Traveling is synonymous with new experiences. But consistently experiencing new things can get exhausting pretty quickly. Personally, my comfort zone is good beer and and Japanese food. So, while I’m making plans to see a new city, I always make sure to have an idea of where a good place is to find both.
I might never visit, but it’s nice to have the option in my back pocket.
Traveling – no matter where you are in the world – can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips that can help you feel comfortable navigating and building a plan for your adventure in a new place.
Plan by Researching
First, research what you’ll want see, do and eat while you’re visiting a new place. Then, group activities and restaurants into different sections of a city.
Next, build a plan – as rough or detailed as you’re comfortable with – to conquer one or two areas of a city per day. This plan will ensure you’re seeing everything you want to see, eating everything you want to eat, participating in cultural events you’d like to experience, etc. Having no plan before you go will leave you with trying to figure out what to do when you’re there.
Even a free spirit who I’m kind of a free spirit when it comes to traveling, and sometimes I don’t want to fill my day with plans. But, even if I f. But not having a plan still leaves me A plan also helps you avoid traveling back and forth across a city – wasting time and money.
Map out your Plan
Now that you’ll know the places you’ll want to visit, start to get familiar with a map of your location as well as a map of the area you plan to spend your day in.
Flag a few of the activities and restaurants you’d like to include in your day’s adventure. To do this easily, pull up Google Maps on your phone, click a place you’d like to visit and hit “Save.” You’ll be redirected to a new page that prompts you to save this location to an existing list OR to create a new list.
When traveling, I create a new list and plan for each day I’m there. I title each list with the date. Some days it’s fun to explore without a plan, but it’s always nice to have a plan to fall back on.
Understand Transportation
See what transportation options you have BEFORE you leave the place you’re staying (AKA, while you still have WIFI). I particularly like Uber, Lyft or the country/city’s equivalent. This allows me to see the expected price. I personally don’t like to haggle for the price of a taxi – especially through a language barrier. I feel more secure when I can watch the map on my phone as we drive to ensure I’m headed to my requested destination. Safety should always comes first. The ability to understand the public transportation system – like subways, air trains and buses is very important too. Understanding how a city moves, helps you to feel confident. And, it helps you to LOOK like you know what you’re doing.
The biggest rule of advice is to stay calm and don’t be afraid to ask for help from a transportation station official.
Find a Balance Between New and Familiar
Identify some of your favorite familiar places or food to take part in, then plan to do that during your time in the LAND OF NEW. If you love to drink beer and unwind, find some unique or notable beer bars. If you love going to the spa, plan to spend a day relaxing by booking a massage. It’s always nice to spend some time doing what makes you comfortable while experiencing a new language, culture, food, surroundings and people. It’s a nice retreat to do something that’s familiar and relaxing so you can feel revived and ready to experience something fun and new.
Check out what I did on my first day in Bangkok.
Cheers!