Travel Tips I Wish I Knew

There's so much excited after you click that confirm button and next thing you know you have tickets booked. Sure booking a hotel, figuring out where you want to go, and getting around are obvious. It's those little things that really go unnoticed that can make such a b i g difference. Let's just say this less than seasoned traveler learned a thing or two the hard way after my trip to Costa Rica. Hopefully, this saves you some of the lessons I learned.

1. Carry on luggage weight limits: Oh, yesss! If you are doing an international flight, double check that they don't have any weight limits for your carry on. I suffer from serious separation anxiety when it comes to my luggage. My solution was to only pack a carry on so I wouldn't have to check anything in. You take that airlines, I'm going to outsmart you.  I was then told at the airport to weight it and guess what it's over the limit by 6 whole pounds. Know the limits and save yourself any surprises and save your valuables (even if it's just all your new shoes).  

2. Get on that probiotic: Listen, my stomach is a champ at excessive food consumption. I'm talking eat a whole pizza and later has room for ice cream. But without getting too TMI let's just say you don't know how your stomach responds to foreign food. I had a lot of stomach problems my entire trip. Once I came home, I took a probiotic and it was like m a g i c! Take a probiotic before you leave and bring some just in case.

3. Bring more than one credit card: I'm going to take it you know to call your bank and credit cards to let them know about your trip, so no need to mention that. But you want to make sure you have more than one credit card. While all my cards worked, the boyfriend had issues at some places with his card. Luckily I like him a lot and could back him up. But it's possible that the card you are relying on might not work. Don't put yourself in that situation if you don't have to. 

4. Turn your data off: This applies to those traveling internationally and you don't add an international plan to your cell phone. I really think you don't need to when you have wifi now. Thankfully, I was saved early on about this! But make sure you turn off your cellular data so you don't come back to a huge roaming bill. 

5. Plastic bags: Bring them! This is a more the merrier deal. We didn't realize how much dirty clothes we would have and were scrambling for plastic bags. Maybe this is more significant for those going to beach destinations or anywhere you might be getting wet, but we didn't always have time to let our swimsuits and clothes dry because we were on to the next place. Case in point you don't want to put damp, wet items with the rest of your dirty things.

Hope these tips help! If you have any questions about international travel or Costa Rica, let me know!