Table of contents:
Go on a journey, break down barriers, change your life, merge into a foreign culture, learn the unknown and relax. Travel will be the time of your changes. Where to go, where to buy tickets, how to choose a hotel, what to take and the principles of a memorable trip.
Where to go
So you've decided to go on a journey. You need to choose the destination of your trip and find out as much as possible about it. What is the chosen country known for - nature, cities, beaches, museums, cuisine - and which of these do you want to see or taste. Determine the main points of interest: what are the main cities in this country, what attracts travelers in it. It is worth considering how long it will take to get to know the country and which routes are better to choose.
You can start by buying a good travel guide like Lonely Planet. Each guide in this series shows routes built around different points of interest. These routes highlight the main thing in the country, offer travel ideas, showing the same direction from different sides. Also, search the internet and read reports from avid travelers.
Based on the results of studying travel guides and reports, you will have a general idea of the country and an understanding of how it attracts tourists and what it will be interesting for you to see. And you can already proceed to action!
How to buy tickets
Naturally, the easiest way to buy tickets is via the Internet. Can be purchased on the airline's website or through a third-party service. A ticket on the airline's website, as a rule, costs a little more, but if a ticket needs to be exchanged or returned, it will be much easier to do it through the airline than to contact an agency. The fact is that the service that sold the ticket acts as an intermediary and can greatly complicate communication and delay the resolution of the issue.
You can pay for the ticket using a bank card with the ability to make online purchases. Check several times if you have filled in all the fields correctly and proceed to payment.
How to choose a hotel
We bought a ticket, now it's time to take care of housing. Imagine your day in the city or place you are going to in detail. Where do you plan to spend most of your time - by the sea or in the city? Are you going to get around by car or will you walk and use public transport? Will you have breakfast at the hotel? The location of the hotel, its price, room area, whether it will be a chain hotel or a small hostel, depends on what events will fill your vacation.
You can use booking.com to select hotels. Only consider options that have reviews, and always sort hotels based on customer reviews, starting with the highest rated. If your budget allows, you should not consider hotels with ratings below 8.6 points on a ten-point scale. A hotel with a rating of 7, 5–8, 5 should be booked only if you have no other options - such points do not mean the most comfortable stay.
What things to take on a trip
Tickets are purchased, the hotel is selected. Now the most important thing is to pack your bags. Your wardrobe depends on the weather at your destination.
If most of the trip will be warm, and you are leaving in winter, hand over warm clothes at the airport to those accompanying you or hand them over to the airport wardrobe, and leave on yourself only what you will not mind throwing away on the spot.
From warm to cold: finding quality warm clothes is always more difficult and more expensive. If you are not heading for shopping in one of the world's fashion capitals, it is better to take warm clothes with you. Opt for lightweight fabrics to avoid adding weight to your luggage. Now you can buy a down jacket or a down vest that folds to the size of a fist, and at the same time they are quite warm - suitable for walking down to -10 degrees.
If the route is difficult and there are several seasons on it, choose things from light, high-quality fabrics, combined in multi-layered ensembles. Mountain trekking gear is great: it's compact and warm. Create two capsules for the trip: one for the cold season and one for the warm season. Arrange things in groups so that later you do not have to dig up the entire bag, first looking for shorts, and then for a sweater.
Principles of a memorable journey
When you arrive at your destination, remember to follow these simple travel guidelines:
1. Observe, notice, write down everything curious from what you see around. Anytime and anywhere.
2. Communicate constantly. A kind word, smile and sincere interest can solve a lot of issues during the trip. Service workers often clash or stubbornly out of fear and uncertainty. Make them feel safe, show that their responsibility is a privilege, not a heavy burden.
3. Learn to say no. Agree only to compromises in your favor. Conversely, if you don’t know what you want, but the offer sounds attractive, agree.
4. Trust your intuition. If you don't like the person in the first two seconds, politely refuse to communicate.
5. Use all means to better understand the country: live according to the routine of the day, look for attractions on your own, buy local food, communicate with people, and especially with artists and musicians - they feel the spirit of their country best of all.
Have a nice trip!
