Many of the fellow Americans that I meet hear about my life and job and sigh, "Oh I wish I could go to some of those places." Guess what? You can. Really. I know the thought of international travel can be somewhat daunting but believe it or not - it's actually pretty easy. I'm going to lay out here some of my favorite travel tips and will pro-actively answer some of your travel concerns. I am hoping to convince you to get on the road and go someplace cool in 2010. The world is out here waiting for you!
"I don't speak any language but English. How will I get around in another language?"
I speak English and Spanish. But I've gotten along quite well in places from Thailand to Russia to Brazil. English is spoken pretty much everywhere. Even when there is a language barrier you'd be surprised how far a smile and charades will get you.
"Airfare is really expensive"
Yes, that can be true. But you can get great deals on cheap flights. Some tips: Travel in the spring or fall - not in the summer which is peak season and the most expensive for flights (it's also nicer in those season in most places). Check sites like www.kayak.com or www.expedia.com. Sign up on a few airlines for special deal alerts. Try flying out and back on mid-week. Sometimes weekday travel is cheaper than weekend. Also, if you want to be adventurous and just go somewhere, I recommend just checking some random yet common destinations. Today I saw a flight for $519 round trip to Iceland in May for instance.
My best tip is to get a credit card that builds up frequent flyer miles and put your groceries, gas, etc on it and pay it off each month. I've gotten 6 round trip flights just doing that in the past 5 years.
"I wouldn't know the first thing about where to stay and am afraid I'd end up someplace yucky"
Nothing is worse than finding out the snazzy hotel you saw on a website bears no relation to the drab place you find upon check in. My absolute favorite website is www.tripadvisor.com. It's a website where travelers rate hotels (and restaurants, etc) based on their own experience. They upload their own photos and give a true idea of what the place is like. The site rates hotels as well as B&Bs for instance.
"I heard Europe is really expensive and we don't have tons of money"
You can easily drop $300 for a hotel night in Europe but I never do. In most places, you can get a decent clean hotel for about $120/night. In many countries (Italy is one example) they also have great B&Bs which are usually much cheaper. If you can budget on about $100-130/night and are comfortable with a nice clean basic place to lay your head, you'll be fine.
One great thing about Europe is there is so much to see that doesn't cost you a thing. Wandering around the streets in Paris, gazing at the Eiffel Tower or wandering into St. Peter's in Rome - there are so many things that you can do for free.
How about a freshly baked croissant for breakfast for $1.50? A fabulous freshly made crepe for lunch for $6?
You can travel on the cheap if you want to and, as they say, the experience is priceless.
"I don't have much vacation and can't be away for more than a week"
No problem. Don't let it stop you if you don't have 2-3 weeks to travel. You can do Paris or London in 4 days. Depart Thursday night, arrive Friday morning, stay Saturday, Sunday and Monday and fly home Tuesday. Voila. I'll do your itinerary. Email me.
Of course if you have a week, that's great. Two weeks is a dream. But you can do many places on a week or less if you have to.
"Is it safe?"
Honestly, if you'd go to New York City, you'll be fine in almost any city you'd want to visit. As long as you keep your head about you and have good common sense you'll be a-ok. Guess what? The US is one of the most violent countries in the Western world. It's not even legal to own a gun in many other countries. You're much more likely to be a victim of violent crime where you live than in many common tourist destinations (including pretty much all of Europe).
"I don't even have a passport"
No big deal. Get an application form at your post office, dig up a copy of your certified birth certificate, get a couple of photos, your driver's license and $75 and head to North Station area to wait in line for a bit at the Passport Agency in Boston.
Even though I've focused here more on Europe, there are hundreds of fascinating countries around the world. Latin America is great and has many destinations a short flight away. Prices for hotels here tend to be lower than Europe. At the moment, you can get all inclusive resort stays for almost nothing in Mexico. A deep recession is a fabulous budget traveler's dream if you're employed and have a bit of money for travel.
Hopefully I've convinced you to make a plan. You're not getting any younger and you're probably not going to get any richer. Tell your kids and your grandkids that you rode a camel at the pyramids, walked through the ancient streets of Jerusalem, imagined gladiators at the Colosseum, or saw a kangaroo cross a road in Australia.
Here's what I always consider: am I going to regret it more if I don't or if I do? Where travel is concerned, you'll regret it if you don't. Life's too short. There's so much out there to see. So why wait?
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