1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Hello and welcome to another episode of Once Upon a Trip. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:06,760 My name is Mary Grace Crawford 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,960 and I'm so happy that you are here today. 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:14,320 Marco and I and our good friend from Canada, Jason, 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,960 are going to be taking a trip to Iceland 6 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:20,280 in just a couple of short weeks from now. 7 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:22,600 So I have lately really been 8 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,720 in my travel packing slash planning mode. 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:28,480 So that's why for this week, 10 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,560 our episode is going to be around travel hacks. 11 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,840 Today I have chosen 20 of them to go through 12 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,600 as somebody who used to live abroad 13 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,200 and live basically out of a 55 liter backpack 14 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:48,200 and as somebody who is not a super minimalist packer. 15 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:51,460 I can definitely share a thing or two 16 00:00:51,460 --> 00:00:53,140 about some of the packing hacks 17 00:00:53,140 --> 00:00:56,080 that I have acquired throughout the years. 18 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,240 There are also some hacks and some tips 19 00:00:58,240 --> 00:00:59,680 that are not related to packing, 20 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,520 but just related to knowledge and being informed 21 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,320 and being ready for all sorts of unexpected situations. 22 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:09,440 I know that I personally always love hearing 23 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,080 what other people have to share with their own travel tips 24 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,400 and their own travel hacks. 25 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:17,020 So I thought this would be a good opportunity 26 00:01:17,020 --> 00:01:18,360 to be able to share mine. 27 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,440 And hopefully you can leave this episode 28 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:24,480 with some very valuable information 29 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:26,640 that you can apply to your next trip 30 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:28,300 and future travel plans. 31 00:01:28,300 --> 00:01:29,680 Without further ado, 32 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,520 let's go ahead and jump into these travel hacks. 33 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,120 And if there are any of your own travel tips 34 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:39,360 that I do not mention here that you would like to share, 35 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,400 please feel free to comment below. 36 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,560 I hope you enjoy this episode. 37 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:48,560 The first travel hack is using an app called Split. 38 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:52,960 You need to download Split if you are traveling in a group 39 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,760 and you plan on splitting expenses. 40 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:57,840 And if you are American, 41 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,320 there is a good chance that you are not familiar 42 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,760 with this app because this is an app 43 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,600 that originated actually in Germany. 44 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,440 And I guess Split hasn't really come to the US 45 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,480 or at least not that much, at least not to my knowledge. 46 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,360 One of Marco's friends introduced us to this app 47 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:18,360 last year when we went to Columbia, 48 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,320 when there was a group of five of us 49 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,140 and we were having to split expenses. 50 00:02:23,140 --> 00:02:26,560 And instead of having this complicated word doc 51 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:30,480 of who paid for what and trying to manually calculate 52 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:35,160 everything ourselves, this app saved our lives. 53 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:37,800 You just put who that charge applies to 54 00:02:37,800 --> 00:02:42,080 and Split will calculate who owes what and for what 55 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:43,540 at the end of the trip. 56 00:02:43,540 --> 00:02:46,280 The app is designed to do all of that for you, 57 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,080 making it so simple and straightforward 58 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,980 to pay your friends or family or partner 59 00:02:51,980 --> 00:02:54,480 or whoever back fairly. 60 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,480 Split is completely free to use if you only plan 61 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,080 on doing or calculating one trip at a time. 62 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,900 But if for some reason you have two simultaneous trips, 63 00:03:05,900 --> 00:03:10,000 then you do have to pay two or three US dollars 64 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,360 to be able to add that additional group. 65 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,520 But for most people, you will not be taking two trips 66 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:16,720 at the same time. 67 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,400 So you can completely use this for free. 68 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:21,620 You just need to download it on your phone 69 00:03:21,620 --> 00:03:24,940 and to put in your expenses as you go along 70 00:03:24,940 --> 00:03:26,700 your days in the trip. 71 00:03:26,700 --> 00:03:31,520 Really take time to research all of the local apps 72 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:35,680 that you will need and can use in your given country 73 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,200 and destination where you're traveling. 74 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:40,960 Not every country uses Uber. 75 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,920 For example, in Vietnam, I know that Grab 76 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,400 is the app that's equivalent to Uber. 77 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:51,840 I know that in Turkey, B-Tuxi is the equivalent to Uber, 78 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:53,360 et cetera, et cetera. 79 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:55,940 Most of Europe should have Uber, 80 00:03:55,940 --> 00:03:57,920 but it's good to double check this. 81 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,320 Any sort of local bakery app 82 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:04,620 and especially any sort of local transportation app, 83 00:04:04,620 --> 00:04:07,980 any train app, and especially any metro app, 84 00:04:07,980 --> 00:04:10,000 if you're going to any bigger city, 85 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,520 is really essential to have so that you can really 86 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,800 stay in tune with where you're going 87 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:18,960 and what the local schedule of buses and trains 88 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,220 and et cetera really look like. 89 00:04:21,220 --> 00:04:23,940 And of course, there are other apps 90 00:04:23,940 --> 00:04:26,380 for other miscellaneous things. 91 00:04:26,380 --> 00:04:30,520 For example, when we go to Iceland in a couple of weeks, 92 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:33,880 there is a Chasing Northern Lights app 93 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:35,880 that I intend to download 94 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,820 because that is very, very specific for Iceland, 95 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:42,500 but that just comes to show you why it's really important 96 00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:46,360 to be able to know what these apps are in advance 97 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:48,360 and really get the best use out of them. 98 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:50,200 If you are traveling in Europe, 99 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,440 but also this can apply to so many other places 100 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:58,440 and big cities around the world, free walking tours. 101 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:04,080 You really need to take advantage of free walking tours, 102 00:05:04,260 --> 00:05:08,920 tip-based tours in every big city that offers one. 103 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,060 I know that when I was traveling alone, 104 00:05:11,060 --> 00:05:14,440 that was always my number one go-to in every big city. 105 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,600 To find some sort of free walking tour 106 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:22,000 on sites like freetour.com and getyourguide.com, 107 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,160 those were always my top two go-to places. 108 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:29,320 On those sites, you can also find good food walking tours, 109 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:30,600 pub crawl tours. 110 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,720 You can find all sorts of really cheap, affordable 111 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,060 and free tours that you can really, really enjoy 112 00:05:37,060 --> 00:05:40,480 meeting people at and getting a really local experience 113 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,240 from and I will link both of these websites 114 00:05:43,240 --> 00:05:45,620 in the description so that you can check them out 115 00:05:45,620 --> 00:05:47,120 if you are interested. 116 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,680 Now with packing, if you're traveling with a suitcase, 117 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,200 you really need to take advantage of packing 118 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,640 empty plastic bags for laundry and shoes, 119 00:05:56,640 --> 00:06:00,160 any empty tote bag that you can use at any supermarket 120 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:03,440 since not every supermarket has bags 121 00:06:03,440 --> 00:06:06,200 you can put groceries in, an empty water bottle 122 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,000 for you to use at the airport after you get through security 123 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:15,000 and packing an extra backpack, just an empty backpack, 124 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,520 putting that inside of your suitcase 125 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,400 for you to use for hiking, for you to use for extra space 126 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,720 when you get to whatever destination you're going to 127 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,720 is such a space saver and space expander at the same time. 128 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:34,140 I believe I made Marco do this for Columbia, 129 00:06:34,140 --> 00:06:38,200 literally putting an empty backpack in a suitcase 130 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,320 and then we use this backpack while going hiking, 131 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,400 it was really a game changer. 132 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:48,200 To pack more efficiently, consider using packing cubes. 133 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,360 If you don't know what packing cubes are, 134 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,200 they are literally zippable cubes 135 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:57,100 and you can stuff your clothes into these little things 136 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,260 and they really help compress the space 137 00:06:59,260 --> 00:07:01,440 that is in your suitcase or backpack. 138 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:03,540 If you're not a fan of the packing cubes though, 139 00:07:03,540 --> 00:07:05,080 and you don't wanna have to take 140 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:07,760 every single individual cube out, 141 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:09,700 one other related hack that I did 142 00:07:09,700 --> 00:07:14,700 when I was living abroad was in my 55 liter backpack, 143 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,820 I had something called a suitcase organizer 144 00:07:18,820 --> 00:07:23,080 that would hang in any Airbnb, any hostel, 145 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:25,900 any place where there was a pole 146 00:07:25,900 --> 00:07:30,240 and I could hang this thing at with all of my clothes in it. 147 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,320 I don't even think I really had so many packing cubes 148 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,280 until about a couple of years ago. 149 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,080 This hanging organizer was so convenient to have 150 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,000 because I literally would just take this thing 151 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,520 out of my backpack and I would hang it 152 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:48,440 and all of my clothes would basically already 153 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,900 be organized for me and I didn't have to do anything else. 154 00:07:51,900 --> 00:07:55,540 Now, when it comes to packing in the actual cubes 155 00:07:55,540 --> 00:07:57,240 or in the organizer, 156 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,500 rolling your clothes will really save you space. 157 00:08:01,500 --> 00:08:04,660 You literally just need to roll up your shirts 158 00:08:04,660 --> 00:08:06,840 and your clothes and you just need to put 159 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,240 all of those rolled up clothes 160 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,400 in whatever preferred thing you want. 161 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:17,400 Consider also getting a zippable travel pillow 162 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,460 that you can fill with clothes. 163 00:08:20,460 --> 00:08:22,120 So if you only have a carry-on 164 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:24,880 and you really need extra space, 165 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:26,840 but you don't wanna check in a bag, 166 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:28,920 then you can literally just buy one of these 167 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,360 and you can put several additional shirts in this pillow 168 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:34,920 and you can just carry it with you on the plane. 169 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:39,560 There are these things called compressed towel tablets 170 00:08:39,560 --> 00:08:41,880 and if you don't know what these are, 171 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:43,240 you're about to learn right now. 172 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,720 These are crazy and they have become so popular 173 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:50,620 because of how multifunctional they are 174 00:08:50,620 --> 00:08:52,840 in so many situations. 175 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,920 It is literally this compressed towel 176 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,260 in the size of about a lifesaver. 177 00:08:58,260 --> 00:09:00,240 So it's really, really small. 178 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:02,560 You can keep them in your bag or in your backpack 179 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:05,680 and whenever you spill something at the airport, 180 00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:09,120 whenever you don't have a washcloth at a hotel 181 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:12,440 or in your destination, which surprisingly, 182 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:17,360 a washcloth isn't always that common to find in some places. 183 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:19,560 So it's really good to have that. 184 00:09:19,560 --> 00:09:21,360 Among many other functions, 185 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,600 you literally just take this tablet 186 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,240 and you pour just a little bit of water on this tablet 187 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,460 and it will expand into a towel, like a square, 188 00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:33,140 like a nine by nine sort of situation. 189 00:09:33,140 --> 00:09:35,060 It's not like a full blown towel. 190 00:09:35,060 --> 00:09:37,820 And the best part is some of these towels 191 00:09:37,820 --> 00:09:40,640 can be used up to 20 times 192 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:43,180 if you really take care of them and use them enough. 193 00:09:43,180 --> 00:09:47,800 A little capsule of a towel never did anybody wrong. 194 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:51,020 And if you don't have water, just take this tablet 195 00:09:51,020 --> 00:09:53,200 and you can put it in between your hands 196 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,920 and you just kind of have to blow on it with your breath. 197 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:58,120 It sounds kind of weird. 198 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,600 There just needs to be a little bit of moisture 199 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:02,080 for this thing to open. 200 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:06,240 Basically, just try to get travel sized everything 201 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,000 as much as you can. 202 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:12,080 I know that when I was living essentially out of my backpack, 203 00:10:12,080 --> 00:10:16,020 I used to travel all the time with the travel size comb, 204 00:10:16,020 --> 00:10:19,620 travel sized hairspray, travel size dry shampoo. 205 00:10:19,620 --> 00:10:24,620 I even used to have a travel sized LED lamp for my nails. 206 00:10:24,620 --> 00:10:29,320 Which yeah, first world problems. 207 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:33,480 And I had a travel sized hair straightener slash curling iron. 208 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:38,480 So a two in one situation that I still even use to this day. 209 00:10:38,860 --> 00:10:42,820 I don't use a full sized hair straightener or curling iron. 210 00:10:42,820 --> 00:10:46,620 It just does the job and it has worked throughout the years. 211 00:10:46,620 --> 00:10:49,780 And this of course will help you save so much space 212 00:10:49,780 --> 00:10:52,340 while still giving you the access to the things 213 00:10:52,340 --> 00:10:54,940 that you regularly use and need. 214 00:10:54,940 --> 00:10:57,900 This next one is really important 215 00:10:57,900 --> 00:10:59,760 because you will thank yourself 216 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:01,300 if you're ever in a situation 217 00:11:01,300 --> 00:11:04,900 where you need to resort to this, which I hope you don't. 218 00:11:04,900 --> 00:11:08,380 In your carry on bag, please be sure 219 00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:12,980 to pack an additional set of clothes, a toothbrush, 220 00:11:12,980 --> 00:11:17,040 underwear, and of course all of your most valuable things 221 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:22,040 because in the rare event that your suitcase gets lost, 222 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:26,460 and you can't retrieve it immediately, 223 00:11:26,460 --> 00:11:30,580 you will definitely be in a not great situation 224 00:11:30,580 --> 00:11:33,780 if you don't have additional clothes with you. 225 00:11:33,780 --> 00:11:36,660 One of Marco's good friends in Germany 226 00:11:36,660 --> 00:11:40,860 is notorious for not doing this. 227 00:11:40,860 --> 00:11:44,260 He has a very, very good attitude about it, so it's okay. 228 00:11:44,260 --> 00:11:47,900 But I swear, every time he travels, 229 00:11:47,900 --> 00:11:51,340 he doesn't pack anything in his carry on 230 00:11:51,340 --> 00:11:55,700 and he almost always loses his suitcase 231 00:11:55,700 --> 00:11:58,540 in the process of traveling. 232 00:11:58,540 --> 00:12:00,060 I don't know how. 233 00:12:00,060 --> 00:12:05,060 I also have another friend who traveled from Russia to Serbia 234 00:12:05,260 --> 00:12:09,200 and did not see his suitcase for an entire month. 235 00:12:10,380 --> 00:12:12,220 I don't know how that happened either, 236 00:12:12,220 --> 00:12:15,580 but he didn't have any of his very important things with him, 237 00:12:15,580 --> 00:12:17,980 so he had to go shopping. 238 00:12:17,980 --> 00:12:20,400 And it's not a big deal if you have time, 239 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:21,820 but if you wanna save money 240 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:25,320 and you don't wanna go through that hassle, yeah. 241 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:28,800 Having some clothes with you is very, very helpful. 242 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,240 This next one seems very obvious, 243 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:35,860 but you would really be surprised 244 00:12:35,860 --> 00:12:38,680 at how many people do not do this. 245 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:40,900 You really need to make sure 246 00:12:40,900 --> 00:12:44,280 that you do enough research 247 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:47,520 about the place you're traveling to in advance. 248 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:50,820 From the way that people dress, for example, 249 00:12:50,820 --> 00:12:52,420 when I went to Columbia, 250 00:12:52,420 --> 00:12:56,200 I briefed myself in advance on how the girls dress, 251 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,000 and most girls wear jeans, 252 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,060 so I wasn't about to show up there 253 00:13:00,060 --> 00:13:03,180 in shorts looking like a tourist. 254 00:13:03,180 --> 00:13:04,620 The same goes with Europe. 255 00:13:04,620 --> 00:13:08,100 You don't wanna be that one tourist who is wearing shorts. 256 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:09,820 In a sea of pants, 257 00:13:09,820 --> 00:13:12,020 the do's and don'ts of every country, 258 00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:14,520 the driving rules, the eating etiquette, 259 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:16,600 how much daylight you'll have, 260 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,100 how quickly and normally the weather can change 261 00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:21,900 in a short period of time. 262 00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:25,700 So for example, Iceland, where we will be going, 263 00:13:25,700 --> 00:13:29,540 is notorious for having very quick changes to the weather, 264 00:13:29,540 --> 00:13:32,180 but we are very aware of that and we'll go prepared. 265 00:13:32,180 --> 00:13:33,620 What the language is, 266 00:13:33,620 --> 00:13:36,940 knowing a few words of the local language to be polite. 267 00:13:36,940 --> 00:13:40,060 If supermarkets are closed on Sundays, 268 00:13:40,060 --> 00:13:45,060 where in Germany, for example, they are closed on Sundays. 269 00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:48,020 So these sorts of details are very important 270 00:13:48,020 --> 00:13:49,140 for you to know, 271 00:13:49,140 --> 00:13:51,900 for you to not have as much of a culture shock 272 00:13:51,900 --> 00:13:54,580 when you show up and you don't have a clue 273 00:13:54,580 --> 00:13:56,940 if a supermarket is going to be open. 274 00:13:56,940 --> 00:13:58,300 It helps you a ton. 275 00:13:58,300 --> 00:14:00,100 If you're looking to save money 276 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:03,980 and you are in a place for a little bit of a longer time, 277 00:14:03,980 --> 00:14:06,380 you can definitely always save money 278 00:14:06,380 --> 00:14:09,780 by taking overnight sleeper trains 279 00:14:09,780 --> 00:14:13,340 or taking overnight buses where you can sleep. 280 00:14:13,340 --> 00:14:16,520 It's not the most comfortable, of course, 281 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:18,940 but in terms of saving not only money, 282 00:14:18,940 --> 00:14:23,500 but saving time in getting you to your next destination, 283 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:25,720 this is really a win-win. 284 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,800 I used to do this so many times when I was living in Europe 285 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:33,820 and buses became my most favorite form of transportation 286 00:14:33,820 --> 00:14:37,660 simply just because of how cheap and how far you could go 287 00:14:37,660 --> 00:14:40,960 in a short period of time when taking one overnight. 288 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:45,660 Make sure that you have the Google Translate app downloaded 289 00:14:45,660 --> 00:14:50,660 and on your phone before you get to wherever you're going. 290 00:14:50,900 --> 00:14:53,000 Not only that though, 291 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:57,540 make sure that you download the language of choice, 292 00:14:57,540 --> 00:15:01,660 so the language that you will be using in that given country. 293 00:15:01,660 --> 00:15:04,180 Make sure that you download that language 294 00:15:04,180 --> 00:15:06,940 on the Google Translate app in advance 295 00:15:06,940 --> 00:15:10,260 so that you can also use Google Translate offline 296 00:15:10,260 --> 00:15:13,020 and you don't have to have Wi-Fi or data 297 00:15:13,020 --> 00:15:14,380 to be able to use it. 298 00:15:14,380 --> 00:15:19,380 There have been times in the past when I did not do this 299 00:15:20,580 --> 00:15:24,140 and I had a lot of trouble communicating with people 300 00:15:24,140 --> 00:15:26,420 since I didn't have a translation app 301 00:15:26,420 --> 00:15:29,100 that was already downloaded and that worked 302 00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:32,140 in countries where I couldn't say much more than, 303 00:15:32,140 --> 00:15:34,200 hello, can you help me? 304 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:35,340 How are you? 305 00:15:35,340 --> 00:15:37,340 Goodbye, like the basics. 306 00:15:37,340 --> 00:15:40,500 You can also take advantage of the camera 307 00:15:40,500 --> 00:15:43,080 that comes with Google Translate. 308 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,060 Most commonly, when you are at a restaurant 309 00:15:46,060 --> 00:15:49,780 and you see a menu that is not in a language 310 00:15:49,780 --> 00:15:51,420 that you understand, 311 00:15:51,420 --> 00:15:54,660 you can easily just take a picture of the menu 312 00:15:54,660 --> 00:15:57,100 with your Google Translate camera 313 00:15:57,100 --> 00:15:59,900 and Google Translate will auto-populate 314 00:15:59,900 --> 00:16:01,860 the translation for you. 315 00:16:01,860 --> 00:16:04,860 Of course, like most things, it's not perfect, 316 00:16:04,860 --> 00:16:07,900 but you can get the gist of what a menu says. 317 00:16:07,900 --> 00:16:12,060 The same concept applies with Google Maps and Apple Maps, 318 00:16:12,060 --> 00:16:13,420 and this is really important 319 00:16:13,420 --> 00:16:17,900 if you are directionally challenged like me, 320 00:16:17,900 --> 00:16:21,500 be sure that you download a large area 321 00:16:21,500 --> 00:16:24,980 of the place that you will be staying at 322 00:16:24,980 --> 00:16:26,860 and the places you will be going to. 323 00:16:26,860 --> 00:16:29,580 Be sure that you download that area 324 00:16:29,580 --> 00:16:32,620 on Google Maps or Apple Maps in advance 325 00:16:32,620 --> 00:16:34,780 so that you can also access this 326 00:16:34,780 --> 00:16:39,020 with no internet, no wifi, none of that. 327 00:16:39,020 --> 00:16:43,820 You should also be sure to pin every location 328 00:16:43,820 --> 00:16:47,040 in that map or general area, 329 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,580 just the areas of interest 330 00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:51,700 that you would really like to see and stop at 331 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:55,100 if you happen to be driving or traveling 332 00:16:55,100 --> 00:16:58,060 and you wanna stop at that specific spot 333 00:16:58,060 --> 00:17:00,780 that you pinned in advance on your map. 334 00:17:00,780 --> 00:17:03,340 It's just very convenient to be able to know 335 00:17:03,340 --> 00:17:05,820 how close you are in a given moment 336 00:17:05,820 --> 00:17:08,700 to some extra places of interest. 337 00:17:08,700 --> 00:17:12,020 And this, in a sense, maximizes your time 338 00:17:12,020 --> 00:17:16,180 and also the amount of things and places that you can see. 339 00:17:16,180 --> 00:17:20,580 Make sure to have a fully charged power bank 340 00:17:20,580 --> 00:17:22,380 and a really good quality one 341 00:17:22,380 --> 00:17:25,340 that will charge your phone several times 342 00:17:25,340 --> 00:17:27,780 whenever you don't have access to plugs. 343 00:17:27,780 --> 00:17:30,400 This especially has been very useful 344 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,780 when I have traveled on planes that didn't have plugs 345 00:17:33,780 --> 00:17:35,900 or simply just when I was outdoors 346 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:39,220 and I used my phone for taking pictures and videos 347 00:17:39,220 --> 00:17:40,980 and I just needed to charge my phone. 348 00:17:40,980 --> 00:17:44,300 Make sure that you have a plug adapter, 349 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:48,660 if not more than one, as well as, if you need to, 350 00:17:48,660 --> 00:17:50,620 a voltage converter. 351 00:17:50,620 --> 00:17:54,500 If you use a hairdryer or you use a hair appliance, 352 00:17:54,500 --> 00:17:57,620 like a hair straightener, curling iron, whatever, 353 00:17:57,620 --> 00:18:00,540 you really, really need to make sure in advance 354 00:18:00,540 --> 00:18:04,480 that you have the proper voltage converter plug 355 00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,540 that you can use in your selected country. 356 00:18:07,540 --> 00:18:10,520 And this is extremely important 357 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,020 because if you try to use, let's say, 358 00:18:13,020 --> 00:18:16,860 an American hair appliance in a European plug, 359 00:18:16,860 --> 00:18:18,820 which produces higher voltage, 360 00:18:18,820 --> 00:18:20,860 more electricity and more power, 361 00:18:20,860 --> 00:18:23,140 then you really put your appliance at risk 362 00:18:23,140 --> 00:18:26,920 for frying up and getting damaged. 363 00:18:26,920 --> 00:18:28,340 And you don't want that. 364 00:18:28,340 --> 00:18:31,500 So I would personally recommend two plug adapters 365 00:18:31,500 --> 00:18:34,460 for being able to plug in and charge your phone 366 00:18:34,460 --> 00:18:38,460 and one voltage converter for heavier stuff. 367 00:18:38,460 --> 00:18:43,020 Better yet, you can also get one universal plug adapter 368 00:18:43,020 --> 00:18:46,780 with seven different types of outlets and plugs, 369 00:18:46,780 --> 00:18:49,940 along with USB ports that you can simply just use 370 00:18:49,940 --> 00:18:51,720 to charge everything at once. 371 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,220 That will make your life so much easier. 372 00:18:54,220 --> 00:18:56,820 It's also a little bit less to travel with. 373 00:18:56,820 --> 00:19:00,860 Always be sure to have a few coins on you, 374 00:19:00,860 --> 00:19:03,920 especially in Europe, so that when you need to go 375 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,700 and use the public toilet or the public WC, 376 00:19:07,700 --> 00:19:12,140 that you will be able to use it because you have coins. 377 00:19:12,140 --> 00:19:16,540 If you go to Northern Europe, so Scandinavia, Norway, 378 00:19:16,540 --> 00:19:18,980 Sweden, Finland, these countries, 379 00:19:18,980 --> 00:19:22,380 they all use credit cards, so you don't need coins there, 380 00:19:22,380 --> 00:19:25,460 but there are still many places in Europe, especially, 381 00:19:25,460 --> 00:19:29,620 that rely on coins and have not converted yet 382 00:19:29,620 --> 00:19:32,960 to the credit card system in public toilets. 383 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,100 Be sure to keep a journal or a written diary, 384 00:19:37,100 --> 00:19:39,660 whether it's on your phone, on your computer, 385 00:19:39,660 --> 00:19:41,340 or whatever else you want, 386 00:19:41,340 --> 00:19:46,140 and be sure to write about your experiences on your trip 387 00:19:46,140 --> 00:19:48,980 as you go along and you experience it all. 388 00:19:48,980 --> 00:19:51,980 Your future self will really thank you later 389 00:19:51,980 --> 00:19:55,120 because you'll really have a live account 390 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:58,740 of what you are feeling and experiencing 391 00:19:58,740 --> 00:20:01,040 in this given moment on your trip. 392 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,940 If keeping any sort of diary or written account 393 00:20:03,940 --> 00:20:07,460 is not your thing, then I would really still recommend 394 00:20:07,460 --> 00:20:11,180 that you take a lot of pictures, a lot of videos, 395 00:20:11,180 --> 00:20:15,140 try to make sure that you are in those photos and videos 396 00:20:15,140 --> 00:20:16,280 as much as possible, 397 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:19,140 because when you do look back on your trip as well, 398 00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:22,980 yes, you can see so many beautiful pictures of the landscape 399 00:20:22,980 --> 00:20:25,100 and that is important to do, 400 00:20:25,100 --> 00:20:28,140 but what I think will really touch you the most 401 00:20:28,140 --> 00:20:31,300 is seeing the pictures with you in them, 402 00:20:31,300 --> 00:20:33,500 you experiencing the landscape, 403 00:20:33,500 --> 00:20:37,120 not just the landscape being the landscape. 404 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:39,900 Befriending a local person 405 00:20:39,900 --> 00:20:42,700 in whatever place you're going to in advance 406 00:20:42,700 --> 00:20:47,700 is one of the most valuable, helpful, insightful things 407 00:20:47,940 --> 00:20:51,980 that you can do to really be a more informed 408 00:20:51,980 --> 00:20:54,940 and culturally engaged traveler 409 00:20:54,940 --> 00:20:57,500 when it comes to visiting any sort of country. 410 00:20:57,500 --> 00:21:01,120 This makes all the difference in the world. 411 00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:04,740 And if you are not able to go on social media 412 00:21:04,740 --> 00:21:08,900 and find somebody in whatever country you're traveling to, 413 00:21:08,900 --> 00:21:12,540 you can at least access blogs written by locals 414 00:21:12,540 --> 00:21:15,940 who give a lot of very personal recommendations 415 00:21:15,940 --> 00:21:19,140 on what to see and often mention details 416 00:21:19,140 --> 00:21:21,420 that most tourists overlook. 417 00:21:21,420 --> 00:21:25,420 Make sure that you take pictures of your passport, 418 00:21:25,420 --> 00:21:28,980 digital copies and keep them on your phone, 419 00:21:28,980 --> 00:21:30,860 keep them in your email, 420 00:21:30,860 --> 00:21:35,180 keep them somewhere and with someone who can access that 421 00:21:35,180 --> 00:21:38,700 in the event that you lose your passport. 422 00:21:38,700 --> 00:21:40,880 If you follow me on Instagram, 423 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:45,580 you will have seen this reel that I made some months ago 424 00:21:45,580 --> 00:21:48,260 of an experience that I had a couple of years ago 425 00:21:48,260 --> 00:21:49,700 in Toronto, Canada, 426 00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:54,100 where I almost lost my passport in the snow 427 00:21:54,100 --> 00:21:55,340 in downtown Toronto. 428 00:21:55,340 --> 00:21:58,240 And had I lost my passport, 429 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:02,020 I would have been very screwed because I did not do this 430 00:22:02,020 --> 00:22:05,020 and I didn't take pictures of my passport 431 00:22:05,020 --> 00:22:08,460 to have somewhere that will really bite you in the ass 432 00:22:08,460 --> 00:22:09,960 if you are not prepared. 433 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:13,500 I really hope that you took some new tips from this episode 434 00:22:13,500 --> 00:22:15,980 and that you can apply them to your next trip. 435 00:22:15,980 --> 00:22:18,460 Thank you so much for listening 436 00:22:18,460 --> 00:22:21,100 if you are still here up to this point. 437 00:22:21,100 --> 00:22:23,180 I look forward to seeing you soon 438 00:22:23,180 --> 00:22:40,420 and I hope that you have a really great rest of your week.