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- Buy clothing with zippers so you don’t have to worry about things falling out of your pocket or getting pickpocketed. I made sure every item of apparel I brought with me had a pocket that zipped up, and it made the adventure less stressful.
- Put air tags in personal belongings along with your wallet or purse and be sure you know how to track them on your phone. If nothing else, knowing the location of your valuables brings a great peace of mind knowing that you have items. If possible, I’d also recommend putting an air tag in your passport holder as well.
- Bring travel-size hand sanitizer bottles. I was able to tuck several into my liquids baggie, and they came in handy. Let’s face it, often times travel sites are heavily trafficked, and being able to use some sanitizer on your hands from all the touching of stair rails and handle bars brings a greater piece of mind for those individuals (like me) who may be slightly germophobic. Even better, there are often places where you can refill your sanitizer bottle (i.e. in the hotel).
- Try to limit your belongings to carry-on only (I traveled for two weeks with only a carry-on bag and backpack). Individuals in my travel group who overpacked often faced being separated from their luggage for some time due to bag restrictions on public transportation such as the Bullet trains in Japan.
- Check messages frequently to keep up with altered group plans. If traveling with a group, most will set up a specific group chat or WhatsApp channel for the duration of the trip so that meet times, updates, itinerary changes, etc., can be communicated.
- Know how to use Google maps. It will come in handy when you’re trying to navigate to new places or are meeting your group separately.
- Know in advance whether your destination is a cash-based or a mostly cash-free society, and then plan accordingly. If you don’t need U.S. currency, then only take a small amount and leave the rest at home.
- Make sure to contact your bank and your credit card companies ahead of time and inform them of your travel plans so they don’t lock your cards or accounts due to suspected fraud.
- Bring an extra battery charger for your phone so you don’t ever miss the opportunity for communications or to take photos or video. It was invaluable for me to have a fully charged backup in my backpack at all times.
- Check weather and plan accordingly. Having said that, I brought a travel umbrella I never used in the U.K, and so didn’t bring one for Japan. Big mistake! Also, plan on redundancies with wardrobe due to needing to change clothes due to unexpected downpours, mud, or even falls while on hikes or when out and about (ask me how I know this! LOL).
- Make sure you have a currency converter app on your phone. My travel company had one handy as part of our daily trip alerts, but if not, download one you like and familiarize yourself with conversion amounts before you go. Otherwise, you might be shocked when you hear how many yen something is before associating the value to U.S. rates.
- Make sure you know the addresses of each hotel you will be staying at. Screenshot the address, take a business card from the front desk, or even take a photo of what it looks like from the exterior to help you navigate your way back to your accommodations. Double check the “District” or area where you will be staying to make sure you are at the right location of where your reservation is at(some hotels are in multiple locations).
- Download any apps ahead of time that you think you may need ahead of time (i.e. rideshare and pickup). Many require that you register information in advance, and go ahead and do it while you have time, so you don’t spend needless time stressing over it when you need it the most.

- Be comfortable with taxis and how to secure them.
- Check reviews on the country’s customs processes and accept that you may have a wait to get cleared after landing. The security line for clearing customs at the Tokyo airport was one of the most stressful parts of my entire trip, as the room was filled with inpatient people and the lines were long and processes unfamiliar. But stay calm, and you’ll get through it.
- Keep copies of all your travel documents and passport information with you and provide copies to your designated emergency contact … just in case.
- When in countries with language barriers, communicate using non-verbal skills such as showing the driver the address you need to go to on the phone. While translation apps can be helpful, they are far from perfect, and showing a specific address on Google helped me to get where I needed to go in many situations.
- Familiarize yourself with public transportation, if planning to use. Figure out which stop you need to get on and off, especially when it is in another language. I did quite well in London, but didn’t fare as well in Japan due to a more extreme verbal and written language difference.
- Don’t create extremely tight schedules. Instead, allow yourself some breathing room to figure out a new place, especially when you just land. Give yourself some lead time, if possible When returning home, I had a layover in L.A. before boarding my final flight home to Texas. Due to the plane arriving late from Osaka, I literally had to get through customs, re-enter airport security domestically, and then race to the gate. I made it, but with only about 10 minutes to spare. Talk about stress!
- Be aware of TSA restrictions. I forgot about the liquids restricts, and purchased a small bottle of specialty soy sauce I had planned to share with my family. However, the bottle was too big, and they sadly disposed of it right in front of me (super sad face). The same goes for souvenirs. One of my travel mates had purchased a small umbrella with the handle fastened to resemble a Japanese sword. Even though it wasn’t sharp, they didn’t allow him to board the plane with it, and he also had to leave it behind.
- Above all, cherish the adventure, missteps and all. You may never go to the same country again, and even if you do, the experiences will be different. Enjoy every single moment!