My First Overseas Trip - Travel Tips?

LMike0707 on 09/01/2019 - 15:11
Last edited 09/01/2019 - 15:11

Hey fellow Ozbargainers!

In June-July I am going on my first overseas trip to London for a family wedding on the 21st June - I'm very excited and equally nervous about getting it right. I will then explore some of European summer in a few other surrounding countries. Any recommendations for routes? Looking to only go to about 3 other countries as I want to enjoy them when i'm there and not spend 2 days and have to pack up again.

I would appreciate any travel tips for seasoned individuals or people that have done these types of trips multiple times? What are the things that you've learned? I realise it's European Summer - it's not gonna be cheap but looking rather to make my $ count as much as I can (within reason) during the 3-4 wks that I'll be there.

I've started looking at airfare prices but I don't even know what's expensive and what a good deal looks like so help on that front would be much appreciated too.
Is it worth saving for the airfare or booking them with a credit card for rewards points incentive - what has worked well for you guys? - all these things I'm considering to help my $(buck) go pretty far.

Thanks very much in advance!
(Delete if not on topic or irrelevant)

Travel

Comments

  • Unorthodox on 09/01/2019 - 15:23
    +16

    Bring an Australian powerboard so that you can charge multiple devices and you'll only need one adaptor

    • try2bhelpful on 09/01/2019 - 15:52
      +1

      I use the cube one with the two USB chargers as well.

    • dragong87 on 09/01/2019 - 15:56
      +1

      Or a 5 port USB charger if all your devices are USB. If you're lucky enough to get an overseas cable that's correct as well you wont need a travel adapter to save on space.

    • Cheaplikethebird on 09/01/2019 - 15:59

      How have I never thought of this…

  • boomramada on 09/01/2019 - 15:31
    +2

    Get travel insurance, unless its comes with your CC

    • try2bhelpful on 09/01/2019 - 15:52
      +1

      If it does come with your CC make sure you know what is covered and what isn't. Particularly if you have any pre-existing medical conditions.

      • Xizor on 13/01/2019 - 11:07

        CC travel insurance often has more holes than swiss cheese. I would not rely on it without reading it in detail. Most have horrendously bad reviews.

  • toniyellow on 09/01/2019 - 15:31
    +1

    Get at least one of these
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/cards_with_no_overseas_tra…

    Look at the history of airfare deals, and how far in advance they came up for summer dates
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/bne%20london?s=t&t=…

    Set up some alerts on some search engines
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/category:travel#flights

  • PissLUR on 09/01/2019 - 15:33
    +1

    get an ING Orange debit card. you can use it for traveling in London.

  • myusername on 09/01/2019 - 15:40

    research your accommodation whereabouts.

    is it close to transport? any mini-marts or 7/11's nearby? is it a dodgey area?

  • Stewardo on 09/01/2019 - 15:46
    +2

    Airfare $1400-1900 Brisbane
    Think about multi city flights rather than a return ticket, so you don’t have to double back.
    Consider a stopover in asia, Hong Kong Bangkok etc if your not in a rush, you’ll see more places for you money.
    Get an Oyster card at Heathrow and use london buses for sightseeing rather than tube/ taxi it costs less and you’ll see more
    Youth hostels are cheap and you will meet other young travelers looking for similar experiences.
    Trains and buses are perfect to travel around Europe if your on a budget rather than flying between cities.
    Pack light, baggage limits vary.
    Have fun

  • 87percent on 09/01/2019 - 15:57

    don't pack suitcases, pack a backpack with packing cubes

  • [Deactivated] on 09/01/2019 - 16:07
    +1

    when i was there a few years back the places i enjoyed were paris (pretty hectic over there at the moment tho), bruges (took a few day trips out from there to brussels and some other places) and amsterdam.

    places I was incredibly disappointed with: rome & munich

    also if you're starting in london, get a 3 sim card there. i think they had decent rates around europe when i was there

  • Peck on 09/01/2019 - 16:30

    Google travel checklists and cut/copy and paste as you find related items, until you have built up your own.

  • Topdog on 09/01/2019 - 16:36

    Travel Insurance - Don't take or bring back drugs, have fun!

  • MeesusEff on 09/01/2019 - 16:37

    Got a roll of travel clothesline when we went to Europe, came in super handy.

  • try2bhelpful on 09/01/2019 - 16:40

    To me Paris is an absolute must. Get a Carte De Musee which allows you to bypass the ticket purchase queues, but not the security ones. It also allows you to pop into somewhere, have a look around, and then come back another time. I find this useful for places like the Louvre where you can get completely overwhelmed by what is there.

    http://en.parismuseumpass.com/

    My favourite Paris travel is:
    a) The Eiffel tower on dusk, seeing the light come up over Paris. The same thing from the top of Notre Dame.
    b) The Louvre followed by the walk down to the Arc D'Triomphe. Where you climb to the top and watch the traffic go insane around it. Stop in at the Paris Opera as well on the way.
    https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/things-to-do-between-louv…
    c) Walk from the Pantheon to Notre Dame with a drop in to the Musee Du Cluney. Go to the top of Notre Dame and look at the bell and the grotesques.
    d) go to Sante Chapelle. (go upstairs).
    e) Go to the top of Sacre Coeur.
    f) If you are short on cash then just get food from the Boulangeres, supermarkets, etc. You eat well on sandwiches, quiches, bread, cheese (even from the supermarket), wine (ditto), and delicious pastries and desserts. Also if you eat Prix Fixe, especially at lunch time, the meal is usually pretty good value for money.
    g) Go to the Musee D'Orsay - the impressionist paintings are amazing when seen in real life.

    Personally I prefer train travel to air travel within Europe as you, usually, start from the middle of town.
    This is a good site to look at in relation to train travel.
    https://www.seat61.com/

    Virgin has a pretty good round the world air ticket if you want to stop over in Asia and America on the way through.

    Learn a bit of the local language, particularly the please/thank-you/numbers/food. Keep your translation software/books with you and don't assume you know what a word means.

    Don't get drunk with people you don't know unless someone you know is watching your back.

    Keep a good eye out for people ripping you off, including people in costumes who want money for a picture with them, pick pockets, any number of scams, etc.

    Always ensure you know what something costs when translated back into Australian dollars so you can see if you still think it is a good deal. You always have the option to walk away.

    Fo some place, e.g. Rome, the hop on/hop off buses are a good way to get around if you don't mind pushing your way on. They do tend to get a bit crowded. If going to Italy you really must get to Florence.

    Have fun.

  • Shadowsfury on 09/01/2019 - 16:55
    +2

    Look up some youtube videos for common tourist scams in the cities you'll go to

    To make it easier to navigate around with your bags, try to avoid using a carry on - just have a backpack and a check in bag.

  • BuyoTheCat on 09/01/2019 - 18:28
    +3

    keep some basic essentials (spare undies, toiletries, meds, etc) on a carry on or small backpack just in case the airline lose your lugguage. write essential contact numbers on a small piece of paper in case you cannot access your phone, have a xiaomi powerbank for your phone.

  • altomic on 09/01/2019 - 19:18

    Wedding requires a suit. You then have to carry it for the rest of your trip. Start going to OP shops to get a "disposable" suit and shoes. (I am assuming you are wearing a suit) .

    Email photos /scans of your passport,CC and other important docs to an easily accessible email address. Eg. Hotmail sucks, go for Gmail.

  • Halo375 on 09/01/2019 - 20:12

    Book train tickets as early as possible (at their cheapest then) - take the train everywhere you can to see more of the countryside.

  • swapsey on 09/01/2019 - 23:11
    +1

    Buy a local sim card and cheap phone (if it doesn't work in your phone) so that you can get local cheap rates for calling around as you travel and also data for using mobile internet. (Just think like you'd advise someone if they came to Australia for a trip)

  • Tasmaniac on 10/01/2019 - 02:14
    +1

    I'd recommend giving yourself plenty of leeway. You don't want to spend more time in transit than enjoying your trip.

  • Ryanek on 10/01/2019 - 08:47
    +2

    Keep a digital copy of your important documents. eg. passport etc.

  • Xizor on 13/01/2019 - 11:17

    Work out where you want to go and why/what your into, then come back with specific thoughts/questions. My initial advice would be to get out of England/London as soon as possible and check out other places. And if posssible fly into one place and fly out of another. i.e. Fly into London, but return via somewhere else in Europe. You should be able to get an airfare that does this for around $1-1.5k even without deals with 1 stop-over, either bangkok or middle east. Paris is novel for the must do's (a day or 2 to Disneyland is worth considering too) and if you can get down to the south of france even better but for that you need quit a bit of time. Otherwise consider other places. Italy and Austria are especially fantastic at the start of the european summer but there are a lot of options for you. Last summer we flew into Paris, then after a few days flew to Rome before getting train to Venice and then Salzburg for the Austrian alps and Vienna. Took a heck of a lot of planning on my part but was amazing. Be mindful of tourist traps read up on tripadvisor to broaden your awareness of whats out there before you commit to destinations.

  • shadowangel on 13/01/2019 - 14:00

    two wallets cards in each and backup cash. i have a small check list

    carry on -
    tooth paste (small) + tooth brush
    small electric trimmer /shaver
    passport
    pens
    change of cloths.
    backup wallet
    powerbank
    usb charge cables
    usb charger with power adaptor

  • Peck on 14/01/2019 - 09:36

    Airline - Aisle seat, light weight nylon jacket.

  • suchis on 23/01/2019 - 13:53

    If u r up to ur limit on weight consider a carry on bag (standard size) plus as a bloke u r allowed a ‘man’bag or a laptop bag…. even good for AirAsia!

    Order ur food on airline before hand…. anything that makes it out of the ordinary while usually mean u get ur food first…..

    Checkout the ‘family’ of ur chosen airline…. so u can get rewards.

    Watch out for internal flights having different rules to the long haul sections. For me it was in USA on United Airlines. I had bike and was charged extra for internal sections.

    Flying Japan and over the North Pole is quickest way.

    Corblimy and a few other POME words in ur every speech should see u fit in right and proper

    • Peck on 24/01/2019 - 13:38

      I agree about the extra bag. It IS supposed to be counted in the combined carry on weight, but they never do. I don't prebook food, giving me the flexibility of changing to empty seats.

  • Froot Loops on 26/01/2019 - 21:29

    I went through this myself only last month. Tips here are pretty good.
    I found it very easy to bring in more ciggs than allowed

    I also took his advice (clearing Australian customs) and find someone that looks not-Australian with kids and bad English and they will likely to get flagged, where as if you have nothing to declare and have all your documents ready, they are more likely just to pass you through. This was at Brisbane Airport

    Also LHR is big. There are free buses and free trains. Read up on trains if you have connecting flights. If your are going from airport to London, there is a fast and slow train. The slow train (not heathrow express) is only 10-15 slower and cost alot less. Also LHR (in my experience) is very easy to get past customs. I do have a Brit passport so got through quicker, but once you get your bags and go down no-declare line, there is no one at all (i was in T5 I think). Took us 20 min all up from off plane to bag collect and then 5 min to arrivals. I booked my EDI flight 3.5hrs after I landed, so now I know.

    Also check for a card or credit card with no international fees and decent exchange rate.

    Last note: you could also look up their version of tourist refund scheme if you plan to shop. VAT is around 20% so a massive saving

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