As I was leaving for my first trip to Ireland, I felt more relaxed than I usually do before visiting a new country. The excited anxiety that I normally experience was replaced by confident anticipation. Since I was going to be travelling solo for my first trip to Ireland, I made sure to do plenty…
Of the three countries we visited during our 3 week trip to South America, I was most nervous about visiting Bolivia. People either seemed to love it or hate it, so we had no idea what to expect on our first trip to Bolivia. We spent 5 days in Bolivia visiting La Paz, Sucre and…
It’s hard not to love Japan. Beautiful and evocative, Japan awakens your imagination and captures your heart. Japan is a nation that’s not afraid of innovation and progress, yet is passionately protective and proud of its culture. Temples, shrines, peaceful gardens and traditional customs, co-exist with towering skyscrapers, futuristic architecture, speeding bullet trains and a…
Well research and lots of handy info! Glad about the tip on the Japanese squat toilet. We’re in Croatia right now and I had to go bad yesterday while doing a hike – found myself face to face with a Turkish style squatter and have to thank my Thai experiences for getting the job done. Maybe too much detail :)
Anyway, Spanky has always had a fascination for Japan we will eventually get there.
Great post.
Frank (bbqboy)May 18, 2015 – 11:59 amReplyCancel
This is a great blog to help first time travelers know what to expect during their first travel in Japan. You really need to take the time to learn their language as most of the locals in Japan don’t know how to speak English. You may get some help in tourists centers, but that’s about the most common place you could go to to have a comfortable conversation in English. Subway survival is also essential as it the main public transportation in Japan that a traveler on a budget should learn to love. Wonderful tips, thanks for sharing.May 24, 2015 – 8:25 pmReplyCancel
Wow, thank you for this great insight. I’m heading to Niseko for my first trip to Japan in March. I suffer terrible anxiety and I do fear travelling (this is my first overseas trip in 5 years!) though after reading this post, I feel a lot more at ease about going to Japan. Especially hearing that Japanese locals are friendly and helpful. I’m looking forward to my trip now. Thank you!January 4, 2018 – 7:13 pmReplyCancel
okay interesting that you brought the sunglasses up for this seems still to be a controversy…I have red lots about this already, in earlier days (like 60s-90s) Japanese wouldn’t wear them because only Yakuza mafia members did, but in newer comments from couple of years ago to present people say it has changed and especially fashion-conscious youth does wear them nowadays…lol I’m glad we’re gaijins so we can wear them hehe April 25, 2018 – 5:58 pmReplyCancel
Cuba is a fascinating and unique country, with enough diversity to please all types of travellers. History buffs will feel as though time has stood still in Cuba’s charming colonial towns, rich with colour and culture. Nature lovers and adventure seekers will enjoy hiking among the jungle covered mountains and lush valleys. Those looking for…
Thank you! Yes, the health insurance is an important one to be aware of. We had to make some calls to make sure our insurance wasn’t provided by an American company, but luckily it wasn’t. The reason we know about those scams is because they all happened to us! At least now we can give other people a heads up!July 2, 2014 – 4:45 pmReplyCancel
What a wonderful post about Cuba. As a Cuban-American it’s so unfortunate that Americans are not allowed to visit Cuba, unless they are traveling with an organization/group from the U.S. Americans can use their credit cards in Cuba either, which can be challenging. You have to carry cash everywhere you go. In my recent visit we ran out of toilet paper and had to travel to three towns until we finally found some. It’s very sad how some of the people live, and how the little things we leave behind go a long way.July 2, 2014 – 12:17 pmReplyCancel
We loved Cuba – It was our honeymoon destination! Whilst we were there they tried the ‘Milk Scam’ on us as well but they were not threatening when we declined to join in.
We also filled our cases with things like pencils etc for the children and soap. These were small items but were so well received by locals.
As with every holiday we go on I tend to leave behind cheap t-shirts that we have picked up for a couple of pound before travelling. on this particular trip, the housekeepers asked if we would be offended if they took the articles which of course we weren’t but we have to let the hotel know – if it had appeared that they had just taken them they would have lost their jobs.
I recommend Cuba to everyone I speak to.November 14, 2014 – 9:30 amReplyCancel
We also love Cuba and recommend it to others. More specifically, I tell people to venture away from Varadero- Cuba is so much more than just beautiful beaches!
That’s a good idea to bring some t-shirts. We did have a lady working in a museum ask us for some clothes, but all we brought with us were small hygiene items, like toothpaste. Constantly being asked for things in Havana, and the milk scam, got tiresome after a while, but not once did we ever feel unsafe in Cuba.November 14, 2014 – 5:14 pmReplyCancel
If you stay in Varadero you’ll have great beaches and the resorts will offer day trips to Havana. We also did an overnight trip to Trinidad and Guanayara National Park (offered by the resort) which was excellent! With the side trips we got to experience the best of both worlds- beaches and culture!August 25, 2015 – 9:51 pmReplyCancel
Thank you for all the tips for First Timers! We’ve barely been out of Canada, and are looking forward to our first trip abroad in Sep. 2016. We had thought about Europe, but with the Canadian dollar declining so much, we thought perhaps a trip to a Central American country might be wiser. More bang for our buck!! Can’t wait to learn more about CUBA. Si!!August 24, 2015 – 8:39 pmReplyCancel
Very accurate and informative – we’ve been to Cuba quite a fe times and had encounters with almost everything mentioned: scams (often of the foreign currency variety), bad internet (yikes), food (you’re right, not that bad, just in resorts), and giving people clothes and toiletries. But so many great things about Cuba as well that I’m not even going to start listing.
Frank (bbqboy)November 10, 2015 – 1:19 amReplyCancel
Good guide guys :) But there are 2 things that I wouldn’t agree with.
There is not much trouble in receiving change in CUP. When you have it, you can buy things cheaper, therefore save money :) you could also spent it in a shop where in dual curency price.
Exit tax doesn’t exist anymore. Tax is included in you flight ticket now.April 10, 2016 – 8:25 pmReplyCancel
Ever since my first trip to Europe as a teenager in 1998, it’s been one of my favourite places to travel to. There are a lot of reasons why I love Europe- the history, the architecture, the way of life- but mostly, I love it because I find travelling there quite easy. Europe is a…
All these are very good points. Especially the electricity – it’s a very sly one to forget about. As a European, I’ve never thought of face towels as being a “thing”. I suppose we just call them flannels and use them when having showers/baths! But it’s really useful to understand this need. Thumbs up.June 15, 2014 – 1:59 pmReplyCancel
Some interesting points here – I’m going to try and reverse engineer them for my first trip to North America later this year! :)
Ive found that the hotel bed situation that you mentions isn’t very common in 5/ 4 star hotels and I’ve found that it’s usually only the case when the hotels has “twin or double” as one room option.April 24, 2015 – 11:35 amReplyCancel
We still haven’t decided whether it will be Europe, Cuba or Mexico for our first trip abroad. We’re not leaving until Sep. 2016, so we have a bit of time to decide. I’m the one doing the research, and I must admit that your FIRST TIMER tips are very useful. Have your been to Mexico? Need to see if you have some tips for that place too! Thanks so much for all your help! :-)August 24, 2015 – 8:53 pmReplyCancel
Yes, I’ve been to Mexico but only had the resort experience so I don’t have many tips! We did a day trip to Coba and Chichen Itza, which really was the only thing I really liked about our trip. If I ever go back I’d like to see more of the towns and archaeological sites and spend less time at a resort.August 25, 2015 – 9:57 pmReplyCancel
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Alouise - I’ve been living in Ireland for a year and a half now, and I agree it’s a great place for solo travel. I was surprised when I got here that there weren’t any paid toilets like you see elsewhere in Europe. I think I saw one at a beach outside Dublin, but that was it. Usually if you’re by a pub (and in Ireland you probably are) you can pop in to use the toilet if you need it.January 8, 2018 – 2:00 pm
Joel - ireland is always my most favourite one destination to visit as travelling point of view. I really like to see its most fabulous adventuress places which attracts the visitors towards it each year. I had a great time there but I will love to make a tour there for again and againMay 10, 2018 – 3:42 am
Eric - I say this as somebody who’s been traveling to Ireland for 20 yrs. Ireland is the best “starter” country for people looking to visit Europe. For many of the same points you make Ireland let’s the first time traveler, especially Americans, experience the European way of doing things without having to understand a different language. August 12, 2018 – 4:59 am