9 Travel Tips!

So I have a friend whose going out of the country for the first time, and I came up with a list of tips and tricks. Feel free to add your own!

1) Travel in comfies: it's gonna be a long plane ride so get comfortable, you can pack a cute outfit in your carry on for when you get off the plane, but seriously, travel comfy.

2) Entertainment: bring at least one good book in your own language. Not just because the plane ride is long, but also because you're going to be surrounded by a language you don't know. Sometimes it's everything just to see words you're familiar with.

3) Don't Sleep! When you get off the plane and get in country Don't sleep! Try to get your body to adjust to the new time zone. You can start on the plane, find out what time you arrive in country, and figure when if it's night time while you're traveling. 

4) EAT: try at least one thing you don't know. You may never be in this country again so soak it up! Americans are notoriously rude for not trying new things, especially if they look different, which leads me to my
next tip,

5) Imodium is Your Friend: trust me. Sometimes you might try food that really doesn't agree with you, and nothing ruins a trip overseas faster than a case of the squirts. Once when I was in Kazakhstan I became obsessed with the fruit, seriously you've not tasted fruit like this wonder that has no GMOs and is from a plant that naturally grows in that region. The problem with that is that I ate too much of it. Way too much. Imodium and protein ended up be my best friends. 

6) Do Things Non Touristy: you may have a day or two when you aren't
working, go explore! Make sure someone from your group goes with you and someone knows where you are, but go explore! Don't ask the hotel guests where good places to go, ask the people who work there. Ask what the best thing to eat is, or where the best place to dance is.

7) Learn Simple Phrases In The Language: Another thing Americans are notorious for is not learning the language. Using simple phrases like "Hello" "Please" "Where is your restroom?" and "Thank you" go a long way. Also, bring a bit of paper and pen just in case.

8) Homesickness or Plain Sickness: This may happen, but don't worry! Take sometime in your hotel room to just chill. A lot of the time homesickness its just trying to acclimate to your new situation. and that's Totally normal. Maybe even journal a bit about what you've done so far. If it's real sickness then take sometime to rest a recoup. You may get that thing that you had the first time you were sick in college, you feel weird and you wanna be in your own bed. Take a deep breath and remember that you're gonna be fine!  Just because you're sick in a foreign country doesn't mean you can't still have fun! Try watching a tv show in your room, you will not Believe some of the stuff they have on foreign tv!

Sometimes they even have better remedies! I got pink eye in Germany, and I swear to you, my host family gave me eye drops that cleared my eye up in little more than a day. A day. The drops were sold at a local store no less. Next thing I knew I had clear eyes to see all the fun new sites!

9) Have Fun: Travel can be stressful. Not knowing a language, being around people you don't know, being in a place you're unfamiliar with, that can be tough. But take a deep breath, and accept the difference. You'll actually be surprised at how many things are similar! Just remember to have fun, it's gonna be crazy, but if you're not having fun then you're not bring back the best souvenir money can't buy: stories. I swear to the Lord above I could give two shits over a shot glass from the country you went to, it's the stories I wanna hear. I wanna hear about the places you saw (some pictures would be nice) the insane story the guy at the corner market told you, or the thing you ate that looked like a pancake but was most assuredly NOT a pancake.
Have. Fun!

If anyone has any other advice for my friend leave a comment below!