First Travel Abroad

[HMisabelle]

Please post your first travel abroad experiences here. Include tips and pieces of advice. Where is your suggested first out of country destination? And any inputs on how much we need to save up for? Thanks!!!

[And1moon]

For no-visa countries, Singapore is the way to go for first-timers. Madaling makausap ang mga tao, efficient ang mass transport system, less possibility na you'll get lost and end up ~somewhere~, and hindi "alien" ang food nila.

As a general travel tip, always always bring the following:
Wet wipes
Small bottle of alcohol
Pack of cookies (like the embutido-shaped Oreo)
Pack of mints

For people who have a hard time understanding accents, get acquainted with the country's English accent to familiarize yourself with how they speak English locally. Youtube is a lot of help.

Also learn about the culture, kahit the superficial do's and don'ts lang, e.g. women must not wear thigh-baring pants/skirt when going to xxx place, men and women who aren't married or related to each other must not have any physical contact, do not kiss in public, etc.

[ataypool]

Learn about tipping, familiarise yourself with the public transport system, always bring cash and don't get drunk. Most of all, huwag magsama ng maarte and control freaks.

[tomatostellar]

For no-visa countries, Singapore is the way to go for first-timers. Madaling makausap ang mga tao, efficient ang mass transport system, less possibility na you'll get lost and end up ~somewhere~, and hindi "alien" ang food nila.

As a general travel tip, always always bring the following:
Wet wipes
Small bottle of alcohol
Pack of cookies (like the embutido-shaped Oreo)
Pack of mints

Very helpful! Sa SG ang first OOC trip ko - this July

General tip I guess would be to read about blogs. My sister reminded me to bring pen (for pirmahan sa immigration), organize yung mga tickets/passport in one pouch.

[HMisabelle]

^good luck sis on your first ooc trip!

^^thanks, sis ataypool, for the tips.

[chicafabulosa]

My very first ooc trip was HOng Kong before.

What I did to survive my first ooc

1. I always bring sling bags, then make sure you have photocopies of your passport in case lang na wala sya or something. Also sling bags can help you move around easier and faster in my opinion.
2. Bring a map with you. I got lost na in HK but was able to find my way back to my hotel through the help of their map.
3. Always wear comfy shoes. Unang punta ako naka flipflops ako. Oh my nagpaltos paa ko. Lesson learned. So whenever i travel i always pack or wear comfy walking shoes.
4. Always write down the number of your hotel helpdesk. In case na di mo talaga makita sa map yung pabalik mo ng hotel dahil nawawala ka na, calling your hotel reception area is always the best solution (for me)
5. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the transport system. And read blogs for the dos and donts in their country. E.g. SG may chewing gum ban sila dun. Baka di familiar pumunta dun nagchu chew ng gum di nya alam bawal pala sa country na yun magkaproblem pa sya sa authorities dun.
6. Make sure to bring tissues/wet wipes, (coz sa hk for some reason walanh tissue na binibigay sa mga resto LOL) alcohol.
7. And if ever you ran out of cash, always have your credit card as a back up.
8. And lastly, know their weather during the time of your visit. So you can pack appropriate clothes. Ayaw mo naman na magdala ng makakapal na damit pag summer pala sa destination mo. Or ayaw mo naman na maninis clothing mo yun pala winter na sa pupuntahan mo

[ataypool]

Travel insurance, medicines non-prescription like painkillers or for travel sickness and make yourself comfortable on your flight by bringing in socks, a sweater, bottled water (buy one after customs), snacks, etc. and don't sit most of the time, walk a bit and stretch. May planes na sobra lamig sa loob (CebuPac and PAL) pwede ka magkasakit paglabas, try to be healthy para hindi sayang.

[PinKisH_23]

My first travel abroad tips (Mine was in China, alone)

1. Always keep your documents handy. May dala akong sling bag na kasya lang yung passport and money, then I kept my invitation letter, marriage contract, hotel voucher, etc in my backpack.

2. Bring charger / power bank para di ma drain ang phone while waiting (kung kailangan, iactivate ang roaming).

3. Magdala rin ng biscuit and candies in case magutom, lalo kung nagtitipid ka.

4. Magdala ng meds (konti lang ha)

5. Magdala ng extra shirt and underwear, baka mawala ang check in luggage, mahirap na.

6. Magdala rin ng alampay or sweat shirt (maginaw sa loob ng eroplano)

7. Isulat ang mga important phone numbers ang itinerary mo for the duration of the travel, hindi man masunod ang schedule, at least alam mo kung saan ka susunod pupunta.

8. Magsuot ng comfy shirt and shoes.

9. Dapat maging handa sa travel, research, research and research, alamin ang mga routes na pupuntahan, kung aling pasyalan ang pwedeng isang araw mo lang puntahan.

10. I downloaded an app, yung may translator, kasi sa Suzhou, China halos di maka intindi ng English ang mga taxi drivers, kaya kung may gusto akong puntahan, nisesearch ko sa app then pinaparinig ko sa kanya.

11. I also asked around sa Pinoys dun kung anong sasakyan kung gusto kong mag bus, iba iba kasi ang route dun, iba rin ang bus number.

12. Be open to trying their street food, ito ang favorite ko.

13. Hanapin ang pinakamalapit na 7-11.

14. Wag matakot magtanong.

[belle_v2g]

HongKong is my very first travel destination overseas but I didn't go there for holidays but to take NXLEX-RN exam. I was with my bf back then (now my hubby). Not much preparation because I was preoccupied with my examination. Nandun lang din kami for 4 days & 3 nights.

[shams]

Hongkong was my first travel abroad too!! We were so excited then cause who would not! We booked on a travel tour for our 3 days and 2 nights trip. I still remember, 1 week before our flight, we prepared all the documents that the I.O might asked ( leave form, payslip, COE, document from the travel tour and our flight schedule). Always bring the passport with you, i think that will always be the first rule when going abroad. We also brought some noodles then and it was our savior that time because hindi kami nabubusog sa kinakain namin dun. hahaha. Hindi man sobrang approachable ng mga tiga Hongkong pero hindi masamang magtanong kung naliligaw na.

[ataypool]

Another thing if possible, iyong mga pakisuyo na padala or pabili, tanggihan. Sakit sa ulo, okay na isipin nilang ang sama mo; unless nagpadala or nagpabili ka noon, gawin mo rin for them but last na. Madami lagi nagpapadala sa amin na small envelope lang daw pero darating na A4 envelope na may mobile phone, 4 blocks of chocolate, or any mabibigat. Iniiwan talaga namin, ayaw naman nila bayaran excess. We've been called names pero kapal din ng mukha talaga pag alam nila na uuwi uli kami mag-request uli ng padala. Bruha na auntie ko nagpadala noon ng mooncakes in 4 heavy aluminium boxes, ginawa namin magkakapatid tinapon namin ang boxes sa airport, kept the mooncakes na may plastic packaging naman. Hindi kami magbabayad ng excess for mooncakes na mabibili din naman sa Manila.

[mama squeak!]

^Haha! Naku sounds familiar yang ganyan. Nung una ako rin accommodating but later on talagang sinabi ko sa mga kamaganak inc. na I will not accept any padalas unless they are for my parents i.e. vitamins, meds, etc. Di ako magbibitbit para kay cousin or tito/tita this and that.

On topic, I don't remember na what I did on my first travel since I was just a kid back then. My first travel abroad was to the UK (London) where we lived for a while. On my succeeding trips though these are what I bring with me:

Pre-flight:

1.) Before I used to have a pouch for all my travel documents, yung di pa uso mga e-ticket, online bookings, etc. So I would have my paper tickets, hard copies/vouchers of hotel bookings, car rentals, etc. in the pouch. But now since almost all are online I have all the info in my smartphone, iPad. So pag harap sa IO it's just my passport and naka-ready na si phone or iPad in case hanapan ako ng supporting docs.

Oh and the only hard copy I have is my itinerary in excel file format complete with all details i.e. hotel/apartment confirmation including the address/phone numbers, rail or car rental confirmations, tourist pass bookings.

2.) Very important: Travel insurance (maski Asia lang travel ko I make sure I get one)


Inflight (carry on):

1.) I would have a small pouch with basic toiletries: alcohol (to disinfect the toilet before I use it), feminine wipes, hand cream, lip balm, moisturizer. If I take low cost carriers like CebPac on long haul flights, I'll bring toothbrush/toothpaste otherwise di na since premium carriers will give you a set.

2.) Fully charged iPad/iPhone and a powerbank when taking CebPac on long haul flights. Otherwise I can always charge my gadgets when taking premium carriers.

3.) One set of clothes including underwear including a light jacket or warm shawl.

4.) One to two days worth of meds

5.) Credit cards and a few bills/change of my destination's currency


Travel duration:

1.) Vitamins/Maintenance Meds (with doctor's prescription) and a few first aid OTC meds like diatabs, alaxan, etc.

2.) Basic toiletries since I always end up buying stuff where I go anyway. I bring sample sized ones, the ones they give for free on every purchase of full-sized ones. So I just discard them after every use, which frees up space/weight in my toiletry kit.

3.) I only bring a few clothes since I always end up shopping where I go plus I will need the space and weight for all the other stuff I end up buying.

4.) A small bottle of Febreze cloth freshener and a bar of laundry soap.

5.) A few crackers/energy bars for emergency lang in case magutom in the middle of the night.

6.) small bicycle chain to chain our bags on train trips

7.) portable umbrella (depends on the season and country where I will be traveling)

8.) my camera with extra batteries, chargers, monopod, iPad camera kit

[HMisabelle]

^wow! thanks everyone for sharing some useful tips. very detailed din!

[swtgrl_bee]

Done back reading on this thread. Next year pa naman ang aming first OOC as a family. Nakaka excite at nakakakaba at the same time. Buti may mga thread na ganito 

[And1moon]

^ For first time travel abroad with families:

1. Research about where you want to stay and go (e.g. hotels, attractions), for example: fees, height requirement (di umabot sa height), age restrictions (di na pwede yung certain age), and especially mobility restrictions (nasa 5th floor yung hotel room tapos wala palang elevator, or may 2 km walk pa going to the nearest transpo stop).

2. Magbaon ng mga cookies/chocolate bars/hard candies para sa mga batang madaling magutom, or sa mga adults na madalas ma-hypoglycemia.

3. Remember to activate roaming or buy a local SIM for at least 2 of the family members. There would be times na maghihiwalay din kayo kahit sa mall lang, so kelangan nyo macontact ang isa't isa for coordination

[witch_goddess]

First travel abroad ko was in SG-Malaysia.  Since a lot of sissies here already mentioned helpful tips, yung natutunan ko in SG was--- walk on the left side pag hindi ka nagmamadali kung nasa subway stations, business areas and on escalators ka.  Naobserve ko na yung right way is for people na nagmamadali.


 

[tomatostellar]

Kakabalik lang namin from SG, first OOC trip ko 2nd for bf, but since bagets pa sya nung first trip nya, parang eto na din first sa kanya..

Okay talaga pag kuha tips from friends who've been to your destination in mind. Dami naitulong ng mga friends ko.
Bago din kami mag SG, sige ako check sa Google Maps ng directions, gaano katagal from point A to B, minsan pati street view, para alam ko ichura ng bababaan ako ganon.
For me, okay din medyo maluwag na itinerary, kasi di maiiwasan mga unforeseen circumstances.

Medicine pala, and other OTC relief meds ~ even Salonpas hahaha! Especially kung maraming lakaran na magaganap.

Bring din pala yung All-in-one adapter para if di katulad ng mga power outlet sa Pinas yung country pupuntahan mo. May isa kaming dala, pero mas okay if 2 sana. Coz we had to charge our camera, powerbank, and phones almost every night and yung unang hotel namin, local kind lang yung outlet nila na di katulad ng sa Pinas.
Check din voltage.

[MS_JanDel]

Hello sis! First trip was KL, Malaysia. very short, just 4D,3N. I just wanted the experience of travelling abroad. We were two, me and my bf. that was 2013. hehe..

I think all of the tips were already mentioned, nevertheless I'll just reiterate these ones:

1. MEDICINE. When you're in a different country, buying meds will not be easy so if you're like me who constantly get headaches and have some tummy problems never forget your usual medicines. So a short story, I went to HK in Feb and it was so cold with the wind and everything so I got sick. I had colds and slight fever and even sore throat! It was horrible! Thankfully i had medicines. I would have been in trouble if I haven't bring biogesic, neozep and strepsils. So pack the meds you may think you need. Just enough for your stay.

2. Check the weather and bring appropriate clothes. Weather this time is unpredictable so it's always best to check and prepare. Nevertheless, still bring sweaters for the flight since it's cold in the plane.

3. Keep copies of important documents in your carry on bag, your phone and even in your luggage.
 
4. Maximize the experience by trying out their local commute. Ditch the taxis and hop on their trains, buses or whatever local transport they have.

5. List down restaurants around the areas where you'll be visiting that way you wouldn't be asking each other where to eat. Note their price range and menus too. This always happens to us, we always end up eating in McDonalds/starbucks or whatever restaurant we see because we do not have any idea where to eat.

6. Think of a souvenir you'd want to collect for every country you visit. My fiancee collects SB tumblr, I collect figurines.

My first OOC travel was very memorable, it was a dream come true. I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed hoarding all those malaysian chocolates! I hope those who'd be taking their first OOC, either alone or with friends/bf/family will also have a fun and memorable trip!

[ezonme]

My first OOC was in HK too with Friends. Like everyone mentioned, make sure you have copies of your travel documents including hotel booking, return tickets etc. Even if group kayo or family na mag tratravel you should have your own copy. Na hold ako sa HK immigration the first time since first travel ko siguro. Hiningi lang sa akin those travel docs that I mentioned and asked me how much money I have and if I have credit cards. After that I was free to go.

[pinkmoscato]

Aside from travel documents, make sure to research the address and contact numbers of Philippine embassy sa country na pupuntahan mo
So that when something bad happens (sana hindi naman), you know where to go.
Never leave your passport in your hotel room, always bring it with you.