If you haven't yet traveled to Europe or anywhere internationally you are missing out
on whole other worlds and cultures that are very different from the American culture that we are so adapt to.
These are some simple tips that can be applied to traveling anywhere internationally. You can scroll down to see more detailed information about each of them.
I'm not asking you to take a full course on the primary language of the country you're visiting, but just simple questions or phrases that will help you navigate easily through the country. When I went to Spain there were a few phrases that I used often, such as 'where is the bathroom?' and 'thank you.' Buying a simple book of the langauage will aid you when traveling to that country and when you are there because most of the street signs, menus, directions, etc., will be in that language. However, there are some countries that you use english just as often as their native language, so in these cases, you lucked out. In general, it's still a good idea to do some research into the language because eventually you will have to use it. In general the native people like it when you try to speak their language even if you fumble over it.
Here are a few sites that would be helpful for this tip:
When you internationally travel it's not like flying to New York City or Los Angeles, you need to look up basic differences between the cultures because if you don't, you could mistakenly end up offending somebody or even worse, going to jail.
I hate to say it, but other countries can be very complex and very dangerous to travel in, especially on your own. Depending on the country, you could be put in jail for simply spitting on the street or chewing gum, both two things that Americans do every day. The easiest way to learn about cultural differences is to google it depending on the country you are visiting. Unfortunately it's nearly impossible to find one website that gives a general overview of them all.
Here's a link to an article that further explains this tip:
It is up to you whether you go with a tour group or not, but when I traveled to Spain, the tour group made every aspect of the trip a million times easier. They figured out your meals, traveling between places, navigation, and plus, they have expert knowledge of the country since they do reguarly live there. In most cases, breakfast and dinner is included in the tour package, along with travel, and different activity expenditures, which makes the overall price of the trip much cheaper because of group discounts.
There are a few drawbacks to choosing a tour group like how you probably won't know everyone in your tour group unless you arange to have a personal tour guide or have a huge group going with you in the first place.
Here are some recommended tour groups or tour directory websites:
The Worldwide Directory of Tours and Vacation Packages Tour CompaniesThere are a multitude of things you can do in different countries. Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to do everything in the country you are visiting, but if you pick out the landmarks and places you most want to visit traveling will be much better and less dissapointing. If you're not sure what places you want to visit you can easily find web sites that will direct you to popular places to visit, or if you choose a tour group to go with, they should have an intinerary already for your.
Here are some suggestions for places to go to look up fun things to do:
Imagine walking down the street and you hear someone criticizing an American tradition like tail gaiting before football games. Unfortunately, because you heard that person, who happened to have a foreign accent, disrespect an American tradition, you form a stereo-type about them.
This happens in foreign countries as well. You should consider yourself an American ambassador when you travel internationally. Whether you want to or not you are representing the American people as a whole, so you should act accordingly.
Here are some additional resouces on this tip
International travel is a ton of fun, just ask anyone who's been to Europe or China or any other destination, but you have to be careful of who you trust. Many other countries are known for pick-pocketing, which happens frequently in Spain from my own experiance. Yes, it does also happen in American, but it seems to be much more common in other countries. If you go with a tour group they should inform you of when to be careful. Little gadgets have made this problem fixable like wallets you can tuck into the front of your pants and underneath your shirt. This eliminates the possibility of someone being able to slip your wallet our of your back pocket or out of your purse.
Also be careful of when you stay at different hotels. Even in American they tell you to not leave anything valuable out in the open, but in other countries, you shouldn't leave valuables at all in your room. In fact, it's usually best to limit the amount of valuable you bring. It will take stress off of your back and allow you to have more fun without worry.
Here are some websites that may be helpful:
