even enough time to see a decent amount of two cities, if you can get from one to the other without losing much time. Another possibility is using London as your homebase and making daytrips or 1-2 night trips.

DON'T try to hit 3-5 cities like tours do, I really don't recommend that for a first-timer overseas. Tours are expensive because you're paying for someone else to make all the arrangements for you, and to transport you from place to place without having to plan the logistics yourself. The drawback is that you might end up speeding through the itinerary, and the itineraries usually aren't as flexible as independent travel. Depending on the tour, it can feel very generic and rushed. It also means possibly being stuck with the same group of people every single day, and you don't get to pick who those people are. For many, that's worth it for the convenience and not having to worry about dealing with being in a foreign country on your own.

Personally, I find most tours too expensive, they try to do too much in too short a time, and I don't like being herded around in a big group from place to place. Tours can also be a magnet for the kind of people I do not enjoy - people who want to see the highlights of a place for a quick photo op but don't want to be challenged by local cuisine or off the beaten path spots, people who aren't interested in trying to speak the local language and will just talk loudly in English to make themselves understood, people who complain that nothing is as good as "back home", etc. etc. That can quickly turn into an embarrassing nightmare.

I know you said you didn't want to go to one city and sit there, but why not? If this is your first time traveling overseas, taking the time to explore and get to know the right destination can be absolutely delightful. You'll see and experience a lot more than the average tourist who just wants to spend a couple days there before hitting the road. It also gives you plenty of time to visit places leisurely, maybe even revisit your faves. And removing the hassle of transporting yourself elsewhere is a nice way to avoid stress on your first trip.

It can be risky, but maybe Meetup groups in that country depending on where you are and who will be with. I saw you mentioned the UK, so maybe try some meetup groups there? check out what they've got going? I traveled to East Asia (met up with a friend) and many of the friends she made there were from meet up groups (hiking and what not).

Also, do you have a list of places you'd like to visit? Maybe take a railroad trip in Scotland, stop in a picturesque area? I would just pick a few "main items" and make sure you find a way in. Maybe three days in each place? So three major areas you'd like to visit? Or stick to two major cities maybe?

As others said:
1. Pick a city with a good transport options
2. Have a base
3. Research where you can go as a day trip from there (for example train from Amsterdam to Brussels takes just couple of hours). Denmark and Sweden are just bridge away from each other.
4. You can take some tours on a location, it's cheaper.
Scandinavian countries are really good for hiking, especially Norway, it's gorgeous. But they can be on expensive side.
Frankly I wouldn't choose renting car, it seems like a nightmare to navigate but that's just me. Especially don't do UK.
Download offline map and translation app. And research sim-card and Wi-Fi spots options. Usually it's not a problem but it is just more comfortable to know this things beforehand.

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[ SECRET POST #6358 ]

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