Be bold and travel abroad! Super detailed guide for first-time overseas trips!

I just ended my last overseas trip of 2024 two days ago! I want to organize a few small travel tips for everyone! You don't have to step in the pits I stepped in! Of course, what I say may not be entirely correct. Hahaha. After all, I haven't traveled abroad many times. If you have new viewpoints, feel free to correct them.

I organized this guide according to the travel timeline, which should be clearer.

One to two months before going abroad, you need to prepare:

• ✅ Passport
• ✅ Visa

Let me first tell you the difference between a passport and a visa.

A passport is like your ID card when you go abroad. When taking an international flight, staying in a foreign hotel, or buying duty-free goods abroad, you need a passport. From the moment you board an international flight and go abroad, you won't need your ID card anymore. It all depends on your passport, so don't lose it. The passport number is your foreign ID number, so you can memorize it. A passport is valid for 10 years once issued. You don't need to apply for a passport repeatedly for subsequent trips abroad. Just search on YouTube for your city + passport application, and there are many super detailed guides. It's easy to apply and not troublesome.

A visa is your permit to enter this country. Only with a visa for the corresponding country can you go to this country.

As for visa-free countries, as the name implies, they are countries that waive visas. That means you only need a passport to fly directly to a visa-free country, just like flying to domestic cities with your ID card.

For countries with visa on arrival, it means that you apply for the permit at their airport after your plane has landed in this country. Generally, they won't deport you after you've already flown there. So as long as you provide your hotel reservation information and your return flight ticket, visa on arrival is also likely to be easily approved.

For electronic visas, they have their own official website that will tell you what information you need to provide. You can directly apply online. The last time I flew to Turkey, it was an electronic visa, which was also very easy.

For some other countries, they may require more detailed materials from you, including your work certificate, bank statement, and your income needs to meet their requirements. For freelancers, you need to provide an explanatory letter stating your work content and presenting your income statement. You can directly find a third-party travel agency on Amazon to handle it for you. They will tell you what information you need to provide.

Next, within one month before going abroad, you need to prepare:

• ✅ Air ticket
• ✅ Hotel

It is recommended to buy air tickets after the visa is issued for more certainty. At the same time, be sure to buy a return ticket. I still haven't figured out the price pattern of air tickets. It seems that leaving 1-2 days in advance is the most expensive. So try to check every day one month before traveling and buy when you find the cheapest price.

For hotel reservations, there are also commonly used ones abroad: Agoda, Booking.

You can first search for popular attractions on YouTube, and then try to choose a location in the central area with convenient public transportation. After finding one, you can compare other hotels one by one through "find nearby".

Every time I book a hotel, I compare prices on each platform. If you can't find the same hotel by searching its Chinese name, you can search for its small English name below. In my personal experience, domestic travel apps will offer some discounts. So most of the time, I book on domestic travel apps. There are also reviews and pictures, and the hotel name is followed by a star rating, so there is no need to worry about being cheated.

When booking, remember to confirm whether this room includes breakfast, what time is the check-out time, and whether it will affect your schedule.

When booking a hotel, it is best to use your name in pinyin, such as LI XIXI, which is consistent with the pinyin on your passport to ensure they can match. When checking in, just provide your passport to the front desk for processing. The process is exactly the same as in China.

Two weeks before going abroad, you need to prepare:

• ✅ Cash
• ✅ SIM card
• ✅ VISA card

VISA: You need to go to the bank to apply for a VISA card that supports foreign currency payment. You can simply do some research to see which bank has a more favorable exchange rate (after applying, take a photo for record and cover the CVV on the back of the card. Set a limit by the bank to prevent fraud).

Cash: Make an appointment for foreign currency exchange - foreign currency withdrawal on the online APP of major banks. Generally, make an appointment 1-3 days in advance.

Foreign payment: Cash + VISA + Alipay and WeChat. When paying, remember to see if there is a sticker of Alipay or WeChat at the front desk or ask if Alipay is accepted. If not, use cash, and finally VISA.

Buy a SIM card on Taobao in advance. It will be cheaper and more convenient. Insert it before the plane lands. It is best to buy one with more data as the network in some places is really poor, and the hotel wifi is even worse.

If you want to receive verification codes and other information from your domestic mobile number while abroad, remember to activate the roaming service of your local number in advance. But don't use this card to make calls or access the internet unless it's a special case. It's very expensive.

In addition, remember to bring:

• Converter (You need to buy one if the sockets are different, otherwise your phone can't be charged).
• Power bank (very necessary! There are many places without power bank rentals!!).
• Facial tissues, disposable bath towels (When changing hotels frequently or in bad weather, towels dry slowly).
• Shampoo, underwear laundry detergent (Just bring trial sizes, not exceeding 100ml).
• Common medicines.
• Slippers, toothpaste, and toothbrush (Some hotels in some countries don't provide them).

After going abroad:

Regarding safety issues:

First of all, I use a phone lanyard, carry less cash, about 3000 yuan. Withdraw more when it's used up. Don't bring luxury goods abroad. A canvas bag with a zipper is best so that you can always see it. Try not to go out alone at night. But so far, I haven't encountered any safety hazards that make me nervous.

Then there is the language problem that everyone is most worried about.

Generally speaking, in popular tourist countries, there are Chinese instructions in many places. For English, a high school vocabulary is sufficient. And you don't need to worry about inaccurate grammar. Basically, it's all about piecing together words + body language. When bargaining, use a calculator and just type in numbers. If you don't understand, you can generously say: "I don't understand." Because many times their own spoken language also has problems. Don't feel embarrassed! Translation software can be used for direct conversation or photo translation.

Regarding not understanding, you will find that every time what people say is formulaic:

In hotels: They ask if you slept well? Can they make a copy of your passport? What time is breakfast? What time is check-out? Is it non-smoking? It's all about similar things. If you don't understand, pick up your phone for translation and ask them to repeat.

Next is the transportation problem.

In many places, public transportation is not very developed. Travel depends on taking taxis. Google Map is essential for transportation. It's very useful. It clearly shows what bus to take, when the bus will come, and how much a taxi costs.

Secondly, regarding expenses, it depends on your own choice. It also depends on the length of your trip. Since I have only been to a limited number of countries, and I stay in medium to high-priced hotels. I stay in some places for a long time and in some places for a short time, so it's not very representative. My own budget for Thailand is 15,000 yuan for two people. For Japan, it's 20,000 yuan for two people. For Turkey, it's 25,000 yuan for two people.

Finally, regarding independent travel or group tours:

Every trip I have taken since college has been independent travel. If you enjoy planning your own itinerary and exploring on your own, and I think that going abroad is to come into contact with more fresh things and people. If you choose group tours, getting on and off the bus every day, and only interacting with a few people in the group, I think it will lose some of the fun. So I actually recommend independent travel more. But if you prefer to visit popular attractions and are used to "special forces" style tourism, group tours are indeed more cost-effective.