A Guide to an Epic Adventure
Part 1 – Preparation
In this series, we will explore the ways in which you can have the journey of a life time. Whether it's a weekend away or a month abroad, these tips, apps, and products will make your journey not only more streamlined and simpler but, more importantly, more enjoyable.
In this first part, we will discuss the preparation stage. This is all the groundwork you will have to do before you even start your trip. Everything from finding a destination to booking flights and accommodation to packing you bags.
So to start off, you will need to find a destination. It is likely that if you're reading this, you already have a destination in mind. If you do not, you will want to pick one. This will mostly depend on where you want to go and what your budget will allow. An important factor to look at here is the currency conversion rate between your country and the country you wish to visit as this will have a dramatic effect on the overall price of your trip. Another important factor to keep in mind is visa applications. Some countries may require an extraneous visa application process before you will be allowed to visit while others will not.
Once you have decided on a location, you will have to look for flights to take you there. In this regard, I highly recommend you download Hopper from the App Store. It is an amazing app that will scour the internet for flights on your specific dates. What makes Hopper stand out above the rest is that it will give you a push notification when it believes that they have found the best possible price for your flight.
Now that you have your flights all ready to go, you will have to pack your bags. This is probably on of the most put off tasks when it comes to travel. Most people find it tedious but it is probably one of the most important things to do because if you do not pack properly, you may forget something really important and ruin your entire vacation. A very useful app I would recommend is PackPoint. You simply enter in the details of your destination and how long you will be there and it will return a list of the items that you should pack. In addition, I would also recommend that you get yourself a Tile. It is a little device that you can put in your bag that will allow you to tracks its whereabouts. It uses Bluetooth when in range and if someone happens to snatch your bag, Tile will remember its last known location and you can look it up on your phone.
Once that is done you will need to start looking for accommodation. If you're on a budget or would prefer a more home-like experience as opposed to a hotel setting, Airbnb offers great locations at a great price (most of the time). If you would like a more conventional setting, booking directly through the hotel is probably best. Alternatively, you could use sites like booking.com to find great deals. In order to find the best location and hotel for your trip, review sites like TripAdvisor are your greatest ally.
Furthermore, you must remember that you will be in a foreign country and communication might be a problem. For this, I would recommend that before you leave, you download a translator app from the App Store. There are many free ones available and if you would simply just like to learn a new language before you go, you can also try out Duolingo. In addition, you will also need to be able to make phone calls to people back home or even within the country. Roaming charges are usually quite expensive and apps such as Whatsapp and Messenger require data. For this, I would recommend Rebtel. It is a great app that does not require a data connection and can make international calls without charging you exorbitant call fees. The app is available on the App Store.
Lastly, you should find out more about the place that you are visiting. Online guides and ebooks are the best way to do this. You can find plenty of information about the place you want to visit online, however, sometimes it is just too overwhelming and sometimes comes across and incoherent. For this, I would recommend the Lonely Planet ebook series (I will link the Europe guide down below). It is easier to carry around (as it will be on your phone/tablet) and it will provide you with all the necessary information to have the best possible trip.
This is just the beginning of your journey. The tedious work is now done. All that is left is for you to go on your trip and enjoy the adventure. Remember to take lots of pictures (always take a spare memory card for your camera) and savor every moment.
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