If you have already travelled, especially without a package tour, you need to be aware that preparing a trip is a long process which starts long before the departure day. There are many steps between the destination’s choice and the day you cross the border of the place you want to go to. We decided to write this article in order to explain you what we do when we want to go to a foreign country, detailing every step to help you in your future preparations. Originally we thought of writing one article, but as it was too long, we preferred splitting it in two parts.
SMALL, MEDIUM OR BIG TRAVEL?
The first question we always ask ourselves is about the type of trip we want to do, for example a little trip, not far from our home, during a few days only and with a small budget. Getting ready for a trip from France to Spain has nothing to do with getting ready to go to China. We take different factors into consideration: ecological factors (the travel distance and the time you stay in the country), economical factors (we travel according to the money we have). We do not want to do a big trip, for instance to the USA, if we spend only a week there. We like making our travels profitable and visiting several cities to have a deeper idea of each country, even if it is a little one.
CHOOSE YOUR DESTINATION
We could write a whole article about the factors we take into consideration when we choose our destination… and we will do it soon. For now, we are just going to tell you what you probably alreay know: you need to consider the safety in the country. We personnaly look regularly for plane/train tickets for several destinations where we want to go to. During the whole process of the trip’s preparation, we often check this parameter on price comparision websites to have an idea of the prices depending on our dates. The destination you choose determines the time you will need to plan the trip, to book your accomodation, to do process such as vaccines, money exchanges and of course…
VISA ??
…to do administrative procedures that are necessary to go. One of the first things we do is finding out about visas and the conditions required to be allowed into the country we want to go. You need to be careful: some procedures take more time than others. In the E.U. you can enter another country only with your ID but you have to make sure to get a passport if you leave the Schengen area. In France, about one month and a half is needed to get a passport and you have to take this fact into consideration when planning your travel (your passport number can be asked by some airlines to book plane tickets). You can find below the link of the France Diplomacy website which explains the situation of every country (security, health situation, conditions required to enter, useful information, precautions to take…).
Concerning visas, a simple internet research is enough to know if you need one or not depending on your destination and your nationality. If you want to be reassured and get a 100% reliable info, we advise you to inquire on embassies and government’s websites (such as Ministry of External Affairs) of the country you want to go to. Most of the countries have specific sites or sections concerning visas.
Be careful by looking for the conditions you need to obtain your visa: some ask for your accommodation’s booking while it is preferable to wait before booking anything when the visas are stricter and harder to get. In any case, it is absolutely necessary to inquire before starting procedures. If the government’s website is not clear enough, do not hesitate to call or send emails: it would be better to be too informed than misinformed.
HOW LONG IS THE TRAVEL GOING TO LAST?
For the next step, you need to determine the duration of your trip: several factors step in: budget, number of the visits and things to do, duration of the train journey/flight… During this stage, we draw up a list of all the places we want to visit in the country and the cities: museums, open-air spaces… This is the fruit of long researches and it depends on each one’s appetite for the several activities. If you travel across several cities, you need to take into consideration the journey’s duration between each place: taking a 2hours train between Warsaw and Krakow does not require the same organization than taking a 7hours boat in Greece or a 5hours train in China. Some half-days are wasted and must be subtracted from full-days of visits. You should always count full-days, when you are dedicated to visit, without counting days for the journey.
CHOOSE YOUR ACCOMATION
The next step consists in the selection of several accommodations that you are interested in. It really depends on what you are looking for. We personally take into consideration our budget, the security of the place, the distance with the center and the must-seens, the mark and the commentaries on websites. A youth hostel is a good idea if you want to spare money and if you are ready to share your space. If you prefer more intimacy, a hotel or a flat is a good solution. Don’t hesitate to look for the best zones where to live according to the prices, the must-seens and the advantages of each quarters, such as the transportation service. The accommodation allows you to partially determine the supply of food you’ll need during the whole stay (breakfast included, guest-house with kitchen which allows you not to only count on restaurants or sandwiches in supermarket…). Pay close attention to each accommodation’s conditions, to what you need to take or not in your suitcase (towels, sheets), the different services that are proposed, the payment conditions (in advance or on site, by card or cash) and the check-in and check-out times.
TRANSPORTATION AND LIFE ON SITE
Once we have all this points in mind, we begin to get into details: we look for information concerning the price of the life on site, of transports in each city, of the visits we want to do. For the visits, we use the official websites to get the exact price. For the rest, we make long researches on internet, and we ask our family and friends who already went to our destination. We like knowing about the price of basic products in the supermarket, even though it is just an approximation.
2 Steps Abroad 