Common Tourist Scams

One of my favorite stories about being abroad is the time I got pick pocketed in Prague. Basically this girl was trying to talk to me in Czech and next thing I knew, my phone was no longer in my pocket.  Now I may have been a few adult beverages in at that point but I quickly knew something wasn't right and was able to get my phone back.  

Unfortunately one of the things you will likely have to deal with whilst travelling is avoiding scams.  I've come up with a combination of personal experience and things I've read online of common tourist scams around the world.  A lot of the European ones happen in multiple countries, pick pocketing being the main thing to look out for. Of course you should always be aware whilst travelling but still try and enjoy yourself and don't be overly paranoid.

Paris, France

The Petition: This one can happen in a few ways.  The simplest is someone will approach you asking to sign a petition.  They will make sure their clipboard is blocking your view from looking down whilst a partner walks by and pickpockets you.  The petition isn't actually for anything.  Tried to me.

The other version is someone claims to be deaf/blind/mute and their petition basically says (in French) you will pay them by signing the paper.  Saw it happen.

Kids: This happened to me multiple times within my 24 hour stay in Paris (luckily nothing was stolen). Basically a large group of kids all of a sudden swarm making lots of noise and try to steal from your pockets.  It's amazing how quick those kids are.

Dropped Ring:  Basically a stranger approaches a couple and says one of the pair dropped an expensive looking ring.  Obviously the couple will say the ring is not theirs but the stranger will give it to them anyway. Time to pay up.  Read about this online.  Apparently it's very common.

Bracelet:  Scammer asks if the victim wants a friendship bracelet and no matter the answer will tie cloth or plastic wristband very tightly around the wrist.  Since it's on so tight and can't be removed, money is demanded. Read about online.

Extra Hotel Charges:  I imagine this happens everywhere but I received a massive charge from the hotel I stayed at because they claimed we cleared out the mini fridge.  I don't think we even opened the fridge.  I got my money back after threatening to contact the credit card company.

Barcelona, Spain

Street Games:  These seemed to pop up and suddenly disappear everywhere on La Rambla. The games usually consist of find the 'something' under three cups and win money. It's always rigged and you will not win.  The main person has others in on the scam posing as players who may "win" and pretend to be audience members, cheering people on.  Even if you don't play, you are prime pickpocket target by watching.  Saw it happen.

Dancing Puppets:  There's a lot of people on smaller streets selling paper cutouts, usually in the form of a popular cartoon character.  The cutouts seem to be magically dancing to music.  Nope.  There's a hidden string making the characters move to the music.  Saw it happen.

Public Transit:  Pickpockets love the trains.  They get on when a cart is full and place themselves right next to the door.  After a quick slip of the hand, they run out at the next stop as the doors close.  Saw it happen.

Pigeon Poo: The scammer tells you a pigeon pooped on you.  Luckily they happen to have water and paper towels ready to go.  While scrubbing the nonexistent stain, your wallet goes missing.  Read about online.

Italy

Train Ticket Help: This was fascinating to watch.  While waiting for our number to be called to buy tickets, my sister and I saw three guys clearly trying to scam people.  One was at the automatic ticket machine appearing to help tourists buy tickets so they wouldn't have to wait in line. There were two other guys closely watching everything and observing where wallets were being kept once it came time for the tourist to pay.

Thailand

Paying for Friends: This one is popular in many places.  The scammer will approach a lone tourist, befriend them, and want to go for drinks.  They take you to a bar/club and order drinks that cost an exorbitant amount of money without you knowing (the business is in on the scam). Sometimes the scammer will simply leave before the bill arrives or "pay" for half, leaving you with the other.  If you refuse to pay, some very large bouncers will escort you to the nearest ATM.  Read about online.

Everything is Closed:  Cabbies will tell a passenger the place they want to go to is closed (it's not). Instead, they offer to take you to their friend's store so you will spend money there instead.  Read about online.

Not Using the Meter:  Also involving cabs, the driver will quote a price and not use the meter.  This always results in paying substantially more.  Always use the meter (or an Uber which is way cheaper).  Read about online.

Hollywood, USA 

Free CD:  Want to be "music artists" hang out on Hollywood Boulevard and either get you to listen to their new demo CD and then give you a copy or just hand you a copy straight out. It seems to be free until they demand money for it.  Needless to say what is on the demo is probably not worth the $20 they want. Apparently many times the CDs they give are actually blank.  I had a CD shoved in my hands, quickly tried to give it back, and the person was not happy.  If I recall I actually had to throw it in with the rest because he wouldn't take it back.

Characters: Not so much a scam but just be aware those mildly creepy people dressed up as superheros will want money if you take pictures of/with them.

New York City, USA

Buying tickets on the street: Especially around Times Square, people will approach you offering very cheap tickets to some sort of show.  Although some are probably legit, the scammers will lie about what the ticket includes.  Someone unsuccessfully tried to sell me tickets to a comedy show after lying about the headliner.  The guy also called the theatre where the show was supposed to be and had me talk to a guy who in no way shape or form sounded like he worked at a comedy club.

What's the best way to avoid scams?  Unfortunately the easiest way is to be a little rude to strangers. Especially in Europe, most people who start a conversation with "do you speak English" is going to scam you.  Also, always keep an eye on your belongings and never put anything valuable in your pockets.  If you want to learn some more,  Scam City is a fun show where the host purposefully gets scammed.  It's quite interesting.

- - - - -

In other news:

• The Olympics are great
• Rock climbing will be in the Olympics for Tokyo 2020!
• I'm going to Cairns in Queensland at the end of the month to swim on the Great Barrier Reef and do other tbd things

That's all for now.  Bye.

So you Want to Work in Australia?

Have you ever had the inkling to travel and work in Australia for a year?  Here's some info on how to do just that:

First thing is to distinguish the two types of working/holiday visas.  The first is called the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417) which is what people from Canada and most of Europe and Asia can apply for.  This visa is good for one year with the option to renew for a second. In order to get the second year, you have to do at least three months of work in regional Australia (basically farm work).

The Work and Holiday Visa (subclass 462) is for people from the US and other countries scattered around. This visa is good for one year and does not allow for a second year renewal.  

With the exception of the second year renewal, both visas are the exact same.  As of date, they each cost $440 AUD.

You have to be at least 18 but younger than 31 to apply for either visa.  You must be able to prove you have access to at least $5000 AUD on arrival, although I wasn't checked and have never heard of anyone being checked. That said, Australia is expensive and if you can't find a job, $5000 AUD is not going to last long so it's a good idea to have the money.  If coming from the US, you must have graduated high school.  Other countries require a university degree.  There's also a "good character" requirement which basically means you can't have any kind of criminal record.

When I applied for my WaHV, after completing the application, it took about 45 minutes to be approved. From the time it gets accepted, you have one year to enter Australia which essentially activates the visa. Once you enter the country, the visa is good for one year from the date of arrival.  For US citizens, the visa is all done electronically so no visa page needs to be added to your passport.

Once the visa is approved, you'll want to look at flights.  If you intend to be in Australia for the entire length of the visa, getting a one way ticket will give you more flexibility on a leave date and you'll have some extra money.  Thinking about what time of year you want to arrive is important.  I knew I wanted to find work soon after I arrived and so I chose November. This is around the time Christmas casuals get hired (although I played around for about a month and by that time everyone had already gotten the jobs).  The start of the year is another good time to arrive as a lot of businesses will be looking for new staff. 

Speaking of job searching, let's clear something up.  When I was doing all of my research before coming to Australia, almost everything I read made it sound like you can walk into any cafe and be hired on the spot. This is not true...at all.  I applied to job after job and didn't even get rejection letters from companies.  Most just never responded.  I tried going into places and also applying online and nothing came of it.  Whilst I was staying in the hostel, almost everyone there on a working visa was having the same struggle as me.  This is coming from Adelaide as well.  If you were to base yourself in Sydney or Melbourne, there's a lot more people and competition for jobs is even higher.  On top of that, it makes more sense for an owner to hire a local who will stick around.  Backpackers have the reputation of quickly leaving without notice which isn't the best for a business.  Yes, it is possible to find work but you need to have experience, a little luck, and not go in thinking it will be a breeze which I kind of did.

After the visa is approved, here are some logistical things you'll need to get sorted once you arrive in Australia:

• Tax File Number: This is sort of the equivalent of a US social security number.  It's mainly used for tax purposes.  You have to be in Australia to apply for one and they only send it to you via snail mail. Because of this, you'll need an address they can send it to.  I was able to use a friend's address but I've heard people can put down a hostel's address (where you'll likely start out in) if they ask permission beforehand.  This isn't something you have to do but if you don't provide a tax file number to an employer within 30 days, you get taxed almost 50%.  That's a lot of money.

*A note on taxes:  There's a new law likely coming into effect next year that will require all people on a WHV/WaHV to be taxed 32.5% of every dollar earned.  That's a lot of money and there's really no way around it (legally).  Until that happens, people on WHV/WaHV are considered residents for tax purposes which means they qualify for the tax free threshold. That means you can claim back all your tax payments if you make under $18,200/year.

• Mobile Phone:  If applying for jobs, you're going to need a mobile number.  I've written about using your phone abroad previously and getting a local SIM card is the cheapest.  After doing some comparisons, I went with Amaysim which runs on the Optus network here in Australia.  It's great if you stay in the big cities but won't cover you that well if you're in the middle of the Outback.  Amaysim is cheap and you get a lot with it so I highly recommend.  Telstra was my second choice.
• Living Situation:  Unless you already know someone in Australia, chances are you'll start your experience in a hostel.  Hostels are fine for a while but they get old fast. Once you've found a city/town you want to base yourself in, start looking for share houses.  Gumtree and Flatmates were the two I had success with.  Staying in a house share will be cheaper and more comfortable than long term in a hostel.
• Finding a Job:  You can actually start this process before arriving but a lot of jobs in the hospitality industry (which is likely your best option) do trials in lieu of interviews. You obviously need to be in the country to do a trial shift.  Gumtree, Indeed, and Seek, are all sites I found job listings.  Be warned of "backpacker" jobs.  Almost all of them are commission based with you harassing people in the streets to buy/sign up for something.  Going into establishments to hand in resumes isn't a bad idea for small/local places but most businesses only take applications online.
• Certifications: Australians love their certifications.  A big one to consider if you think you'll be getting a job that involves serving alcohol is a Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA).  This can be done online before arriving and will make you look better over someone who doesn't have one.  If I remember correctly, New South Wales has different requirements so that would be a good thing to look into if you might be working in Sydney.
• Open a Bank Account:  You'll need to put all that money you make somewhere. There's lots of options for banks but I found NAB to be the best.  They don't charge for opening accounts and have very minimal fees on things.

I think that's most of the main things you'll need to do.  Yes, it is a fair amount but it's entirely worth it.  If you've ever thought about doing a working holiday visa in Australia, do it!  I can't recommend it enough.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Cheap Airfare "Hack"

I've said it numerous times on this blog: Airfare is one of the most expensive things about travelling.  Because of this, people are always trying to figure out a way to score cheaper airplane tickets.  

Some of the most common money saving tips people give are to book tickets: 

• at a certain time of day
• on certain days of the week 
• buying 2 one way flights instead of a return
• after clearing your browser history/cookies/cache
• after masking your IP address to make it seem like you live in another country

To put it short and simple, all of these aren't true/worth the hassle.

I decided to do a little bit of...let's call it a scientific inquiry...about the last airfare "hack" on the above list. In case you aren't familiar with it, there is a theory that if you can change the IP address of your computer so it shows you're from a different country than you actually are, you'll get cheaper airfare.  The reasoning behind this is that it's believed people who live in wealthier countries are charged more since they could hypothetically afford it.  For example, if you make your computer show you're from Malawi, the poorest country in the world, the airline won't charge you as much even if you're sitting in your mansion in Luxembourg.

I've been thinking a little more recently about heading to Cairns in Queensland to go swimming at the Great Barrier Reef.  For fun, I wanted to see if I could actually get cheaper flights by changing my location.  Before I did the search, I cleared my history, cache, cookies, and everything else you can delete on an internet browser. I also went into Chrome's "incognito" mode to help even more.

I then did the control search using Skyscanner, hypothetically flying from Adelaide to Cairns on some random dates in July.

The cheapest return flights were for $431 AUD.

I then repeated the whole process of clearing everything on my browser and going incognito.  This time I used an extension on Chrome to mask my IP address which would trick any website into thinking I was from a different country.  I first chose the USA.

After changing the currency back to AUD, identical results came up.  Return flights for $431 on the same dates as the original search.

Next up I did the same process yet again but changed my location to the United Kingdom.

Once again, $431 AUD.

Repeated again with Singapore.

Same result. 

And finally with the Netherlands.

Yet again, the same thing.

Now if I really wanted to look into this more, I would have paid for the more advanced version of the Chrome extension to appear to be from some much poorer places but I'm trying to save money to buy a flight, not spend it. Based on this short little experiment, it's pretty clear that changing your location doesn't make a difference.  Because I had nothing to do last night, I tried this a few more times using different locations and got the same results.

That said, there is some truth to this myth.  There are stories about people pulling this off, mainly using Chile as their home location.  However, when they go to check in at the airport, there is a red flag on their ticket saying they paid much less than they should have.  Meaning while this trick will occasionally work if you get really lucky, it will have been a waste of time when you get to the airport and have to make up the fare difference (which would likely cost you more than if you had bought the ticket normally at the time of purchase).

Myth busted.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Tipping in the USA

This one's for the Aussies.

Being a foreigner in Australia, I get asked a fair few questions about how things work in the US. One of the most popular questions involves tipping.  There is no tipping in Australia.  Growing up with it, tipping is not something I think about whilst in the states; it's just something you do.  It wasn't until my last year of university when I went out with people from Australia and saw they really had no idea how much money to leave/when they should do so that I realized tipping really is a confusing thing.  

To start things off, yes, tipping is expected in a lot of situations in the United States.  There is no formal penalty for not leaving a tip but it's highly frowned upon and you will for sure be hated by the person who provided you the service.  You'll also appear really cheap.  If you're not going to tip, you should not be going to a place where tipping is customary. Being from a different country is not an excuse to forgo tipping.

Where/who are you supposed to tip
The general rule is anyone who provides you a direct service should be tipped. 

Who/common places where you tip:

• Servers at sit-down restaurants
• Bartenders
• Bellhops
• Taxi drivers
• Shuttle Drivers
• Guides (tour, outdoor, etc.)
• Tattoo artists
• Food delivery drivers
• Movers

Who/common places where you do not tip:

• Fast food/coffee/take away (there may be a jar that says "tips" which you can drop spare coins into but it's definitely not expected)
• Fuel pump attendants (only a New Jersey and Oregon thing)
• Grocery/retail stores
• Package deliveries

Who/common places where you could tip but don't "have to":

• Hairdressers
• Housekeeping at hotels
• Repairman
• Postman (during the holidays)

How much do are you supposed to tip?  

This really depends on the service provided to you.  Since restaurants are the most common, let's use them as an example.

What seem to be the most accepted guidelines for tip amounts are:

Incredibly exceptional service: 20% of the total bill 

Good service: 15% of the total bill

Not good service: 10% of the total bill

Terrible service: the only time it's sort of acceptable to not leave anything (some people will leave $0.01 as a bit of a slap in the face)

It's customary at bars to tip $1 per drink.  If it's a fancy cocktail, $2.

*Pro-tip: To figure out 20%, double the bill total and move the decimal over 1 place to the left.  Adjust from there.

How do you leave the tip?  

If you're paying with card, the receipt will have a line where you write in how much you want to give the server or there will be an option on the screen if no receipt is printed (e.g. iPad point of sale).  You then add the tip amount with the bill amount and write the total.  If paying in cash, there are 2 ways.  You can give the server an amount greater than the bill and tell them to "keep the change" or you can leave the tip on the table after the server has processed your payment.

What's the deal with tipping?  

Why has this become the norm in the states?  Well unfortunately the main reason is a lot of people don't get paid enough money to live and these employees rely on tips to buy food and pay rent for the month.  In some states, servers are paid roughly $2-3 per hour.  If they don't get tips, there is no chance they could make any sort of living wage. There's a law that says if these people don't make at least minimum wage in tips per hour, the employer must meet the federal minimum wage.  However, apparently if a boss has to do that, they often times will punish an employee by cutting their future shifts.  How this system is legal, I have no idea.

- - - - -

Game of Thrones season 6 starts tomorrow.  Get psyched.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Minimum Wage

Forewarning: This has the potential to be controversial so if you don't like hearing opinions that don't adhere to your own, you might want to stop reading.

If you want the TL:DR (too long, didn't read), minimum wage in the US is grossly under what it needs to be and I have yet to find a valid, logical point in favor of not significantly raising the minimum wage.

I have almost always felt that minimum wage in the US was insultingly low and now that I have lived and gotten paid in a place where it is justifiably high, I'd say I have the qualifications to speak on the issue.  The easiest way to lay this discussion out is to simply provide some arguments I've found online/heard in person against raising the minimum wage and disputing them.

For some background info, the national minimum wage in Australia is $17.29 per hour.  The federal minimum wage in the United States is $7.25 per hour.  On the most basic level, this means people in Australia get paid roughly 2.4 times the amount of people in the US per hour.

A few arguments opposing raising the minimum wage:

It Would Result In Job Loss

What a good argument to start with.  First off, this has been proven not true.  The reason being, if people have more money to spend, they're going to spend it.  With more money being spent, more people are needed to provide the higher demand for goods and services, thus potentially even increasing jobs [I address people spending more money a bit later].

It Would Hurt Low-Skilled/Young Workers

The argument here is that with a higher minimum wage, younger people will not get hired since they are less experienced and managers will not want to pay them high wages.  Once again, Australia has the perfect solution:  vary pay rates based on age.  In Australia, everyone over 21 gets paid at least the minimum wage and those younger get paid less depending on how old they are.  This actually makes hiring young people more appealing because businesses don't have to pay them as much.  

This model also rewards people who do have experience.  A business can hire a low skilled worker with little to no work history and not pay them as high or they can spend some more money on hiring someone who has more knowledge.  It's sort of like buying a product.  You can spend less money and get a lower quality product or spend a little more and get something better.  Comparing hiring people to buying products probably isn't the best analogy but hopefully you get what I'm trying to say.

It Would Have Little Effect On Reducing Poverty

This can't seriously be an argument.  Since this is my blog, I'm going to use myself as an example.  I got paid well above the national minimum wage at the last job I had in the US, earning $10.25/hour (Oregon minimum wage is $9.25/hour).  Let's say I work a 30 hour week.  After taxes, my average paycheck was around $540 for 2 weeks (about 60 hours) work. Looking at rent prices in Portland, the average apartment is $1450 for a 2 bedroom, or $725 per person per month.  I got 2 paychecks per month totaling around $1080.  My student loan payments per month are around $230.  Living off a higher than minimum wage rate, after paying loans and rent, I would have $125 per month to pay for things like utility bills and food.  $125 for an entire month.   That is insane.  And this is coming from a single person who doesn't have to support anyone, doesn't own a car, and is still able to be on my parents insurance (don't even get me started on healthcare costs).  Think about someone who has another person they need to financially support.  I honestly have no idea how they would do it.

Now let's look at the same situation but going off minimum wage in Australia.  Because I know it might get brought up, I did the AUD to USD conversions to prove that it's still substantially more getting paid even in a weak foreign currency (just imagine getting paid $17.29 in USD).  Using the same scenario as above, a paycheck for 2 weeks worth of work after taxes is roughly $1040.  That brings the monthly income to $2080 ($1558.75 USD). After rent and loan payments, that would leave me with $1125 ($843 USD) in disposable income.  $1125 ($843 USD) versus $125.  If someone can explain to me how having $1000 (~$750 USD) more per month would have little effect on reducing poverty, I would love to hear it.  Not only could it help get people out of poverty, they should also be able to build a savings.

It May Result In Higher Prices For Consumers

Well yeah, sure, there's really no arguing this one.  Of course prices will likely go up (although there's a great argument that it will hardly be noticeable due to a savings in high staff turnover costs).  Australia has one of the highest costs of living in the world.  That said, when you're making about $140 for an 8 hour shift as opposed to $58, higher prices don't really matter.  Yes, the McDonald's $1 menu will likely become the $2 and you will have to pay a little bit more when you go shopping.  When you get paid so much money this doesn't matter!  I still get sticker shock getting groceries in Australia but then I look at how much is left in my account and instantly forget about it.  In the US, the service industry, more specifically waitresses/waiters, gets brought up a lot because of tipping practises.  With a higher minimum wage, tipping will no longer be necessary thus potentially reducing the overall costs of things like eating out to the consumer.

Flipping burgers doesn't deserve to get paid more

Okay, deep breaths.  This could be a really long and complex answer so I'll try and condense. Let's start with people saying "it's not a real job."  If you genuinely think this, you have never worked in the service/food industry.  These people deal with way more than you likely do sitting in your office all day and earn a fraction of the pay.  And then let's get into what a "real job" is.  I'm guessing the thinking of a real job is one where you get paid salary.  But how does one get a salaried job?  In this day and age, the main way is to get a bachelors degree.  A bachelor's at an in-state college costs, on average, $25,000 in the US per year. For a 4 year degree, that's $100,000.  Good luck finding the money for that if you aren't fortunate enough to have a family at least in the middle class.  Yes, it can be done, but it is by no means easy (I won't even get started on the non-financial aspects of attending university with having a family considered working class). Therefor, for some people, it's unrealistic to assume they can get one of these "real jobs."  If you use this argument, you're basically saying you don't deserve to have a decent living wage because you couldn't go to university for one reason or another.  That actually makes me feel a little sick.

Since I just mentioned it, let's talk about college degrees for a second.  Earning a bachelor's nowadays is essentially like getting your diploma in the past; it doesn't mean much since everyone is getting one.  Out of all of my friends from both high school and uni, I believe maybe 2 got "real jobs" right out of school.  The rest of us got low paying work just so we could afford to begin to pay off student loans and had to move back in with parents (I could also talk about loan repayments in Australia vs. the US but won't).  Yes, the majority of my friends would have loved to get a "real job" but it's not that easy. Entry level positions, jobs designed to get one into an industry, now require 2-3 years experience.  How is it possible to get 2-3 years experience for an entry level job if you can't get a job to earn it?  According to that logic, it is virtually impossible to be qualified for an entry level position.

That was a bit of a tangent from the topic at hand but basically those people who "flip burgers" could easily have a university degree but are unable to get other jobs for a number of reasons.  In fact, about 37% of minimum wage workers hold university degrees. 

And finally, if you think people who flip burgers don't deserve to be paid more, do it yourself.

Small business will go out of business

Seriously?  If you're a business owner and your business model is to pay your staff as little as possible, you need to reconsider your thinking.  Your employees are the ones allowing you to run a business.  Without them, you have no business.  Also, the only people I could find arguing this are CEOs of massive corporations.  In fact, smaller businesses tend to already pay their employees more than minimum wage anyway.


One of the only potential downsides I can see to having such a high minimum wage is it seems some people don't manage their money as well.  I've seen a lot of people here spend a lot of money very quickly because they can make it back just as fast.  That said, as I pointed out in the first point, it's good people are spending more because it helps support jobs.  Also, I've heard from multiple people around my age here in Australia they are thinking about buying their first homes fairly soon.  Doing that at my age, let alone any age, on a US wage is pretty much impossible.

Let me know your thoughts and have a good week.

That's all for now.  Bye.

Travelling: Planning A Trip Part 2

Here's part 2 of planning a trip.  Once again, this turned out to be very long so I cut it down as much as I could.  If you missed part 1, here it is.

Before You Go:

Packing

Clothes ~ This is going to greatly differ depending on if you're going abroad or staying in country.  Let's say you're going international.  Assuming you did research on the country you're going to beforehand, what will the weather be like when you're there?  If it's a place that is hot year round, bringing a heavy jacket is not necessary.  If it's winter time and the temperatures average out to be freezing, you probably won't need shorts and thongs.  Especially with international travel, a lot of people tend to over pack.  A wise piece of advice I was given before going to Ireland was to lay out all the clothes you think you'll need and only pack about half of them.  This also depends on the type of travelling you're doing.  If you're doing the backpacker thing for weeks or months at a time, less is more.  If you're going on vacation to a resort, you could pack a little extra (but try and leave space for bringing back souvenirs).  In both situations, be aware that you have to carry whatever you bring.  A good clothes packing list includes (of course this also depends on what you'll be doing): 

• 2-3 pairs of pants                
• 3-4 shirts
• Nicer outfit for special occasion    
• Socks 
• Underwear
• 1 pair of everyday shoes and possibly 1 other for nicer occasions
• If staying in hostels, shower thongs and a microfiber towel will make life easier

Packing Sucks

Toiletries ~ If coming from the US, it makes life a lot easier to simply put any liquids into a checked bag otherwise you'll have to take size restrictions into account and deal with taking them out at security.  You don't need to pack every little toiletry you think you may need.  Especially if you're going to a fairly well established country, everything you can buy in your home country will be available at your trip location.  When it comes to smaller bathroom appliances like hair dryers, there's a high chance it won't work in the new country anyways so might as well save some space and buy a local one if you can't live without. 

*Side note, pack nail clippers.

Medication is another thing to be aware of and I'm going to throw it into the toiletries category.  Restrictions vary country to country but to make things simple, if it's not essential, don't bring it.  Any drug must be kept in its original container/packaging, only the necessary amount for the length of the trip should be brought, and although not always required, a doctor's note/prescription should accompany any medicine just in case. Nothing screams "drug smuggler" to boarder security as much as large amount of pills in an unlabeled Ziploc bag.  It's important to declare medicine (if required) before going through customs.

Outlet/Power Adapters ~ Outlet adapters are a must if travelling abroad.  Different countries have different electrical sockets and an adapter is likely needed to be able to plug in home electronics.  This is an easy thing to figure out by doing a quick Google search of "outlet adapter for country."  Adapters can be bought online or in store.  The cheapest ones I found were on Amazon.  You only need 1 or 2 of these unless you plan on bringing heaps of electronics.  To save some space/money, remember that if you bring a computer, you can charge many electronics via the computer's USB ports which means you won't need as many plug adapters.  Another thing that makes life a lot easier (and if you have the luggage space) is to bring a power strip from your home country.  That way you'll only need 1 adapter and can plug in your electronics like normal.  

USA to Australia Plug Adapter

On the topic of adapters, you likely are not going to need a voltage converter.  Yes, an adapter is different than a converter.  The voltage strength of outlets differs between countries which means electronics from your home country will likely not be powered correctly without a converter.  This is what causes things like hairdryers to "fry."  The good news is most electronics nowadays that require charging come with a built in power converter.  You know that little white thing for your iPhone you plug into the wall/USB to charge your phone?  That's a power converter  The brick looking thing on your laptop charger?  Also a power converter.  If you have an electronic that you think already has a power converter, look at the writing on it.  It will likely say something along the lines of "Input: 100-240V."  That means it can take any voltage between 100 and 240 volts which, I believe, covers every country in the world that uses electricity.  No converter needed.

Laptop Power Converter

Laptop ~ A laptop is by no means necessary but it sure can make things easier.  Between backing up pictures, looking up directions, and staying in touch with people, I like having access to a laptop.  Although I love it, my normal laptop is a massive Dell and I'm pretty sure it weighs about 30 pounds.  That might be a slight exaggeration but it is very heavy.  Before coming to Australia for the second time, I discovered the wonders of the Chromebook.  A Chromebook is essentially a very cheap laptop that is mainly used for the internet.  I could go on and on about Chromebooks and why you should/shouldn't get one but I can't recommend a Chromebook enough for travel purposes.  I have the Acer CB3-111.

Logistics

Tell Your Bank

A very important thing to remember is letting your bank know you're going abroad.  If you all of a sudden start trying to use your credit/debit card in, say, Switzerland, your bank is almost for sure going to freeze your account and reversing it can be a pain.  All you have to do is call your bank and tell them your travel dates and where you'll be going and they'll put a note on your account.  Some banks let you do this online.

Make Some Copies

One of my worst fears traveling is losing my passport or bank cards.  Although there's no way to entirely prevent this from happening, if you make copies of your cards/passport, it will make things a lot easier if the unfortunate happens.  I carry a copy of my passport in a separate bag from the original and give my parents copies of my bank cards.

Cell Phone

Alright.  Let's chat about cell phones, more specially smart phones.  There are some very cheap/free ways to use your phone abroad and some very expensive ways to do so.  

The most expensive and, for lack of a better word, stupidest way is to simply use your phone as normal (assuming it has roaming capabilities). Do not do this.  You will have a heart attack when you see your bill. It's pretty easy to find stories online of people being ignorant about travelling with their phone and racking up tens of thousands of dollars in cell phone bills because of it.

The free way is to simply turn your phone to airplane mode and keep it there for the length of your trip. This way you can still connect to WiFi (meaning you can use the internet/apps) and won't get charges from your phone company (this is what I did in Ireland).  Of course with airplane mode turned on, you won't be able to send text messages, call people, or use data.  However, there are numerous apps that run off WiFi and allow you to do these things. My favorites are Viber, which lets you call and text others with it, and Messenger which lets you video call/voice call/message people with Facebook.  Other popular options are Whatsapp and Skype. If you have an iPhone, you can still send iMessages and use FaceTime as long as you're connected to the internet.  Another potential downside to relying on WiFi is not being able to use map functions while out and about.  There are some apps that will work offline and provide you with maps.  I haven't used any but have heard good things about PocketEarth.  While talking about offline apps, Word Lens is great for travelling in a country with a different language.  You take a picture of a sign/menu and it will translate it to another language (I just checked my phone and apparently Word Lens is no longer a thing and has been replaced by the Google Translate app).

If you still want/need to be able to use a phone as normal, you're going to want a local, prepaid, SIM card. First, you'll need to unlock your phone.  An unlocked phone allows you to put any SIM into your phone whereas a locked phone won't accept any SIM card besides the carrier's.  At least in the US, this can be a bit of a hassle.  Most companies won't allow you to unlock a phone until the contract terms are up.  If you are able to get an unlocked phone, take it to your destination, buy a local SIM card, and insert into your phone. Bam. Your phone will work just like it did in your home country.  In terms of what SIM card to get, that could be a whole post in itself.  To keep it short, I'll just say do some Googling about best prepaid SIM cards in whatever country you're visiting.  I only pay about $23/month and have 2GB of data and unlimited calling and texting using Amaysim here in Australia.

If you don't want to deal with getting a local SIM card but still want to save money, many phone companies have international plans.  These are going to save you a lot as opposed to roaming but they can still be expensive.  All you have to do is let the phone company know and they can get you set up, if available. The cost will depend on your phone carrier.

Print Out Your Details

Not an essential step but printing or writing out details such as your accommodation address, directions, transportation confirmations/itinerary, and anything else you may need in the travelling process may be beneficial.  For example, on a lot of incoming passenger cards you're asked for your local address.  Having this handy will prove helpful.

Final Steps:

Educate Yourself

Now that the big things are dealt with, try and learn a little more about the place you'll be going!  Find out more about the history.  Figure out some local social norms/etiquette (I always look up how tipping works).  If going to a place where they speak a different language, learn the basics like "please" and "thank you."  In my experience, little things like these not only help you but it makes the locals appreciate you more.

Especially if you come from a country that has a heavy influence around the world (e.g. the US), try and brush up on your home country as well.  Chances are very high someone will ask you about your country's governmental policies or history and it doesn't look very good when you have no idea yourself.

Double Check 

A few days before you head off, double check everything!  Make sure flights, ground transport, accommodation, visa status, and anything else you've already booked is good to go.  It would be a bit of a bummer to find out your flight was moved up 2 hours or your hotel booking never actually went through the day you leave.  It never hurts to print off boarding passes at this time, too.  Also, make sure you have your passport.

Enjoy the Trip

That's it!  All of that work is done and now the only thing left to do is relax and enjoy your upcoming adventure.

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Wow that was long.  I've got some good updates but those can wait until next time. Have a good week!

That's all for now.  Bye.

Travelling: Planning A Trip Part 1

Trip planning.  Some people love it, some people hate it.  It seems like those who aren't huge fans of planning trips just don't really know where to start.   I could probably write an entire book on this so will be greatly condensing and splitting this into two parts.

The basics:

Figure out where/when you're going

This is probably the most important thing in planning a trip.  If you don't have a place to go, you're not going to be taking a trip.  Do you want to stay in your home country or venture internationally?  Domestic travel is likely going to be easier but I would do international travel over domestic any day.  If you have no ideas but want to go somewhere, ask around! When I made the decision to study abroad, I had no idea where I wanted to go.  After asking some people, I settled on Dublin which turned out to be a perfect fit.

Part of figuring out where you want to go is knowing when you would like to be there.  Take into account local seasons, when other people will likely be travelling, and major holidays.

Get a Visa? (for international travel)

This should be the first thing you look into once you figure out where you want to go.  A visa is basically an approval of the country you're going to allowing you to be there.  Many places require visas and many do not. Some do what's called a "visa on arrival" where, as the name suggests, you get a visa at the airport when you arrive, whereas some countries require you to apply beforehand.  

How do you know if you need a visa?  If you're from the US, the government made this neat website.  Right now the US passport along with the UK passport are the most "powerful" passports in the world, allowing entry to 147 countries without a visa. Some visas take a long time to get whereas others are almost instant so make sure to apply for the visa well in advanced.    

Make sure you don't book flights/accommodation before your visa is approved.  If for some reason it's denied, you will have spent a lot of money for nothing.  It's pretty rare but I've read a few stories of people booking flights and then having their visa denied and being unable to get a refund.

Accommodation

For me, figuring out where I"m staying is step 3.  If you buy plane tickets and then find out every hostel/hotel is booked, you're in for a bad time.  If you're like me and got paid just above US minimum wage, hostels will be your best friend.  There's a bunch of different hostel booking sites but my go to is Hostelworld.

If you aren't so much about the hostel life, I have used Hotwire with good result. While in New York, we were able to stay in Times Square for a very reasonable price using Hotwire.  The only catch is you don't know exactly what/where the hotel is.  They show you once you purchase but this could be a deterrent for some. Although I haven't used it, Airbnb has become popular as another cheaper accommodation option.

Transportation

One of the biggest costs of travelling is likely going to be transportation.  Planes, trains, and automobiles (and boats) are all at your disposal but for purposes of keeping this from turning into a novel, let's assume you're flying.  You're going to want to use a flight comparison site.  A lot of people swear by Kayak but I'm not a huge fan.  I never find the lowest prices.  My go to is Skyscanner.  Keep in mind some airlines don't advertise their flights on comparison sites. For example, Southwest hardly ever appears in results and they often are one of the cheapest US domestic airlines.

Once you find a low fare, check directly on the airline's website and see if it's the same price.  If it is, book it through the airline.  If you go through a third party, making any changes can be a major headache. Sometimes it will be cheaper to go with the third party.  In that case, do it.

In terms of when the best time is to purchase airplane tickets, this page sums it up nicely.

When flying extreme budget airlines, be careful when booking.  These airlines charge for nearly everything. They often will add additional costs in the online booking process and unless you notice, you will be charged more.  Checking a bag, picking a seat, trip insurance, and priority boarding are common things the airline will add for you by default so make sure to deselect anything you don't want.  After all the additional fees, sometimes it's better to book a more expensive ticket with a nicer airline and have all the "extras" included and it will work out to be roughly the same price as the seemingly cheaper ticket.  

Also, be aware of boarding pass requirements.  For example in Europe, if you have a non EU passport and fly Ryanair, you have to go to the ticketing gate and get your boarding pass stamped.  They won't let you on the flight if you forget to do this. Simple solution to avoid any unpleasant experience?  Read everything when booking and when you print your boarding pass.

Thanks generic Wikipedia picture.

Next Steps:

Budgeting

I did an entire post on money so I'll keep this short.  Before you start figuring out exactly what you want to do when you get to your location, you need to know how much you're willing to spend/able to save before the trip.  Even if you're going the more frugal way, know you're still going to need money.  Travelling isn't going to be fun if you only have funds for food/accommodation and nothing set aside for activities.  I saw a quote the other day that said something along the lines of "pack half the amount of clothes and double the amount of money you think you'll need."  Wise words.  One thing I'll mention again that I said in the money post, make sure to take into account expenses from home that can't be stopped (e.g. student loan payments) and work those into the budget.

Activities

Now that you know where/how/when you're travelling, what are you going to do?  No matter how "go with the flow" you are, it's a good idea to at least have a general idea about things you want to do.  I tend to make a list of the big must sees/do and try and tick those off.  From there, I figure my day out when I get to the location. A great resource for finding things to do is TripAdvisor.  The best part about TripAdvisor is the forums.  Whilst travelling in Europe, I read many message boards about activities for the places I was going. The forums are great because it's people who have actually done the thing giving their opinions.  The forums are also insanely helpful in figuring out public transportation which can sometimes get a little confusing depending on the location.  

Another great resource which I didn't utilize until Australia is Reddit.  There is tons of information on Reddit but be warned some people on there are "travel hipsters" which can be annoying.  Also, make sure to use the search bar before asking a question because it has likely already been asked and people hate when you repeat questions.

Figure Out Local Transport

Now that you have all of these fun things planned, how are you going to get to them?  This doesn't have to be figured out in advanced but it can sure relieve some stress as opposed to attempting it day of.  Many cities have tourist attractions in the city center which means walking is a viable option.  However sometimes you'll need to take public transport.  Like I said, TripAdvisor is a good resource but also just do some Googling. Many cities have websites dedicated to public transit information.  Downloading city transit apps is also a good way to be in the know.

If public transit isn't for you, taxis can be very expensive so look for alternatives like Uber or Lyft (in most major cities).  Of course the easiest option is usually to just hire a car.

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That seems like a good stopping point.  Part two is here.

That's all for now.  Bye.