Traveling Internationally

I am headed to Vancouver tomorrow, so I thought I would write a post on traveling international. I'll admit that I am not an expert at this. I've only been out of the country three other times: to France, Mexico, and the Caribbean (and the last two don't really count, let's be honest). But from those few times, here are some tips and tricks.

*Love this Kate Spade bag I got for my birthday in April. It's obviously meant to be a travel bag!

1. Get a passport. Okay, that's an obvious one. But it's something everyone should have, even if they aren't sure they'll travel abroad. It's good to have, just in case! And if you already have one, make sure it hasn't expired.

2. Pack light. For one, foreigners always seem to wear their clothes multiple times before washing them (and usually for multiple days in a row). So they don't care that you didn't pack a different outfit for every day of your trip. Mix-and-match tops and bottoms. You can either do this with a particular occasion in mind (ex. a business conference), or I like to do it by color (ex. Pick three colors, and only bring clothes that are in those color families so they all match. I really like black and red together, or black and shades of blue). 

3. Carry on your bags. Most likely if you're traveling abroad, you're flying. Flying is already stressful, going to an unknown place always freaks me out...The last thing I need is for an airline to lose my bag. So I always carry my bags on so I know where my stuff is at all times.

4. Learn the language. I'm not asking you to become fluent in the native tongue of your destination. But people always appreciate when you make an effort to speak to them in their own language, rather than barging in link an arrogant American who assumes everyone in the world speaks English. So learn how to say things like "Hello" "Thank you" "Hotel" "Taxi" etc.

And of course be safe! I recommend traveling with a big, strong man, but sometimes that isn't an option...