When I first decided to go travelling I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I literally came home from work one day, sat around the dining table with my family and blurted out 'I've decided I want to travel the world'. I had no plans, no one to go with, just me and my thoughts!
I think my family thought it was all talk and no action at first, but after a lot of thought and research I decided it was something I was more and more interested in and looking at all the options got me so excited. Jump to 18 months later and I'm 3 weeks away from going!
I've put together my top tips on what to look for if you decide to go travelling on your own. I've never done this before and haven't actually been on my trip yet, but stacked with an arms worth of paperwork I certainly feel very in control of every step of my journey!
1. Do your research!
I spent days on days looking for the best travel agencies, reviews, tours etc... to figure out what would be best suited to me and make it the trip I want. I made the mistake of jumping at the first company I saw and after reading reviews and actually looking into it I realised it may not be the best option for me and so I looked elsewhere. You want to make this a trip you will never forget and not regret any of it!
2. Skyscanner will be your best friend!
My dad introduced me to this beauty. Type in the dates you want to go and where from/to and it loads the cheapest options they have. To put it into perspective I got a flight home from New York and it cost me just under £200, can you complain about that?!
3. Make lists.
I have made endless lists through this process of things I need to do. It keeps me organised and once I've ticked each thing off its such a good feeling.
4. Get organised
I'm not one to leave things to the last minute I like to be organised. Research any injections you may need, buy any specific items in advance (I didn't have a rucksack so this was a big one for me!) keep on track of flights and bookings (I printed out each e ticket or booking confirmation as I booked it) and log it all into a folder.
5. Use trip advisor!
This is another little gem. If you go on holiday a lot you may already know about this however I found it extremely useful when looking for hostels to stay in. I always try to go for something with a minimum 3* rating and I actually found some really cheap, popular hostels from this which had great reviews.
6. Look for added extras!
This has happened a couple of times to me. Again with thanks to my dad, he managed to find a connecting flight from Sydney to San Diego with a stopover in Hawaii! So I'll be saying aloha to the palm trees and gorgeous beaches for a couple of days! I also managed to grab a really good package deal with the company I am using to tour Australia. It includes a skydive, bungee jump and kayaking tour with dolphins for a really good price and means it'll all be paid and ready to go when I arrive!
As far as I can think of these are my top tips for travelling in the lead up to my trip. I'll be updating along the way so will let you know what works and what doesn't! Hopefully it will help someone who is thinking about going travelling take the first few steps!
If anyone has any other advice, tips or tricks about travelling then let me know!
With love, Lauren x
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