Travel General Travel Advice

[BILC]

So, I'm 22, never been overseas and really have no idea where to start.

Everything about it has me worried really, flights, currency, accommodation. Is a travel agent the best place to start or should I be trying to research these sorts of things for myself?

Any general advice or tips on anything travel are appreciated.

 

[MisterMarcus]

So, I'm 22, never been overseas and really have no idea where to start.

Everything about it has me worried really, flights, currency, accommodation. Is a travel agent the best place to start or should I be trying to research these sorts of things for myself?

Any general advice or tips on anything travel are appreciated.

My 2c (other people will probably disagree):

* I have always found Mum-and-Dad type travel agents to be better than the bigger ones. The big chains are just interested in flogging you their latest promotions, whereas the smaller independent agents are more desperate for your business and will make more effort to find you the best deal available.

* Book flight and accomodations separately. I've never found "flight + hotel" packages to be much cheaper, and of course you don't get the choice of hotel. You can often find online deals and discounted rates yourself, especially at lower tourist seasons.

* Travel with the "best" airline you can afford. It's tempting to save a buck by using budget/low-cost airlines, but any decent length flight starts severely testing your comfort and boredom threshold. Try to save money by travelling at odd hours or making stop-over(s) on a better airline.

* I always change currency here before I go. Depending on where you're going, you can probably get better deals or even black market offers at higher rates, but they could be fobbing fake currency off on you.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

You can do everything yourself now days on the internet, including booking international flights.

I find that travel agents do have the best knowledge with regards to flights. So I usually don't mind using a travel agent to book flights.

For accommodation, travel insurance, it is much cheaper if you do it yourself providing you a willing to spend some time doing research. A lot of credit cards come with free travel insurance and comparing the policies are no different than what you find with an insurance company. The CBA travel insurance is underwritten by Zurich. And they were very good when I made a claim when my flight was delayed.

Tripadvisor is the very best with regards to researching accommodation, and also things to do too.

For foreign currency, if you order online with Travelex and arrange a pickup location, there are no fees.
It is also worthwhile to get a travel card where you can a lock in a currency price. If you don't want to put money on a card, then 28 degrees mastercard has no currency conversion fees if you buy overseas using the card.

 

[LennyStarkiller]

I would like to add to the good suggestions.

If you book anything online make sure you get confirmation and print out any confirmation emails or webpages with booking details.

Always carry a pen with you. You will usually get arrival cards before landing in another country so it is better to fill out your details while on the plane to save time when you land. It is also handy if you are asking anyone for information so you can write it down.

 

[Scotland]

Always weigh up the cost of the flights relative to departure/arrival times and stopover durations.

 

[danger_to_walker]

I'm a recent convert to travel agents (possibly only because my Mrs is a travel agent...) I love doing the research etc. myself, but now book all of my flights through her. Booking yourself is very easy these days, until something goes wrong. Having a travel agent who can help you out when s**t hits the fan is priceless, especially if, as you say, you're quite nervous about travel. If you go to them with a price you've found online, they will generally match it anyway. I generally book accomm myself though.

Do a lot of the research yourself beforehand, it is a lot of fun, and will help you keep costs down if you have an idea of prices and alternatives.

Don't let apprehension keep you from traveling, get out there and do it! Such a huge and amazing world out there to experience. Where are you thinking of going?

 

[BILC]

I'm a recent convert to travel agents (possibly only because my Mrs is a travel agent...) I love doing the research etc. myself, but now book all of my flights through her. Booking yourself is very easy these days, until something goes wrong. Having a travel agent who can help you out when s**t hits the fan is priceless, especially if, as you say, you're quite nervous about travel. If you go to them with a price you've found online, they will generally match it anyway. I generally book accomm myself though.

Do a lot of the research yourself beforehand, it is a lot of fun, and will help you keep costs down if you have an idea of prices and alternatives.

Don't let apprehension keep you from traveling, get out there and do it! Such a huge and amazing world out there to experience. Where are you thinking of going?

Thanks mate! Yeah, I was sort of wondering if it would be taboo to go to a travel agent with deals you've found.

I'm thinking of probably starting with New Zealand, seems a good place to ease into it.

 

[danger_to_walker]

Thanks mate! Yeah, I was sort of wondering if it would be taboo to go to a travel agent with deals you've found.

I'm thinking of probably starting with New Zealand, seems a good place to ease into it.

Yeah no need to go to them with deals you've found per se, just do your research, then go in and have a chat with them. They'll quote you options, and if you happen to have found the same thing cheaper elsewhere, let them know. I'd be wary of booking packages and things like that through them (as others have mentioned above), but that's me.

NZ's magic. As you say, good place to ease in, no language barrier for one, and not too far from home.

 

[robbieando]

If you go to them with a price you've found online, they will generally match it anyway.

Agree 100%. Found a great price online for my trip to Europe over the New Year period and passed it onto my uncle who is a travel agent who not matched it but was able to add a return flight between the Germany and the UK without increasing the price. So it never hurts to ask a travel agent. They also can make sure your not booking a trip that doesn't allow enough time for transit or any such traps. Also their advice regarding routes, stopovers and airlines can also be priceless.

I generally book accomm myself though.

Can't strongly like this enough.

Do a lot of the research yourself beforehand, it is a lot of fun, and will help you keep costs down if you have an idea of prices and alternatives.

Agree the research is important but fun. You'll not get everything done before you leave but that's half the point. Get plenty booked or at least have an idea planned and your trip will be that much easier

 

[MisterMarcus]

The pen advice is a good idea!

Also, buy a Travel Document Wallet: it's very handy to hold your passport(s), tickets, boarding passes, immigration cards, pens, copy of your insurance policy, etc in one handy place. Saves a lot of fumbling around in suitcases or handbags for documents and avoids holding up a line of impatient people.

 

[00Stinger]

Travelled all over Europe and North America and have never booked a single flight or hotel through a travel agent. Why pay someone commission to do something you can do yourself?

 

[darcytiger]

I can't believe travel agents still exist. I can totally understand pre-internet days where they'd be calling up all sorts of airlines and stuff for you.

1. Work out rough dates
2. Go to Skyscanner.com - enter origin and destination - click "month of March, April whatever - it will then give you in a graph form the cost of flights for every day of the month
3. If you're staying at a Hotel, go to Agoda.com (or any other similar hotel search engine. I use Agoda especially for Asia as they buy the rooms then on sell to the customer, so if the room is looking like going empty you can get really good deals, They also have a points system which you can redeem down the line if you keep going with them). Go through Hostelworld.com if you're looking at staying at a hostel

Bob's your uncle, holiday booked. Spend the time between now and when you leave talking to people who have been to there, reading on the internet, buy a Lonely Planet guide etc.

Best thing to do is just bite the bullet and book flights, it will stop the umming and ahhing about whether you should go, can I afford it, I'm not sure. It forces you to go!

 

[manboob]

Just adding a few things. As others have said:

1. Always carry a pen. The cheapest and least explode-y type you can find.
2. A few ziplock bags - handy for everything from cables to putting liquids in if you forget when going through security.
3. Always try and get a few coins in the local currency before you go. Super helpful, if you need to buy a snack, make a phone call or buy a public transport ticket. Nothing worse than arriving somewhere Christmas eve - cold, hungry and cursing your credit card because it won't buy you a ticket to Zurich city centre.
4. Avoid travel agents they will only try to bend you over deep.
5. Most credit cards have insurance so if you book your flight that way you're covered.
6. Re cash money papers I just take it out when I arrive - also check with your bank because sometimes taking money out via your credit card is cheaper. The trick is to front load the card so if your limit is 3k put an extra 2k on draw down to this amount only.
7. Keep a copy of your passport somewhere, paper, the cloud whatever your comfortable with and know your numbers.
8. Never be afraid to ask for an exit row seat - especially if you are there early enough.
9. You will get tired and bored on flights, so bring audiobooks, magazines n s**t.

 

[HARKER]

Use a travel agent. Given this is your first trip, you have plenty of time to D.I.Y. later.
It won't necessarily be cheaper doing the bookings on your own and if something goes wrong, are you up to dealing with the issues? Get a good T.A.

I'll always use Credit Cards and if they happen to cost you a little more? So what?
Lose your cash and you'll be in a lot more trouble.

 

[HARKER]

Travelled all over Europe and North America and have never booked a single flight or hotel through a travel agent. Why pay someone commission to do something you can do yourself?

You don't necessarily pay a commission.
The commission is usually paid by the hotel to the wholesalers who broker the deals.

My 19y.o. daughter was recently in The States and had to cancel three hotel bookings along with a Contiki tour.
Good luck trying to get all your money back dealing directly yourself with hotels in a different State/Country.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

I'm pretty sure travel agents make zero commission on flights. Which is why most of the major travel agents have a price match policy.

It is the extras such as travel insurance, hotels, sightseeing tours in which they make their money.

 

[Stronzo]

Unless you're desperate, do not use travelex or any of those thieves that covert currency at the airport.

Get a credit card like 28 degrees and load it up above the credit limit. You still get charged a cash advance fee, but no other charges like intl. and transaction fees.

Do not activate data roaming on your mobile when traveling. These first 2 pieces of advice probably aren't an issue in NZ.

What I pack in my carry on bag:
Something to read
iPod
Pen
Small torch
Earplugs
Hoodie
A change of socks and jocks
Roll on deodorant
Phenergen (for sleeping)
Aspirin (headaches and blood thinner for DBT)
Phone & charger
Toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste (100mls or less)
A clip lock bag for liquids

I also got into the habit of wearing a money belt at my Mum's insistence many years ago. I keep my passport, boarding card, baggage reference card and cash in it.

I remember my first trip and I was extremely hesitant to book my flight, but after the first one you won't be able to wait for the next. Good luck!

 

[robbieando]

Unless you're desperate, do not use travelex or any of those thieves that covert currency at the airport.

Get a credit card like 28 degrees and load it up above the credit limit. This way you're not being charged a cash advance rate for withdrawing money. You also don't get charged intl withdrawal fee, or any of the other bullshit charges you get with regular cards.

At Melbourne Airport there is a ANZ currency exchange which while still a ripoff, doesn't change commission if your an ANZ customer. I only enough exchanged to cover my first day, knowing I'll be able to get more at a better rate over there. I agree with looking for a card that is no fee and doesn't charge international fees.

 

[James_Blues]

I've been travelling a few times before with my family, but in February went to SE Asia with two mates for the first time. A lot of good things have already been covered here, so here's a few of my own.

- If you decide to go to SE Asia and your backpacking, I think the best way to do it is to find accommodation when you reach each town/city rather than booking ahead of time. While it may take you a bit longer, it removes a lot of risk in terms of getting a bad place. For example, we met this Dutch girl in Chiang Mai who had pre-booked and paid for 3 nights in a hostel and had found that the room was disgustingly bad. Mattress stank and was super hard, room was dark, and the whole hostel was filled with creepy old guys etc. She tried getting her money back but they wouldn't give it back to her.

It may be worthwhile looking up hostels in the area (hostel world & trip advisor are both good sites) and then checking them out when you arrive. By the end of our trip though, we didn't even bother doing that and just walked into lots of different hostels when we arrived and looked at each room and then made a decision.

- Like others have said, a travel document wallet is massively useful. Travel itinerary is useful to keep in there, as well as multiple photocopies of your passport (especially if your going through lots of countries) and pens. Especially in Asia, its worth buying a money wallet that sits around your neck - keep your passport, phone, money in there etc.

- If your planning on being in a particular country for a while, it can also be worthwhile buying a cheap simcard. We had plenty of long distance bus trips so it can help pass the time if you have some data as well as being able to make calls to different places (eg. if you want to book in to do a certain activity).

- Also noise-cancelling headphones are amazing on long haul flights or bus/train trips.

 

[BustedWing]

Travelled all over Europe and North America and have never booked a single flight or hotel through a travel agent. Why pay someone commission to do something you can do yourself?

You do realise commission isn't an added expense to the consumer don't you?

If something costs you $1000 and the manufacturer of the product pays 10% commission to the company you bought it from, you wouldnt have been able to go direct to the manufacturer and get it for $900.

Commission is built into the published price.

To clarify, specifically in the airline industry:

Airfare Melbourne to London online = $2500
Airfare Melbourne to London through travel agent = $2500 (but 10% of that $2500 goes to the agent as a "reward" if you like for distributing the airlines product to you, the consumer).

If you're finding more expensive prices through a travel agent, then they are probably a bad one. Fares you find online are recommended retail price. They are available to everyone, including travel agents. Sure, sometimes that RRP represents a great deal, but its not something an agent couldn't book for you.

And yup, they would earn commission.

 

[BustedWing]

Unless you're desperate, do not use travelex or any of those thieves that covert currency at the airport.

Get a credit card like 28 degrees and load it up above the credit limit. This way you're not being charged a cash advance rate for withdrawing money. You also don't get charged intl withdrawal fee, or any of the other bullshit charges you get with regular cards.

Do not activate data roaming on your mobile when traveling. These first 2 pieces of advice probably aren't an issue in NZ.

What I pack in my carry on bag:
Something to read
iPod
Pen
Small torch
Earplugs
Hoodie
A change of socks and jocks
Roll on deodorant
Phenergen (for sleeping)
Aspirin (headaches and blood thinner for DBT)
Phone & charger
Toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste (100mls or less)
A clip lock bag for liquids

I also got into the habit of wearing a money belt at my Mum's insistence many years ago. I keep my passport, boarding card, baggage reference card and cash in it.

I remember my first trip and I was extremely hesitant to book my flight, but after the first one you won't be able to wait for the next. Good luck!

Good list!

I think the best piece of advice is don't be glued to the internet and your phone/ipad etc. You're spending a ton of money to go and see something different, and experience things you cant at home. Leave the footy scores, facebook,big footy, news.com.au etc behind for a few weeks. You will be amazed how liberating that is, and how much more fun you wind up having.

When you pack, put on your bed what you want to take, then put back half of it. Be RUTHLESS. The amount of times ive gone travelling with extra pants and shoes because "maybe I'll go out somewhere fancy one night" and wound up lugging them around for no good reason at all...drives me nuts. Trust me, you will overpack regardless, but limit it as much as you can.

Lastly, take photos, sure, but dont spend your entire time looking through the viewfinder. Memories are always more powerful than that perfect shot youre trying to take and post on instagram.

 

[thekelvin]

So, I'm 22, never been overseas and really have no idea where to start.

Everything about it has me worried really, flights, currency, accommodation. Is a travel agent the best place to start or should I be trying to research these sorts of things for myself?

Any general advice or tips on anything travel are appreciated.

You can definitely book it all yourself, and therefore save money, but it depends what you are doing.

What is your overall plan for travel first of all?
Travelling solo or with a girlfriend or maybe a group of friends?
For how long and to where?

Solo or with friends and long-term, I would jump on hostelword to book your accomodation. Hostels rock, they're cheap, everyone is cool and usually it's a good place to meet girls.
But maybe you are going with a girlfriend and it's just a couple weeks. Different style once again, you would probably stay in hotels, but maybe in this case a travel agent could do you a good deal with a few stops and some hotels and transfers included.

As for money, I have been travelling Europe the past 18 months and have had no problems with drawing from my Aussie bank card. In fact the rates are better than any currency exchange in Australia will offer you and here as well. Also saves you carrying big wads of cash around.
My bank just charges a single overseas ATM usage fee each month. Nothing major. I'm certain it's cheaper than exchanging money at a Forex in my own experience.

 

[deltablues]

A lot of good advice here, but I would emphasize a few things (as a guy who has done way too much international travel for over 35 years in his work - lived in 9 countries):

• for a holiday booking, especially as a first-timer, use a travel agent. You get better back-up to sort out any flight problems, particularly if you are using some cheap budget carrier. I still use an agent on my own private travel.
  
• Use a card which allows you to withdraw local currency with no/low 4X cost.
  
• If you want to take some cash then take US dollars; make sure the notes are current and not torn - many TW countries will not accept torn banknotes.
  
• Blend in as much as you can - do not draw attention to yourself as an obvious tourist. This mean ditching the Akubras/Aussie [or US etc] Ts and other stuff you would not normally wear at home.
  
• Be aware of your immediate surroundings and people around you (but not paranoid - I mean, this is a a holiday).
• Ditch the cell phone - use Skype. Try to get off the grid and enjoy your new surroundings without distractions. But I am of an older generation so that may be harder to do for Generation X whatever.
• Pack light. I mean, really light - Cabin bag only (check your flight allowance - some cheap flights are bad). Try not to have anything checked into the hold so as to avoid the dreaded carousel wait/lost luggage. Buy cheap seasonal clothes once there if needed. If you are visiting the US do not bring anything from Oz - the clothes and shoes here are cheap.
  
• Don't try to fit too much in to your itinerary - otherwise you spend too much time on the road and you skim the surface.

Safe travels.

 

[hirdy_is_champ]

One important thing is also to not attempt to visit several places in a short period of time. E.g. you see people on tripadvisor forums posting their itinararies of 3 cities in six days. This achieves nothing except exhaustion and lack of enjoyment. It's best to pick where you want to go most and spend more time there, otherwise you don't get any feel for the place whatsoever as you're just monument hopping. Certain places can obviously be done in a few days, but when I see people post things like 2 nights in massive cities like Rome, Paris and Berlin and they expect to do "everything" I laugh. Always think of it as 5 nights means 4 days to see stuff, just to give you an example.
Goodluck BILC, travelling is fantastic .

 

[robbieando]

Consider any day your travelling between two places as a lost day in planning your trip.

Yes you can still plan to do something before you leave or after you arrive but if you have 10 days don't plan 3 days in Paris, 4 in Berlin and 3 in Rome and expect to see and fit in as much as you hoped.