Advice for newbies

Don't have a heart attack when you go to check out of a hotel and you see the bill. We're flying into London next week, and only staying 2 nights. I've about had it with big European city hotel prices and 20% VAT.

Bring on places like Spain and Hungary for a more reasonably priced travel experience.

We're going on a Eastern Mediterranean 10 day cruise. They can be a value--if you can stay out of the optional restaurants, overpriced excursions in ports and not drink overpriced alcoholic drinks. A drink package is $1K per person for the 10 days--plus 20% tips. A Coke card is $100 plus 20% gratuities.

My advice is that your passport is the only legal form of identification and will be asked for and photocopied for lodgings including AirBnBs, bed and breakfasts and 3rd party hotel sites. They are often required to provide a list of guests to the authorities. In many countries you are required to carry your original with you. Put it in a money belt under your clothing for day to day use, but shift it to a purse before arrival at the hotel. Have a photo of it in the cloud somewhere to make things easier should it be lost. Don't assume everyone has an ulterior motive for asking.

I remember when I did my first international trip--to West Germany (as it was then called) in 1983. It was for a high school summer exchange program, and I actually did not have that great a time. I reflected on the experience quite a bit in the years afterward. I would say, as RS does, to focus on being a "temporary local." I was too much "American in Europe", feeling like I had to represent my country--not in an "ugly American" way (I was pretty quiet) but in a way that did not allow me to be open to the experience, or to opportunities that presented themselves. I would have liked to have been more open personally, less guarded, less conservative (small c), more into interacting and socializing--even drinking, which I did not allow myself to do.
I realized later that I could have had a much different trip if I had embraced the German adventure--and all that was offered to me--rather than standing apart from it for a month and a half. I knew that I was in a different culture that had different expectations and customs and traditions but somehow I still wanted to retain some stubborn streak of "Americanness". I would have to have more international travel experiences and grow up some in order to go to another country and really revel in the differences.
The advice I would give is to enjoy the experience of being somewhere different, to have a sense of discovery, to be open to experiences that are put before you, to have an appreciation for people whose lives operate differently than ours, maybe do some research on customs beforehand, embrace the new, and show your appreciation and gratitude for the interactions you have.

Funny to think that I actually left on that trip with a very early edition of Europe Through the Back Door.

I think your advice was perfect. Don't expect anything to be much like home because, "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

maybe do some research on customs beforehand, embrace the new, and
show your appreciation and gratitude for the interactions you have.

I was going to add to that to not be afraid to be curious when it's not like at home and ask for help or about local customs.

The most uncomfortable thing about a first trip is discovering that everything is so ........... well ........... foreign!

I would add :
Don't expect things to go exactly as you planned them. There's always things that go wrong. Just roll with the punches.

Do/see the things you like/want to. RS has good advice but I always take it as his taste on travel. Case in point: art museums are not my cup of tea and I'm not a foodie so fancy meals don't catch my attention.

Save time not money (reasonably speaking). Yes a scenic route on train for 6 hours would be wonderful but if you can be there in 2 hours you will have more time to do things.

(EDITED)
Don't cram as much as you can into your travel days because it will stress you out trying to do everything and you'll miss out on the experience

it is odd to me reading this. I have always bern kind of shy and withdrawn and I am the last person to try. anything outside my comfort zone. In a group i will trnd yo stand at the back and let others go first. As i am no comfortable in situations i am not familiar with. That being said. I LOVE to travel in Europe (and the US for that matter). And other then dietary issues I have a blast in Europe and the differences to the US are part of the enjoyment to me.
Dont get me wrong. things go sideways on the trips (see my topic about that) but It is the fact that Europe is not the US that is part of the enjoyment (at least to me).

Even as a little kid (8 years old) i was fascinated by the differences. And. i still am. And i am often surprised by them as well.
For instance in my Experience the “stereotypical Fenchman” seams to be more of a thing in bigger cities such as Paris and Nice, but in the smaller places they were very friendly. The locals at a reaturant in Avignon were extreemly friendly on even. And the Passengers on the underground in London were alwas very kind to my elderly father making sure he didnt trip or fall and what have you. Much more then any subway system i have been in and i have been in a lot of them in Europe and the US. It is tgese surprising differences that I find add interest to the trip and remind me that we are in fact.. “not in Kansas anymore”.
So i find it odd that I enjoy these differences while some others object to them.

My advice would be to welcome the unexpected. Tell them to keep in mind that they are traveling for a reason - to find out how other people live and to see other cultures. And that things will be different than at home.

I was in a restaurant on Skye 2 nights ago and started talking to a couple sitting at the table next to me. Eventually I moved over to their table and we ordered dinner together. We had a wonderful dinner but the service was terrible! Lots of mistakes and issues. Eventually it was all resolved, but the 3 of us just kept laughing about it. It let us keep our sanity and turned all the mishaps into a marvelous night!

Each person has the ability to making something better out of a bad experience.

First, I would advise that travelers to Europe should read up on how things work in hotels, restaurants and tours for the country they are visiting. A guidebook will normally provide such information. If not, the internet is always there.
Second, It is a mistake to criticize a foreign country on how things function, it is going to that country with a bad attitude. In my opinion the British People are very polite and helpful. Also, I appreciate that things are different, in some ways I like it better than it is back home. For example, we loved the pubs in Britain.
Third, think positive, not negative.

Vive la difference!!! I have found the more different a country is than life here in the US, the more fascinating it is! Egypt for instance is very different, but utterly fascinating!

•Take your curiosity, leave your preconceived ideas and prejudices at home.
•Always be polite, except to pickpockets.
•Learn the 20 polite words in the language of the country.
•Smile, even if it pouring rain on your pre-planned, pre-paid day.
•Cherish the hidden treasures/memories around every turn: the Irish B&B whose floors were slate from the Cliffs of Moher imbedded with fossils; the seagull posing for photos on the Rialto Bridge; the old man in the Finnish bakery who tried to help us four 18-year-olds, saying "I speak English" and we swear that was all the English he spoke but he was so nice.

Do not travel to a foreign country thinking it's going to be like home! It's not! It shouldn't be like home! Wouldn't that be boring??? And if you want a replica of home, don't travel!

Be open-minded. Try the local food. Learn something about the culture and the history. Don't be loud and obnoxious, and don't complain when things don't go your way or it's not what you expected. Enjoy and embrace the differences. That is why you are traveling, right?

Don't look for McDonalds, Starbucks, and Kentucky Fried Chicken!

And don't expect everyone in a foreign country to speak English! Not everyone does! Regardless of what you may have been told. And learn a few pleasantries in the local language. Such as hello, good night, thank you, and you are welcome. This is imperative. And will go a long way!

Try to make a good impression. Don't you want the locals to know that Americans are polite, appreciative, and interested in their country and their culture????

If the newbie lived in Vancouver, I would advise them to experience some multiculturalism at home before travelling. Try spending a day shopping or dining in the Punjabi areas of Surrey or the Chinese areas of Richmond. They can even try using Google Translate to learn a few phrases to interact in a different language. Any new experience can be a good experience and useful when travelling.

--use guidebooks to plan your trip. Then get your nose out of the guidebook when you arrive at your destination. Experience the place. Don't just check off sights.

--don't expect it to be like home. Remember, you are a guest in that country. Be polite. Experience the difference. If you don't like it, don't go back.

--learn something of the local culture especially when it comes to local food and dining. If the locals eat at 8 PM and you're used to eating at 6 PM, the difference is not for life. It's just for a few days. Learn something of the local cuisine and give it try. What you think is local may actually be a made up dish from somewhere else. (Spaghetti Bolognese was invented in the UK, Spaghetti and meatballs are never served together in Italy, Chianti is from Tuscany and therefore not local in Sicily.)

--don't plan your days so tight there is no wiggle room. You need wiggle room when traveling. Stuff happens.

--If you want to visit a different country, but insist it be like home and everything is like home, go to Epcot.

I think someone said in a recent post, to remember "no one invited you here". Be humble, be flexible and be curious. If you dont enjoy your second trip, then you didnt learn anything on your first trip..

Don't look for McDonalds, Starbucks, and Kentucky Fried Chicken!

I'm not going to disagree with you, but it's been posted before that it can be fun to go in because sometimes the food is not as familiar as you'd think and even American chains will conform to local palates.

https://www.eatthis.com/mcdonalds-food-around-the-world/

https://www.thetravel.com/25-of-the-most-unique-kfc-menu-items-from-around-the-world/#cheese-topped-burger-ndash-philippines

I think someone said in a recent post, to remember "no one invited you here".

Stan, that was a quote from this post, which referred to a book written in 1900 on European travel for women. The exact quote was:

Unless travellers are willing to leave national prejudices behind them, and ready to see whatever is characteristic and excellent in a foreign country, without finding fault because it is unfamiliar, they had better remain at home. Americans are among the worst offenders in this regard; and there is no greater nuisance than the man who growls because he cannot get buckwheat cakes, or the woman who fusses when she has to do without iced-water. If people carry fixed habits from place to place, as the tortoise does its shell, they will be wise to arrange their journeys so as to permit of their remaining in countries where they may be comfortable without too much effort. Remember, when you go to a strange country, that its inhabitants have not sent for you; you go among them, presumably, of your own accord, and their manners and customs cannot possibly seem stranger to you than yours do to them. It is scarcely worth while to go to Europe for the purpose of proclaiming all the time that America is in every way better; if that is your opinion you may show it by going home, and never leaving it again.

"I'm curious as to what kind of advice you suggest to people leaving the country for the first time."

Remember you are choosing to leave your country to become a visitor in another country.
Leave your judgements at home.
Open your mind to learning how other people live.
Be kind and be patient.

I'm curious as to what kind of advice you suggest to people leaving
the country for the first time.

Two main thoughts...

• Many people who don't request advice are not actually interested in getting any. I don't offer it unless they lean on me a little about my impressions, experiences, etc. or unless they ask directly.

• Choose your travel companions carefully.

Always have Plan B , and don’t panic if something doesn’t seem to be going well.
Step back, think it over, and try again.
When I worked in the Middle East, we used to say “ Stop, make tea, sleep.”, then get up and start over.

Also, the old saying: “Pack twice the money and half the clothes you think you will need.”