TIPS YOU (HAVE TO) DO for BEFORE TRAVELING
Hallo!
Welcome back to my blog! Here I will write tips you (have to) do before & after traveling. But, I think it will be a very long blog, so I'll divide today's blog to share tips before traveling.
Before traveling, here are some things you need to think, look for and prepare for:
1. Prepare budget.
Money is an important talk when you're about to travel. It's a thing you really need to safe months before and then spend efficiently. Prepare budget by saving money far before your travel date. I divide budgeting things into six sections:
- budget for stay
Look for information and do some research in internet, whether through online booking app or people's blogs, or instagram review by influencers or your friends about places to stay. You can screenshot them and then put them in Note on your phone, don't forget to put photo and details about the prices and the location. You can choose place to stay in a hotel for easy and security. Or if you prefer to stay in your own personal place you can check airbnb. Stay in a villa is also a good way to spend your holiday but if you're on budget and spend more time outside, I don't think a villa is necessary. And while looking up for place to stay, don't forget to consider the location, better to book place that is not too far from main city, but if you want to stay in a silent and calm place is also doable too, as long as you can find transportation easily and accessible by your own, too. If you're planning to have holiday in tropical island and want to spend days on the sea, maybe a cruise stay for few days is also a good idea, too!
- budget for transportation
Transportation can cost you a lot if you sum them up in the end of your holiday. So that's why, preparing budget for transportation is important, too. Some places you want to visit aren't that easy to access, maybe it will need a boat, car or motorcycle. The economical way is by renting a car or motorcycle for days or weeks, it could save up a lot, you will save your time and also can access many places or stop by some places freely without the feelings to be hurry or burdened to have leisure time in a place. But, if you can't drive as some countries have different side of driving and you can't ride a motorcycle, then probably renting a car with a driver is possible, too. For the prices, it already has fix price or maybe if it's negotiable, why don't go for it? If in your traveling, a boat is needed to access to different island, it can cost a lot, too, it even can sum up into more than your flights costs. So, better to research for economically affordable boat but still trustworthy, and safe.
Conclusion, look for places you want to visit from internet, then look for their distance and location from your stay to its location (better to group those places based on their location, whether they're in the same district, or located in south or north, or west or east). And if the transportation is quite expensive, you can stay in a spot where you are still able to access some other places and it won't cost you too much for going forth and back.
Learn to use google maps to know distance, how to access it, so you can set a budget for its transportation, better to spend some days in a district where you can access easily, not too far, and affordable.
- budget for food
Food. Based on my experience, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks can cost a lot, too. But here are some tricks and a mind set you need to set. Every body eats to fulfill their energy and hunger, right? So, whatever food it is is edible. No need to spend lots of money to eat many kinds of menu for once. Some stays offer breakfast, some breakfast offered can make you feel so full and also worth it. In the other side, you can save your time for going out around to look for food. Then you can divide food you want to eat whether it's for lunch today or tomorrow. And then trying an expensive or your dreamy restaurants or cafe is not guilty, though. You can set a plan, eating in a restaurant or cafe for once a day, or twice a day. Or, sharing food with your travel partner. So each of you order each different dish so you can share and also can try up to many different dishes.
- budget for your outfit
You'll be able to set a budget for outfits once you read my second point. You can start to buy some clothes (t shirt, shorts, sandals/slippers, hat, sunglasses, dress) through online as they are usually cheaper or shop through stores. Shopping for outfit in your travel destination isn't recommended as you'll spend more time on shopping your own outfit rather than spending time for exploring around. And also, shopping there will cost you more, too. Once you already being prepared before travel of clothes you'll wear, you won't need to think about it anymore and just enjoy your traveling!
- budget for shopping
It is really sad once you are able to travel to your dreamy places, and stop by some stores to look around for stuffs, but you could only see the price tags, try some tester and then go out from the stores without able to purchase it because it is so damn expensive. haha. That's why setting a budget for shopping is important, too. Do yourself a favor to buy things that are useful and good for you, without being over shopping. Remember, I personally think shopping while traveling is very doable for people that don't go travel on limited budget. You also probably want to buy some souvenirs or little presents for your family and friends, it can be tricky and costs a lot of money, too. But if you buy cheap souvenirs, sometimes they just being waste and isn't it glorious if you know souvenirs you gave are useful and the receivers are happy about them?
- budget for flights
I put this in the last section of budget, why? Booking flight is tricky. Sometimes, you booked flights few months earlier, thinking that it is cheap enough already, and then suddenly one or two months closer to your travel dates, the flights suddenly getting cheap, and you already think that the price difference you can use for shopping and eating. But... Booking flights when it is closer to your travel dates and in high seasons is also can be expensive, too. So, yeah, make sure you keep an eye and follow your guts, whether you need to book flights now or later. And in this uncertain moment [as I wrote this blog while I'm in self quarantine, every flights are canceled] so yeah, sometimes better to book flights when it is a little bit closer to your travel date. By the way, this is important and crucial, be smart to check for promotion codes that usually online booking apps offer you. It can help you to save money. Like based on my experience, I suddenly got some discount on my very first purchase after I installed a online booking app and then it also offers some vouchers with discount for some airlines with specified nominal, and it can be a good moment for you to book tickets for round trip and it is a bit cheaper than you book them separately.
2. Look for inspirations, then prepare for them.
Set time to look for inspirations. Sometimes looking for inspirations can be overwhelming and stressful, but make sure just take it lightly and enjoy every moment when you're surfing on internet, looking for inspirations, whether it is in a blog, photos or videos. I personally like to look for inspirations without thinking too much. Search and then save those photos, and bookmark those blogs and then later I'll make time to filter them, whether I'll go search for more about it or just delete it and never think about it again. Look for inspirations can gather up common and more details information that you have no idea about. It can help to make you feel less regret once you came back from traveling and feel "Ah, I haven't gone to that place, yet." feeling.
Those inspirations can come in forms like:
- inspirations of place you have to visit.
Place you have to visit can be a very touristic places, or non-touristic places.
It isn't a must to visit every touristic places but it also good if you can visit them, so you can know and learn the history and cultures of locals, too. Usually touristic places are authentic and have local vibes, and crowded of tourists. You might not like the crowd, but you better give it a try. You don't want to regret for not going to those touristic places once you're back to your own house. Once I arrived in my destination, I suddenly forgot what places I wanted to visit before. That's very bad. I ended up not visiting touristic places and now I can only see them from internet (again) lol. But yeah, it can be a motivation for you to fly back and re-visit the good places you had ever been and to visit the places you haven't gone to!
There are some non-touristic place that you discovered randomly by your own or recommended by your friends. So give them a try. Sometimes stopping at a spot where it is unknown and you can sit in silence and enjoying the moment, taking photos and talk with your travel partners is amazing feeling.
For me personally, I like to visit a cinema, to know whether it is different from my city, and going to toilet in cafe or restaurant or in the airport can be fun too lol. Book stores and local stores are fun to go, too. Even fruit store.
- inspirations of outfit
Outfit. It's important to be prepared, too. I don't know when I start to think that having a comfortable, matching and also good-to-see outfit is important, for some people the outfits aren't important. Make sure to watch your outfit whether it matches the place you are going to visit, too. But, you just don't want to throwback to your photos of your traveling and frowning to see your very unmatched and bright outfit at the beach - for example, or wearing wrong costume like a formal shirt, long and heavy jeans and a shoes at the beach where it's a relax and chill place to sit on the sands and dip your feet in the wet and cold water and with sands sticking on your feet once your walking out of water. Or wearing a sexy tank top to a holy places or walking down the dark and quiet aisle, that make you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Or, wearing your clothes for work in your daily life while traveling is a big no, too. For women especially, you want to see you look good in nature, or a cafe, or restaurant or wherever it is. So, deciding outfits base on places you'll travel to, is important.
How can I know whether this outfit is good, look beautiful in me and match the place that I'll travel to?
First, you need to train your eyes to get used to seeing beautiful things. Style (haha i don't have a right to talk about style, as they're stylish people out there but 'style' in here means your own personal like that will present yourself) isn't a thing that you can build only in a day. You'll start to have a sense to know whether this thing is beautiful or not once you're trained to see many things, and start to compare this and that, then group those things to your own personal and like and it will increase your taste. Goes the same for food, you can score whether this food tastes delicious or not once you have tasted 'delicious' food before. And you can know this bed feels comfortable to sleep or not once you already ever laid your body on comfy bed. It makes sense, right?
So yeah, looking for inspirations. See things. You don't need to have to see things directly, you can see it from internet, read, and be curious. You can learn from many things. You'll build yourself from what you see, hear, taste and learn.
- inspirations of culinary
Trying local foods along the street or in a 'waroeng' or food in expensive restaurant or in a cozy cafe. Just try. Food is a very nostalgic thing you'll maybe craving for once you go back to your home. That's why, if you found out that the food you ate is delicious, make sure to go back and eat them until you think that you're satisfied with it. There's no way to think "Oh, I'm on diet." or "Oh, I'm not in the mood for that."
3. Look for a travel partner.
Some people love to travel alone, some people don't. There are people that travel alone to enjoy themselves, enjoy nature, introverts, or to look for themselves during those travel. There are people that love to travel with a friend or friends. Make sure you travel with partner(s) that has/have same vision and mission like you. You just don't want to feel annoyed once you have accompany your friend to here and there but once it's your turn, they don't want. Or you're more like a traveler type that has strong exploration curiosity, and you ask them to go with you and they say no. It doesn't sound good 😂. But yeah, you'll have to learn to be self-independent, too.
4. Make memories, take memories.
I did think, I don't want to hold my phone too often while I was traveling as I was scared I'll spend much time on my phone than looking around, enjoying the moment. I want to enjoy the moment, make memories but I forgot one part, it is: take memories.
Make your memories as things you can remember or throwback to someday. Some people are gifted with strong ability to memorize things, but I'm not one of them. I could miss a place, a moment, food, or a funny or memorable moment of my surrounding or people I travel with or people I see, or buildings. I mean, taking photos or videos is a good thing to do. Don't hesitate to take out your phone to take photos of food you're eating, drink you're drinking, places you are at, landscapes or buildings, or what people are doing, or your activities while traveling. Don't ever miss the chance to capture those moments for you to see once you're back from traveling.
Here are tips to prevent you from playing your phone for most of the time in traveling:
- turn on airplane mode, it will prevent you from scrolling social media.
- don't upload everything at the moment, for your own safety and also from preventing yourself to reply your friends curiosity.
- take photos/videoes through camera, then. If you have that.
- bring powerbank or charger everywhere you go
*this point will be related to after (post) traveling that I'll write later.
5. Bring your own bag.
Whether it to complete your outfit, or to put stuffs like money, identity card, copy or passport, and phone. Make sure to not bring too many things in your bag, so it won't be too heavy and easy to access. You can bring a fold able shopping bag, too, in case you'll go to shop groceries or snacks or fruit or drinks. Some stores don't offer plastic bags. It will help you to save money from buying shopping bags.
That's all tips you (have to) do before traveling from my own experience and perspective. I hope it can be a consideration for you before traveling. Is there any thing you do before traveling, too? I'm curious to know. 😃
Thank you for reading! See ya.
Welcome back to my blog! Here I will write tips you (have to) do before & after traveling. But, I think it will be a very long blog, so I'll divide today's blog to share tips before traveling.
Before traveling, here are some things you need to think, look for and prepare for:
1. Prepare budget.
Money is an important talk when you're about to travel. It's a thing you really need to safe months before and then spend efficiently. Prepare budget by saving money far before your travel date. I divide budgeting things into six sections:
- budget for stay
Look for information and do some research in internet, whether through online booking app or people's blogs, or instagram review by influencers or your friends about places to stay. You can screenshot them and then put them in Note on your phone, don't forget to put photo and details about the prices and the location. You can choose place to stay in a hotel for easy and security. Or if you prefer to stay in your own personal place you can check airbnb. Stay in a villa is also a good way to spend your holiday but if you're on budget and spend more time outside, I don't think a villa is necessary. And while looking up for place to stay, don't forget to consider the location, better to book place that is not too far from main city, but if you want to stay in a silent and calm place is also doable too, as long as you can find transportation easily and accessible by your own, too. If you're planning to have holiday in tropical island and want to spend days on the sea, maybe a cruise stay for few days is also a good idea, too!
- budget for transportation
Transportation can cost you a lot if you sum them up in the end of your holiday. So that's why, preparing budget for transportation is important, too. Some places you want to visit aren't that easy to access, maybe it will need a boat, car or motorcycle. The economical way is by renting a car or motorcycle for days or weeks, it could save up a lot, you will save your time and also can access many places or stop by some places freely without the feelings to be hurry or burdened to have leisure time in a place. But, if you can't drive as some countries have different side of driving and you can't ride a motorcycle, then probably renting a car with a driver is possible, too. For the prices, it already has fix price or maybe if it's negotiable, why don't go for it? If in your traveling, a boat is needed to access to different island, it can cost a lot, too, it even can sum up into more than your flights costs. So, better to research for economically affordable boat but still trustworthy, and safe.
Conclusion, look for places you want to visit from internet, then look for their distance and location from your stay to its location (better to group those places based on their location, whether they're in the same district, or located in south or north, or west or east). And if the transportation is quite expensive, you can stay in a spot where you are still able to access some other places and it won't cost you too much for going forth and back.
Learn to use google maps to know distance, how to access it, so you can set a budget for its transportation, better to spend some days in a district where you can access easily, not too far, and affordable.
- budget for food
Food. Based on my experience, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks can cost a lot, too. But here are some tricks and a mind set you need to set. Every body eats to fulfill their energy and hunger, right? So, whatever food it is is edible. No need to spend lots of money to eat many kinds of menu for once. Some stays offer breakfast, some breakfast offered can make you feel so full and also worth it. In the other side, you can save your time for going out around to look for food. Then you can divide food you want to eat whether it's for lunch today or tomorrow. And then trying an expensive or your dreamy restaurants or cafe is not guilty, though. You can set a plan, eating in a restaurant or cafe for once a day, or twice a day. Or, sharing food with your travel partner. So each of you order each different dish so you can share and also can try up to many different dishes.
- budget for your outfit
You'll be able to set a budget for outfits once you read my second point. You can start to buy some clothes (t shirt, shorts, sandals/slippers, hat, sunglasses, dress) through online as they are usually cheaper or shop through stores. Shopping for outfit in your travel destination isn't recommended as you'll spend more time on shopping your own outfit rather than spending time for exploring around. And also, shopping there will cost you more, too. Once you already being prepared before travel of clothes you'll wear, you won't need to think about it anymore and just enjoy your traveling!
- budget for shopping
It is really sad once you are able to travel to your dreamy places, and stop by some stores to look around for stuffs, but you could only see the price tags, try some tester and then go out from the stores without able to purchase it because it is so damn expensive. haha. That's why setting a budget for shopping is important, too. Do yourself a favor to buy things that are useful and good for you, without being over shopping. Remember, I personally think shopping while traveling is very doable for people that don't go travel on limited budget. You also probably want to buy some souvenirs or little presents for your family and friends, it can be tricky and costs a lot of money, too. But if you buy cheap souvenirs, sometimes they just being waste and isn't it glorious if you know souvenirs you gave are useful and the receivers are happy about them?
- budget for flights
I put this in the last section of budget, why? Booking flight is tricky. Sometimes, you booked flights few months earlier, thinking that it is cheap enough already, and then suddenly one or two months closer to your travel dates, the flights suddenly getting cheap, and you already think that the price difference you can use for shopping and eating. But... Booking flights when it is closer to your travel dates and in high seasons is also can be expensive, too. So, yeah, make sure you keep an eye and follow your guts, whether you need to book flights now or later. And in this uncertain moment [as I wrote this blog while I'm in self quarantine, every flights are canceled] so yeah, sometimes better to book flights when it is a little bit closer to your travel date. By the way, this is important and crucial, be smart to check for promotion codes that usually online booking apps offer you. It can help you to save money. Like based on my experience, I suddenly got some discount on my very first purchase after I installed a online booking app and then it also offers some vouchers with discount for some airlines with specified nominal, and it can be a good moment for you to book tickets for round trip and it is a bit cheaper than you book them separately.
2. Look for inspirations, then prepare for them.
Set time to look for inspirations. Sometimes looking for inspirations can be overwhelming and stressful, but make sure just take it lightly and enjoy every moment when you're surfing on internet, looking for inspirations, whether it is in a blog, photos or videos. I personally like to look for inspirations without thinking too much. Search and then save those photos, and bookmark those blogs and then later I'll make time to filter them, whether I'll go search for more about it or just delete it and never think about it again. Look for inspirations can gather up common and more details information that you have no idea about. It can help to make you feel less regret once you came back from traveling and feel "Ah, I haven't gone to that place, yet." feeling.
Those inspirations can come in forms like:
- inspirations of place you have to visit.
Place you have to visit can be a very touristic places, or non-touristic places.
It isn't a must to visit every touristic places but it also good if you can visit them, so you can know and learn the history and cultures of locals, too. Usually touristic places are authentic and have local vibes, and crowded of tourists. You might not like the crowd, but you better give it a try. You don't want to regret for not going to those touristic places once you're back to your own house. Once I arrived in my destination, I suddenly forgot what places I wanted to visit before. That's very bad. I ended up not visiting touristic places and now I can only see them from internet (again) lol. But yeah, it can be a motivation for you to fly back and re-visit the good places you had ever been and to visit the places you haven't gone to!
There are some non-touristic place that you discovered randomly by your own or recommended by your friends. So give them a try. Sometimes stopping at a spot where it is unknown and you can sit in silence and enjoying the moment, taking photos and talk with your travel partners is amazing feeling.
For me personally, I like to visit a cinema, to know whether it is different from my city, and going to toilet in cafe or restaurant or in the airport can be fun too lol. Book stores and local stores are fun to go, too. Even fruit store.
- inspirations of outfit
Outfit. It's important to be prepared, too. I don't know when I start to think that having a comfortable, matching and also good-to-see outfit is important, for some people the outfits aren't important. Make sure to watch your outfit whether it matches the place you are going to visit, too. But, you just don't want to throwback to your photos of your traveling and frowning to see your very unmatched and bright outfit at the beach - for example, or wearing wrong costume like a formal shirt, long and heavy jeans and a shoes at the beach where it's a relax and chill place to sit on the sands and dip your feet in the wet and cold water and with sands sticking on your feet once your walking out of water. Or wearing a sexy tank top to a holy places or walking down the dark and quiet aisle, that make you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. Or, wearing your clothes for work in your daily life while traveling is a big no, too. For women especially, you want to see you look good in nature, or a cafe, or restaurant or wherever it is. So, deciding outfits base on places you'll travel to, is important.
How can I know whether this outfit is good, look beautiful in me and match the place that I'll travel to?
First, you need to train your eyes to get used to seeing beautiful things. Style (haha i don't have a right to talk about style, as they're stylish people out there but 'style' in here means your own personal like that will present yourself) isn't a thing that you can build only in a day. You'll start to have a sense to know whether this thing is beautiful or not once you're trained to see many things, and start to compare this and that, then group those things to your own personal and like and it will increase your taste. Goes the same for food, you can score whether this food tastes delicious or not once you have tasted 'delicious' food before. And you can know this bed feels comfortable to sleep or not once you already ever laid your body on comfy bed. It makes sense, right?
So yeah, looking for inspirations. See things. You don't need to have to see things directly, you can see it from internet, read, and be curious. You can learn from many things. You'll build yourself from what you see, hear, taste and learn.
- inspirations of culinary
Trying local foods along the street or in a 'waroeng' or food in expensive restaurant or in a cozy cafe. Just try. Food is a very nostalgic thing you'll maybe craving for once you go back to your home. That's why, if you found out that the food you ate is delicious, make sure to go back and eat them until you think that you're satisfied with it. There's no way to think "Oh, I'm on diet." or "Oh, I'm not in the mood for that."
3. Look for a travel partner.
Some people love to travel alone, some people don't. There are people that travel alone to enjoy themselves, enjoy nature, introverts, or to look for themselves during those travel. There are people that love to travel with a friend or friends. Make sure you travel with partner(s) that has/have same vision and mission like you. You just don't want to feel annoyed once you have accompany your friend to here and there but once it's your turn, they don't want. Or you're more like a traveler type that has strong exploration curiosity, and you ask them to go with you and they say no. It doesn't sound good 😂. But yeah, you'll have to learn to be self-independent, too.
4. Make memories, take memories.
I did think, I don't want to hold my phone too often while I was traveling as I was scared I'll spend much time on my phone than looking around, enjoying the moment. I want to enjoy the moment, make memories but I forgot one part, it is: take memories.
Make your memories as things you can remember or throwback to someday. Some people are gifted with strong ability to memorize things, but I'm not one of them. I could miss a place, a moment, food, or a funny or memorable moment of my surrounding or people I travel with or people I see, or buildings. I mean, taking photos or videos is a good thing to do. Don't hesitate to take out your phone to take photos of food you're eating, drink you're drinking, places you are at, landscapes or buildings, or what people are doing, or your activities while traveling. Don't ever miss the chance to capture those moments for you to see once you're back from traveling.
Here are tips to prevent you from playing your phone for most of the time in traveling:
- turn on airplane mode, it will prevent you from scrolling social media.
- don't upload everything at the moment, for your own safety and also from preventing yourself to reply your friends curiosity.
- take photos/videoes through camera, then. If you have that.
- bring powerbank or charger everywhere you go
*this point will be related to after (post) traveling that I'll write later.
5. Bring your own bag.
Whether it to complete your outfit, or to put stuffs like money, identity card, copy or passport, and phone. Make sure to not bring too many things in your bag, so it won't be too heavy and easy to access. You can bring a fold able shopping bag, too, in case you'll go to shop groceries or snacks or fruit or drinks. Some stores don't offer plastic bags. It will help you to save money from buying shopping bags.
That's all tips you (have to) do before traveling from my own experience and perspective. I hope it can be a consideration for you before traveling. Is there any thing you do before traveling, too? I'm curious to know. 😃
Thank you for reading! See ya.
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