My three tips when travelling abroad.

Planning your next  travel adventure or escape can be exciting, but equally daunting. If you are travelling internationally, especially for the first time, the experience can feel intimidating and outright frustrating. From trying to plan the travel logistics, which include searching for flights, selecting the right airport, avoiding long layovers, finding decent accommodation and coming up with the itinerary. The stress levels and anxiety can leave you feeling exhausted.

For someone who likes to travel like me, my last international trip was in 2019 just before all my planned trips were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Few years later, it feels good to finally travel abroad again, with my first trip being to New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States of America (USA). 

What I will admit, however, is that planning for this trip was overwhelming. For some reason, I felt like I had lost my ‘game’ or ‘touch’, especially after so many years of not travelling globally. This feeling is very crippling. 

To overcome this and get back in the ‘game’, I dived headfirst in the traveling game with a clear strategy. In this blog post, I share some tips from my strategy that will hopefully inspire you to start traveling again.

• Find a travel agent to help you.

For some travellers, planning a trip is not rocket science, especially with the hope to enjoy the process. It starts with a Google search to find affordable flights, accommodation,  set an itinerary and they are ready to go. 

Personally, I prefer outsourcing the service to a travel agency, who are travel experts. By outsourcing the service (at a fee), this allows me to save time to focus on other activities and reduce the stress of long internet searches for flights and accommodation. For my recent trip, this was no different. 

With the help of Maluti Travel and Tours, a travel agency based in Maseru, Lesotho, my trip from Johannesburg to the USA, my flights, airport transfers, travel insurance and accommodation were booked. Maluti Travel and Tours did all the heavy lifting, negotiated the best rates and ensured my travel experience was seamless. If like me, you prefer paying for experience, using a travel agency can be beneficial. 

• Secure airport transfers.

I often find landing at new and international airports very overwhelming, especially after many hours of flying. The hustle of trying to find transportation– train, bus or an Uber from the airport to the hotel or Airbnb can be stressful. A travel tip when planning a trip is to organise, pay for and include airport transfers. With the help of your travel agent or as an individual, you can secure airport transfers to enhance the travel experience. Knowing that someone is waiting to pick you up, especially after a long flight can do wonders for your mental health and peace of mind. Did I mention how convenient it is too?

• Get travel insurance. 

As a money nerd, managing risk ranks high in my life. Murphy’s Law that states that ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’ is always on my mind. Travelling, especially abroad, comes with many risks that can lead to financial losses for you as a traveller. Examples include the airline losing your luggage, medical emergencies or death where you may need to spend money to replace all your clothes or cover medical expenses at international hospitals. Travel insurance is a type of insurance cover that covers incidents that could lead to financial losses when traveling. Without travel insurance or adequate cover, the costs can negatively impact your finances. As part of my travel budget, I incorporate the insurance premium to ensure I am adequately covered. Speak to your insurance company or travel agent for a suitable cover or option. 

• Money management and currency 

Being a money nerd, who encourages his community of trailblazers to manage their money well, one of the key travel tips is making sure you have a spending plan that allows you to have amazing experiences, create memories and enjoy the trip. If you are using your local debit or credit card when travelling internationally, it is important to alert your financial services provider that you will be travelling so that the card is not flagged for fraud.

Secondly, if you are travelling to destinations that use different currencies such as the US Dollar or Euro, keeping an eye on the exchange rate and any conversion costs is important. This can impact your spending plan and/or ruin your travel experience. Personally, I use a dollar-based debit card for international trips as a strategy to manage the currency fluctuation. This, however, does not constitute as financial advice. It is important to consult your financial service advisor or travel agent for professional advice, suitable to your individual needs. 

‘Take only memories, leave only footprint

Quoting Chief Seattle when he said, ‘Take only memories, leave only footprint’ I encourage you to dare and plan your next escape or travel adventure. As my current trip slowly draws to a close and plans for the next escape underway, I look forward to sharing more travel tips with you, while creating memories.

Here’s to more escapes and creating travel experiences together!