Hello fellow Collegiettes! Have you ever wondered what it’s like to travel Overseas?
I traveled last December for the first time overseas to Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain. I had no idea what I was getting into; I just knew I wanted to see the world. I was financially and mentally unprepared, while being clueless of what simple mistakes I could make on this trip I was embarking on.
Written below are 5 tips I learned from overseas traveling.
1. Do NOT PROCRASTINATE on your Passport – Please get your passport at least 6 months before your trip, because you have to wait several weeks for your passport in the mail. Personally, I almost didn’t fly to France, because I waited 2 months before my trip to get my passport. Also, airports vary on their refund policy of plane tickets without a passport.
2. TRY NOT to use the ATM Overseas – I used my bank card in a France ATM, and it kept my 50 Euros! I was never returned the money and charged multiple bank fees. Please consult your bank on foreign ATM fees, and alert your bank of your travel locations.
3. Remain Calm with Tourists Traps – Be aware of aggressive people constantly selling souvenirs to you in tourist areas, or people coming up to you and putting accessories on. If you let this happen, they will expect you to pay for that item. I was once caught in a group of street sellers outside of the Musee De Lourve in Paris, France, and I had to just remain calm, push through the group, and keep walking to my destination.
4. Avoid Foreign Currency Exchange at Airports – Be aware, airports will overcharge you for exchanging American money for foreign currency. Not only are you paying the exchange amount, but you are paying extra fees for the airport service. The first time I used airport currency exchange, I had no idea about the cost of airport service fees. So, my bank account was basically almost empty after the currency exchange for euros.
5. Make sure You are in a positive mindset – The MOST important tip of all, your mental health should be very at ease and exhilarating with self happiness before you travel anywhere. A depressed or very stressed mind could cause you to not have a good time at all. I went to Barcelona, Spain, and I was so financially stressed and so sad that I had the worst 3 days ever. I caught myself crying each day at random times because of my mindset not being in the best place.