Going on a trip? Exciting!
If you are anything like us, you want to be well-prepared for it. Planning a trip can be as fun as the trip itself – if done right.
There are the usual things you do, like making sure you have actually booked a flight and a place to stay in (have you ever forgotten either of those?? Let us know in the comments!)
But then there are also the fun things you do when planning a trip – like checking out which restaurants to eat in or which beach is the most beautiful.
But we are here to tell you about the 3 things we do before every trip which could be considered unusual.
So let’s get started planning a trip, shall we?
Here’s a little bit about our journey, if you are new here! If you know us, feel free to skip this part.
After leaving our old life in Scotland in March 2022 (it rains too much there), we travelled full-time for almost 2 years. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? Well, it was. If you think that carrying overpacked backpacks in 45°C heat around streets that aren’t even on Google Maps is fancy. And that’s just 1% of all the fun we had! 😆
During the 2 years we volunteered in Italy and Bulgaria (free travel while learning new skills, anyone?), explored other amazing European countries and backpacked Southeast Asia. Even our secret wedding was more of an expedition than a wedding. 😅
And, of course, we researched and planned everything ourselves, because you gotta keep the budget low, right? If you are like us, you’ve come to the right place, because we want to share all the useful tips and info with you!
Excited? Good. Let’s get into it so you can go on your own adventures too!
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Tip no. 1: Research ATMs
We would be lying though, if we said that this is the first thing we do when we start planning a trip somewhere.
Nah, ATM research comes in a bit later.
The first thing we do when planning a trip is to create a Google Doc, if we already don’t have one for that country.
Pro tip
Do you gather info on different places all the time? A restaurant tip here, a bucket list activity there?
This was the case for us. We used to have saved posts across multiple Instagram accounts. Screenshots in our photo albums. Notes in our notepad app. Travel tips in DMs.
It was way too unorganised and, usually, when we actually ended up planning a trip, we couldn’t find any of the tips and recommendations we had saved!
So we started creating Google Docs. Every time we find a new tip for a country we are thinking of going to at some point? We create a Google Doc if we don’t have one or add to an existing one.
Then when you actually book a holiday to that country or destination, you just pull up the Google Doc and voila – you already have at least a few bits of info or tips to get you started with your planning!
Now, back to the actual tip of researching ATMs.
Why you should research ATMs too
If you are planning a trip to a country with a currency different from your own, you should do two things:
- Research whether you need to have cash in that country
- If yes, research which ATM to get it from
Now, even if the world of the Internet says you do not need cash, it’s often a good idea to have at least some with you. You never know when you might need it – it’s always in the most inconvenient times, like when you need change for a museum locker (happened to us in Warsaw), cash to buy something delicious-looking from a tiny stall or to pay for a toilet (and you really don’t wanna be in that situation without having cash).
The problem
Here’s the rule: Always get foreign money by taking cash out of an ATM. 99% of time it’s more advantageous than going to a currency exchange place.
The problem with that?
ATMs often charge a fee.
And if you want just a small amount of cash, for toilet or snack emergencies, it’s pointless spending more money on an ATM fee, than you are actually taking out.
The solution
There is, of course, a solution to this travel problem. And it has 2 parts:
Part 1
You’ve got to make sure you have a good card you can use to take money out of an ATM abroad.
What do we mean by this?
You’ve got to make sure your own home bank won’t charge you for taking cash out abroad.
Because many banks do.
What cards do we use
There are some cool banks that will not punish you for being a traveller who needs to use a toilet abroad and pay for it with cash.
We use Starling and Monzo cards when we travel to take money out of an ATM, because they let us do so for FREE!
Why 2 cards though?
Because you should always travel with at least 2 cards, in case one isn’t working in an ATM or a card reader (it does happen). Also should anything go wrong, e.g. you lose one of the cards.
The other reason is to combine the cash limit – both, Starling and Monzo, have limits of how much cash you can take out for free abroad. But if you have both, you can take out money using both cards for free and have more in total.
Btw, if you open an account using one of the links above, you get a freebie from the banks. 😉 (And we get one too so it’s a win-win.)
Part 2
Okay, so you are a smart traveller and now have a bank card you can use when travelling to take money out with it for free.
The second part of the solution is finding a foreign bank that is also free.
Because while your home bank might not charge you (again, thanks Starling and Monzo), the foreign bank might.
This is why, when we are planning a trip, we do a quick Google search to see what banks do not charge for cash withdrawals or, if they all charge, which one charges the least amount of money.
Travellers often share this info on their blogs, Reddit or Tripadvisor.
Remember: the less you spend on ATM fees, the more you can spend on delicious foreign snacks! (Or sights or drinks or whatever makes you happy 😸.)
If you need a hand
If you are struggling with anything travel-related – planning a trip or maybe figuring out how full-time travel actually works, because that 💩 is confusing (how can people afford it??), we are here for you.
If you want to have a more in-depth chat about all things travel, book a call with us. You’ll bring your questions, we’ll bring our travel knowledge (and stories) and we’ll have a great time. 😊
Tip no. 2: Check Google Street View
If you are booking accommodation yourself, not through a travel agency, checking Google Street View is a must.
This is such an important safety tip. And safety should be one of your priorities when travelling. We talk about it a lot – such as sharing the secret for keeping your backpack safe when travelling or telling you about the one simple hack that will keep you safe on your travels.
But back to checking Google Street View when planning a trip.
It happened to us so many times – we booked accommodation, looked at the photos of it at the time of booking and then, when we actually got there, we either could not remember what the place looked like, or it looked totally different. Or we couldn’t even find the right street, because we only looked at the front door of our building, not the area around it when booking the accommodation.
This last point can be such a deal-breaker. You should know the area around your accommodation, not just the place itself, prior to your arrival.
It’s useful to know some easily identifiable places around your accommodation.
This can help you to know you are in the right area, if you are taking public transport.
Or it can help you navigate your taxi driver, who might not be familiar with the exact location of “Happy Travellers Guesthouse”.
Pro tip
When checking Google Street View, make sure to double-check the date the photos were taken at. Some maps don’t get updated often and if you use, for example, a shop as a point of reference, but the photo is 6 years old, it might be that the shop doesn’t exist anymore.
Safety reminder
One last note on safety. Make sure to think about travel insurance when planning a trip.
We researched 23 insurance providers when choosing the right one for our full-time travels. Yes, we are that crazy.
But it was worth it. In the end, we actually found not one, but two companies whose insurance we are happy with.
If you are not sure who to go with, definitely check out SafetyWing or True Traveller.
They are both great, both created by travellers for travellers, and both offer amazing value for money.
Tip no. 3: Download maps offline
Everyone knows how to use Google Maps right?
And many travellers will tell you to also download Maps.me, an offline maps app.
We also recommend Maps.me – if you don’t have the app, go install it right now.
Over the years of travelling though, we have learned that you should never rely on just one thing, when it comes to certain key functions.
This is why you should always travel with at least two bank cards (and a spare pair of socks). We always take two debit cards with us that are perfect for travelling (meaning they have 0 fees when used abroad!) – Monzo and Starling (both are referral links which will give you freebies if you open an account!).
So download Maps.me, but, as a great backup, make sure to have Google Maps ready too.
What do we mean?
How to prepare Google Maps when planning a trip
Before your trip, while you are still at home, on your wifi, make sure to download the area you are travelling to as an offline map on Google Maps.
This way it will be accessible even if you don’t have data.
That means if your data isn’t working for some reason. Or you run out. Or there is no signal. You can still access a map and figure out where on earth you are, when all you wanted was a nice chilled smoothie and so you took this tiny side road and now you are in the middle of a cornfield and have no idea how to get back.
Was the smoothie good though??
How do you download Google Maps offline?
It’s super easy:
- Open Google Maps on your phone
- Search for your destination
- In the actions below the destination name click on the three dots
- Click “download offline map”
- Adjust the area you want to download
You will also see how much space on your phone the map will take up.
Pro tip
The offline Google Maps you’ve downloaded are stored on your phone, so after your trip, if you don’t need the map anymore, make sure to delete it.
Otherwise, they will end up taking up unnecessary space.
These are the 3 unusual things we do when planning a trip. We like unusual. Did you see our post on the 3 weird things we travel with? And make sure to also check out the 3 things you shouldn’t pack, unless you want to regret them, like we did.
Was any of this new to you? Do you do anything unusual when planning a trip? Share in the comments so you can help other travellers (and so we can see how weird you are! 😉).
