How to Plan a Trip to a Place You've Never Been Before
I planned a few days at the surf camp to get away from the occasionally deafening solitude of this lonely, dusty beach town on Costa Rica's Pacific coast. And there's a lot of pressure. This is a jungle of howler monkeys.
Making scary eye contact, an iguana is creeping ever closer. Then a buddy provided me with a Google spreadsheet with an hour-by-hour plan for my weekend. The chances are slim that I'll be able to commit to seven thousand cloud forest trips. Breakfast burritos aren't even an option for me on the way there.
What If I Wake Up Craving Aça?
Despite my lengthy daily to-do list, I've never been one for planning. At least when it comes to travel, I'm more commitment-phobic than anything else. The prospect of a two-week vacation, much alone a two-month break, does not excite me. I'm paralyzed with fear because of it.
Plan Your Travel Routes Beforehand
When planning your route, even if the destination is unknown, it helps to know how you will get there. It might be one of the most challenging yet gratifying experiences of traveling to use public transportation. Ordinary tasks become incomprehensible when you don't speak the language or understand the geography.
Maps.me, Embark, and Google Maps allow you to plan your journey by foot, automobile, or public transit. For those who want to know all of their alternatives for getting from Point A to Point B, Rome2Rio is a great tool to have on hand.
Book Clean, Convenient Accommodations in Advance
From the outside, it's hard to tell how handy, clean, or pleasant accommodation will be until you arrive. Generally, it's a good idea to book a room at least a day or two in advance. If I know I'll be staying there for a while, I'll reserve a space for the entire time I'll be there. However, being a frequent traveler on foot, I rarely reserve more than a single night's accommodation at a time.
Learn About Neighbourhood Safety Before It's Too Late
It would be best if you took care of yourself while on vacation, or you won't be able to enjoy any of it. Take a look at the headlines. Regarding traveling to less-developed nations, the developed world has a reputation for spreading misinformation to instill dread among travelers. As a result, be skeptical of what you read in overseas sources.
Check out local news sources to round up your daily news intake. Most of them may be found online and translated. Aside from the worldwide news, it's an excellent opportunity to get a sense of what people are concerned about—and what hasn't.
Medellin was my base of operations when I was in Colombia, but I planned to spend the weekend in Bogota. My intentions for visiting Bogota were thrown into jeopardy when I learned about a bombing in the city.
Your Destinations' Currencies and Exchange Rates
As currencies and exchange rates constantly fluctuate, they can be challenging to understand. When you reach your location, make a beeline for a bank or a safe ATM to withdraw cash. But you'll need to know how much money you'll need to start in the local currency before you ever set foot in the country.
Even if you don't have access to WiFi when traveling, you may still utilize apps like GlobeConvert, which provide current conversion rates as well as an offline option. Another free software is XE Currency. An interactive graphic lets you see current mid-market rates. It is accessible for a maximum of ten years.
Exchange booths at the airport and tourist destinations (where most exchange booths are located) are the worst places to receive the best exchange rate if you're exchanging cash.
Learn about the Local Secret Spots Before You Go
You may already know where the most popular tourist attractions are in the city you're visiting. A member of your family or close friends has already been there. Furthermore, you're familiar with their names because of your online presence. I'm not much of a planner in my own life. But before I visit, I always check social media to see what's happening in the area.
This effort ensures I don't miss out on any fun. Aside from a few trips to Morocco and Thailand, where I've seen rap fights between local artists and flower festivals, I've also seen Day of the Dead parades in Guatemala.
All thanks to Facebook, which informed me where and when I needed to be. Once you've arrived at your location, have a drink at a dive bar. As well as engage in conversation with the people in your environment. Most people in the area love talking about where they live. You may rely on them to help you plan the remainder of your journey.
