5 Things To Know When Planning Your First Trip Abroad

So, you want to earn a passport stamp? Without hesitation, I will become your biggest cheerleader in this pursuit. But if you’ve never ventured outside of the USA, I can understand why you might be hesitant to take that next step. That’s why today I am excited to share my experience and advice in planning your first trip abroad.

 [ReviewDisclaimer]

While this IS a mom blog, at this point I’m not addressing international travel… with kids. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to show my girls the world! But moms, take note: I also think it’s incredibly important that their Dad and I are able to do things we love together, (and ONLY together).

If I’m being totally honest, I only get out of the country once or twice a year. I put a considerable amount of time, planning, and investment into my adventures abroad… and in this season of life, my four and two-year-old(s) don’t inspire much confidence that I’ll be able to execute. 😉 Sorry not sorry!

Don’t worry girls… soon enough!

As a result, because I do have to be very selective about my time away, I’ve become quite skilled at planning said trips—and have had many a friend come to me for advice on planning THEIR first trip abroad.

If you’re looking for advice on how to be prepared, save money, and safely enjoy your first real international vacation, here are 5 Things You Can’t Forget When Planning Your First Trip Abroad.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Relaxation? Shopping? History? Nature? I encourage you to truly prioritize the things YOU want to do, (not just what looks cool on Instagram or Pinterest,) so you’re actually getting what you want to out of a vacation.

WHAT IS YOUR BUDGET?

As in, once you factor in flights, hotels, meals, activities, leisure, souvenirs… what does THAT number look like? Sure, a $600 flight to Paris may seem like a great deal, but if you didn’t want to spend more than $1K and NOT couch-surf, I’m just saying, the City of Love ain’t cheap and you might struggle.

(2013) Paris – ($600 RT flight is actually a great deal. You should book it. 😉 )

Since the heftiest portion of your trip will indeed come from transportation and lodging, there are a few hacks you can take advantage of to pad those expenses. We’re lucky enough to burn airfare and hotel points acquired through my husband’s work travel. I highly recommend joining frequent flyer programs for the airlines you travel most, and potentially open a credit card with that airline to earn extra incentives. (Same goes for hotels.) We really enjoy our Delta American Express and Marriott Bonvoy Visa credit cards.

If flying on points is not an option, my absolute go-to for international travel is Skyscanner.com. One of my favorite pastimes is searching random flights around the world and testing different price points by departure day, week, and month. (Wait, is that just me?)

WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE AROUND THE WORLD?

I realize keeping tabs on international weather trends is a lot to process when you’ve only lived in one hemisphere your entire life. Like hey, is everyone aware that it’s actually summer in Australia right now? Or, that you may not want to go to Southeast Asia during the June to October monsoon season? Or DESPITE perfect weather, if you want to avoid crowds at all costs, you definitely don’t want to head to Europe in July?

While this can feel overwhelming, I’d truly recommend checking the weather trends before getting too committed on any one place/region so you don’t get disappointed later. I loved this quick guide from Cosmo!

(2016) Lake Como – In case anyone is interested, October is the PERFECT time to visit Italy.

NOW WITH ALL OF THAT IN MIND… WHERE SHOULD YOU GO?

 Ahhh… discovering where you want to go is sort of like falling in love. It’s new, exciting, and full of possibility. But if you have no clue where to start in planning your first trip abroad, here is some #destinationinspiration to get you started:

If you’ve never EVER EVER been out of the country before:

• Take a cruise, (Caribbean, Mediterranean, Scandinavian, etc)
• Try a Caribbean all-inclusive resort

My first time in Europe was during our honeymoon on a 12-day Mediterranean cruise. Y’all… I CAME ALIVE. We visited Barcelona, the Greek Islands, Sicily, Athens, and Istanbul. (We went on the Royal Caribbean Brilliance Of The Seas and I would highly recommend a similar itinerary to anyone interested.)

(2011) Mediterranean Cruise – Look at dem babies!!

Now, you’ll get your anti-cruise people, and some of their points are fair. That being said, as a first-timer, my confidence in travel was literally built on taste-testing multiple countries.  Experiencing 4 in 12 days opened my eyes to how beautiful and unique the world was. There are 196 countries out there. Get your feet wet by trying a few at once.

(2011) Taormina, Sicily 

(2011) Hagia Sophia | Istanbul, Turkey

(2011) The Acropolis | Athens Greece

Resort life is similar! You have the luxury of having your belongings in one place, reliable food and accommodations, etc. However, depending on where you stay, you may be limited on what you can “do” outside of the resort.

If you’ve tried the above, but you’re feeling more adventurous, here are some points to consider:

• Go on a packaged or guided tour, like those offered on Groupon Getaways.
• Try a single-city trip in a metropolitan area

After the cruise and several resort stays, a packaged trip to Paris and Prague was our next international vacation. It checked off a few important boxes on our list:

• Tourist-friendly
• English is prevalent
• French, (my very-spotty second language) is spoken
• Public transportation is easy and accessible

(2013) Prague, Czech Republic

I can’t remember the name of the company we used to book our trip (as it was in 2013,) but it made the logistics of multi-city travel incredibly simple. As per above, I took French all through high school, brushed up on it through Rosetta Stone and TOTALLY impressed myself with my French recall on anything from buying metro tickets to ordering off the menu. (Merci, beaucoup.)

Truly, any large city in Europe is a great option for your next big trip. Northwestern Europe is especially friendly if you’re concerned about a language barrier.

Okay, you’ve taken 1-2 international trips, but you’re REALLY looking to explore a country on your own terms:

Be bold! Knock something off your bucket list.

Ours was a multi-city tour of Italy. This was the first trip where I truly orchestrated all of the logistics and lodging myself, (no package, no tour.) Italy was the PERFECT destination to explore with comfort and confidence. It also “checked off” many of the boxes from above, but I went the extra mile and learned some conversational Italian through Pimsleur, which was really helpful. Since, I’ve learned about a free resource – Duolingo – which has helped me pick up some Spanish in preparation of my next trip!

(2016) Duomo | Florence, Italy

(2016) Cinque Terre, Italy

(2016) Bellagio – Lake Como, Italy

THE KEY TO YOUR FIRST TRIP ABROAD… RESEARCH

I cannot stress this enough; if you spend time properly planning and preparing for your trip, you’re going to enjoy it so much more.

Pinterest has helped me plan nearly ALL of my travel, both inside and outside of the US. There are so many seasoned travel bloggers who detail their adventures, tips, and itineraries on Pinterest that it has made it almost impossible for me to consider hiring a travel agent in the future.

I also highly recommend checking out the Facebook Group, Girls Love Travel (GLT.) It is a community of almost 1 million women worldwide who are far more adventurous and well-traveled than I’ll ever be. But outside of making me envious for not having seen the entire world already, it is an EXCELLENT source for destination inspiration, building itineraries, and generally planning your first trip abroad.

(2019) Havana, Cuba – with none other than my App State family!

MY FAVORITE TRAVEL HACKS SUMMED UP

In a nutshell, here are my personal favorite tips to make planning your first trip abroad, a breeze:

• Register for as many frequent flyer/ hotel awards programs as you can
• Sign up for credit card with excellent travel incentives
• Use Skyscanner.com to find cheap international flights
• Check out Groupon Getaways for packaged vacations (flight + hotel)
• Invest in an easy language-learning program like Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, or Duolingo
• Do your research – use resources like Pinterest, GLT, and TripAdvisor to plan

If you’re looking for tips on air travel with kids, don’t forget to check out my post on 10 Tips You Need Before Flying With A Toddler!

 

We’re headed to Peru in T-minus 60 days and I could not be more thrilled. This will be our first time to South America, and I would say the most “offbeat” of any trip we have taken so far. We’ll be there 8 days, commuting via planes/trains/automobiles and staying in 4 different hotels/lodges… your girl planned it all. (Stay tuned for a post on whether or not those efforts are successful!)

Where was YOUR first trip out of the country? I’d love to hear about it!