Travel tips for international travel: 27 things I wish I'd known before my first trip abroad

The first time I traveled internationally by myself, I arrived at Helsinki airport with a bag that weighed 24kg, a printed Google Maps screenshot of the city centre (the screenshot cut off three streets before my hostel), and a confidence level that was entirely unjustified given everything I’d missed preparing.

I didn’t have travel insurance. I had no idea about currency fees. I hadn’t told my bank I was leaving the country. And I’d packed four pairs of jeans for a two-week trip to Southeast Asia in July.

Seven years and forty-something countries later, I have strong opinions about international travel preparation. Most of it is stuff I learned by doing it wrong first.

Here’s what I’d tell my 2019 self.

Documents and admin

Get travel insurance and actually read what it covers. This is the one I feel most strongly about. Not because emergencies are likely, but because when they happen abroad they are EXPENSIVE and stressful in a way that is significantly amplified by being uninsured. Medical evacuation from a remote location can cost tens of thousands. A cancelled trip can cost the entire value of your bookings. The insurance costs a fraction of any of this. Get it. And read the exclusions: most policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions, “adventure” activities (check if your hike or dive trip counts), or claims you didn’t file within a certain window.

Make digital and physical copies of everything. Passport photo page, visa, insurance documents, hotel addresses, booking confirmations. Store them somewhere you can access offline. I use a locked note on my phone. You’ll need your hotel address at immigration before you have signal. You’ll need your insurance number when you’re sick and panicking and definitely not able to think straight.

Check your passport validity. Many countries require 6 months of validity remaining at the time of entry, not just the date of your trip. Some require blank pages. Check the specific entry requirements for your destination because they differ.

Visas. Look up whether you need one. Look it up specifically for your passport nationality and your destination. Don’t assume because you’ve traveled there before, or because a friend with a different passport didn’t need one. The IATA Travel Centre or the destination country’s immigration website are the authoritative sources.

Money

Get a fee-free travel card before you leave. Using a standard debit card abroad charges foreign transaction fees (usually 2-3%) and often terrible exchange rates. A Wise card, Revolut, or (for Americans) Charles Schwab debit card gives you the real exchange rate with no fees or minimal fees. This alone saves meaningful money on a trip of any length.

Tell your bank you’re traveling. Card blocks abroad are annoying at best and genuinely stressful at worst. It takes two minutes. Do it.

Carry some local cash, always. Cards don’t work everywhere. Markets, small guesthouses, transport in rural areas, and many places in cash-dominant economies (much of Southeast Asia, Africa, and parts of South America) run on cash. Carry enough for a day of expenses as a minimum.

Know the ATM situation. In many countries, the ATMs at airports charge high fees or have terrible rates. Better to withdraw at a local bank ATM in the city. In some countries (Cuba, Iran), your foreign card may not work at all and you need to arrive with cash. Research this for your specific destination.

Understand tipping culture. It’s expected and essential in the US, optional and appreciated in much of Europe, insulting in Japan. Getting this wrong doesn’t ruin a trip but knowing it is basic respect for where you are.

Health and safety

Check what vaccinations or health requirements exist for your destination. Yellow fever vaccination is required for entry to some countries if you’re arriving from another affected country. Malaria prevention medication is advisable in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, parts of Asia, and Central America. Some countries have specific vaccine requirements for extended stays. The CDC or WHO travel health pages for your destination are the right source for this.

Bring a basic medical kit. Antihistamines, painkillers, blister plasters, rehydration sachets, anti-diarrhea medication, and any prescription medication you take. For longer or more remote trips: a course of antibiotics your doctor can prescribe for traveler’s diarrhea. Don’t count on being able to find specific medications abroad, especially at the right dosage.

Water and food safety varies dramatically. In Japan, Thailand, and most of Western Europe, tap water is fine. In India, Morocco, and most of Sub-Saharan Africa, it isn’t. Know before you go. Ice in restaurants comes from tap water. Salads are washed in tap water. This matters more than you’d think on day two of a ten-day trip.

Register with your embassy if you’re visiting a country with any security concerns. Many countries have registration programs that are free and take five minutes. If something significant happens (natural disaster, civil unrest, evacuation), your embassy will contact you through that registration.

Tech and connectivity

Sort your phone situation before you arrive. Being unable to navigate, translate, or communicate when you step off a plane is a stressful way to start a trip. Options: international roaming (expensive and often slow), buying a local SIM on arrival (works well but requires queue at airport shop and a phone that’s unlocked), or an eSIM activated before you leave (my preference for most trips, no queue, no physical SIM swap, coverage starts the moment you land). I use eSIMply for most of my international travel, here’s a full breakdown of how it works.

Download offline maps before you land. Google Maps offline mode. Do it while you’re on the hotel wifi the night before. You’ll need your accommodation address before you have signal, and the airport taxi situation is much easier when your maps are working.

A universal travel adaptor is worth it. The number of different plug standards in the world is genuinely baffling (the UK has its own, Europe has two variants, the US, Australia, Japan, South Africa all different). One universal adaptor covers all of it.

Keep your phone battery above 30% when you’re out. Photos and navigation chew battery fast. A small portable power bank weighs almost nothing and has saved me more than once.

Culture and etiquette

Dress codes exist and matter. In much of Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, covering shoulders and knees is required for temple and mosque entry and is respectful everywhere else. In Japan, removing shoes before entering homes (and some ryokan) is standard. Research the basic dress and behavior norms for your specific destination. Getting it wrong isn’t catastrophic but it’s unnecessary.

Learn at minimum five phrases in the local language. Hello, please, thank you, sorry, and “do you speak English?” These take fifteen minutes to learn and make a measurable difference in how you’re received everywhere.

The price is rarely fixed. In much of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Latin America, prices for market goods and transport are negotiated. This isn’t a game or a performance: it’s the expected commercial interaction. Negotiate reasonably, not aggressively, and walk away if it’s not working.

Be skeptical of “helpful” strangers near tourist sites. The man who approaches you near a famous landmark and offers to show you something special and then expects payment, the “closed today” scam where someone directs you to their friend’s shop instead, the overly helpful person at the airport who carries your bag and expects a tip. These exist everywhere and are entirely avoidable once you know about them.

Logistics and booking

Book your first night’s accommodation before you arrive. Especially if you’re arriving at night, if it’s peak season, or if you’re arriving somewhere less traveled where “just showing up” isn’t reliable. You can wing the rest, but arriving somewhere tired without anywhere to go is a bad start.

Know how to get from the airport to your accommodation before you land. Research this offline. The taxi situation, the train options, the rough cost. Arriving confused makes you a target for overcharging and you’re at your most tired and least capable of navigating.

Screenshot everything. Your visa, your accommodation confirmation, the address of your accommodation in the local script (genuinely useful for showing taxi drivers), your flight confirmation, your travel insurance number. Offline access to all of this.

The meta-tip

The single biggest upgrade to any international trip is arriving with enough information to handle things going wrong without panic, and enough flexibility to enjoy things going unexpectedly right.

Prepare for the logistics. Leave room for the surprises. The surprises are almost always the best part.