7 Things We Learned From Our First Major Trip Abroad

Experience always yields lessons learned. After traveling the globe for almost a month, we’d definitely learned quite a few. Here are seven major takeaways we had from our first major trip abroad. By no means is this list a must-do as not every tactic works for every person. Take what works for you and discard the rest. Above all, have a great vacation!

1. Don’t Stress About Packing

We addressed this pretty extensively in an earlier blog post (which you can check out here), but we thought it worth mentioning again. Too many times, we have watched friends stress out about packing for a trip, even a weekend getaway. And honestly? It’s not worth it.

Make sure you have the absolute necessities (passports, medicine, money, etc.), and then take a deep breath and relax. Forgot to pack extra socks? You can buy them when you get there. Forgot to pack toothpaste? You can buy it when you get there. Didn’t pack enough condoms? You can buy them when you get there. Unless you’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean for two weeks and the little shop there forgot to stock them because their clientele is usually much older and that particular item isn’t usually sought after. (A small fact we didn’t include in our Titanic Trip blogs, but something we’re still upset about…*shakes fist at the air*)

So really. Don’t panic. When you get to where you’re going, you can pick things up at a local shop. After getting to our destinations, we’ve bought quite a few things, such as toiletries, towels, pillows, jackets, even tent stakes when one of ours broke in Ireland. In general, if you’re going to another state or country, you’ll be able to find whatever you need. That being said, if you’re going to some remote location in the middle of nowhere, make a list and check it twice!

2. Book And Pay For Everything You Can In Advance

When we started planning the Titanic Trip, we knew money would be tight. We had roughly $4,000.00 in our bank account and it needed to cover quite a bit. I was terrified that we’d get back to the States and not be able to pay for our accommodation, so I started a habit that we still practice. I paid in advance for every possible thing.

We were staying for about a week in Salem and our B&B cost was somewhere around $700. By no means did I want to get there and then not have the funds to pay what we owed. I’d already paid the deposit, so I figured it would be easier to pay it in full before leaving for the trip. And it was.

Let me tell you how stress-free it is to know that, even in the worst-case scenario, you still have somewhere to sleep. We paid for all of our accommodation and travel tickets before we ever started our vacation. Some people find this scary to commit so far in advance, but most places give a full refund if you cancel before a certain deadline (somewhere in the week before your stay, usually).

We had one credit card at the time and it wasn’t widely accepted in the UK, so the only money we had was what was in our bank account. Even though we were thrifty with our spending, we were stretched thin. Thank God we stayed with family during the last few days, and thank God they insisted on paying for our meals and admissions to attractions. When we got home, I had $42 in my account, and Billy had $26 in his.

3. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

One of our table mates aboard the ship added me to a Facebook group for the Titanic Memorial Cruise. We have so many amazing friends from that group and we love getting to see them during reunions. And you know where we met them all? At the first reunion we had.

We didn’t meet any of these wonderful people while we were actually on the ship. Looking back, we’re absolutely shocked at how little we interacted with other people. We stayed in our cabin for most of the cruise or only hung out with the people from our dining table. WHAT WERE WE THINKING?!

If we could go back in time and give ourselves one piece of advice, it would be to get out more. Talk to people. Be uncomfortable. Get out of your comfort zone. During our first trip abroad, we were practically hermits. There were so many incredible people stuck on the same chunk of floating metal in the middle of the ocean, and we only truly met four of them.

4. Go See Stuff On Your Own

The above picture is of Billy riding on the upper deck of the Big Bus tour. He’s up towards the awning because it was freezing and the roof added some protection from the wind. I’m farther back, out in the open. I wanted to see everything unobstructed and was willing to turn into a popsicle to do it.

Not everyone you travel with will want to do the same things as you, and that’s totally fine. Don’t be afraid to do the things you want to do. There will be times that someone you’re visiting or traveling with doesn’t want to go sightseeing or maybe doesn’t want to eat out. Whatever it is, if there’s something you’re dying to see, carve out the time and see it, even if you go it alone.

When I turned 21, I went on a trip to Las Vegas. I desperately wanted to see the Strip at night with all of its glorious-ness in lights. There wasn’t a single person in our group who wanted to go with me, so I missed it. The MGM casino was also at the top of my list and I missed out on that, too. I figured I’d make it back to visit and I’d see it all then, but ten years later, I haven’t done it.

Sometimes you’ve got to speak up or you might regret what you miss while you were in some far-off destination. Keep in mind that a travel mate or person you’re visiting might suggest something that doesn’t sound fun to you. For them, it might be the highlight of their trip. Don’t be afraid to offer them the alone time to go see it if you have something you’d like to fill the time with. While it’s more fun to do things together, sometimes you’ve got to take some me-time, too.

5. Know how your flights work

Have you ever had that terrifying moment when the last call for your flight comes over the loudspeaker and you’re not on the plane yet? Have you ever had that moment while sitting at the terminal where your plane is boarding? With your back turned to the boarding entrance? And you had no idea that everyone else that you’d been sitting with for the last hour has boarded while you stupidly sat there? And then by the time you do realize this, you’re the last two people to board the plane, and now you’re stuck in middle seats a few rows away from each other because you didn’t know that Southwest Airlines doesn’t assign seats? Yeah. We did that.

In short, know how your flights work. Different airlines have different rules and policies, and it is crucial that you know what they are. I have no clue how we missed the fact that there weren’t seat numbers or sections on our plane tickets, but we did. Honestly, it still surprises me that we only had one slip-up like this for our first trip abroad. You can bet that we’re a lot more attentive now.

6. Plan, even if you don’t use it.

From the outside, I’m sure we look like meticulous over-planners. Our itineraries are intense. Every day is mapped out by time and place. Wake up at 6 AM. Pack up camp. Be at the first attraction by 7:30 AM, when it opens. And so on and so on. Yes, we plan. But we don’t always use it.

For this trip, we didn’t plan much at all, and it showed. We knew of a few places to see in the areas that we were visiting, but not much beyond that. You may only have two days in a city, or maybe even one, but do some research anyway. Sometimes the things that you plan to see aren’t open. Or sometimes they open hours later than you thought. Perhaps they’re packed and you decide not to go, or you don’t spend nearly as much time there as you thought you would. It’s great to have something in your back pocket just in case your plans, well, don’t go to plan.

7. ENJOY THE PROCESS

Do yourself a favor. Every once in a while, stop and think about what you’re actually doing. If you’re in the planning stages, take a minute to imagine the incredible journey at your fingertips. If you’re stuck at the airport because you’re flight is delayed, laugh a little and think of the story you’ll tell when you get home. Take time to enjoy the process. Sometimes things get stressful. Every situation has the potential to go wrong. It’s how you handle those situations in the moment that will make or break you.

When we got to my cousin’s house in England, I tried on one of my dresses for the first time and realized it was too small. My favorite custom-made Edwardian-style formal dining dress didn’t fit. I burst into tears while my cousin rushed to get her sewing box. I cried as I mended it, moving hooks and eyes so that it would fit. When I wore it, no one knew that I’d altered it and I laugh so hard at the image of myself sobbing and sewing.

Our nearly missed flight? It granted us another great story. I’m not a fan of taking off. I’m willing the plane off the ground and into the air from the second we start moving. I usually squeeze Billy’s hand into oblivion until the wheels are up, but since we’d boarded late and were four rows away from each other, I asked the older man sitting next to me if I could hold his hand instead. I’ll never forget the awkward look he gave me as he slowly put his hand out for me to take. I’ll also never forget the smirk and the subtle flex of his crushed fingers when I finally let go.

Take the time. Enjoy the process.
Cheers,
Lydia and Billy