Learn What I've Learned!
Despite my vast international solo travel experience, I'm always learning, and I'll share those tips with you all here.
Like everything, international solo travel is a learning experience. You may think that, with all the places I’ve traveled (often by myself), I’d be an expert, and while I’m probably more well-versed in the nitty gritty than some others might be, I’m hard-pressed to call myself an “expert.” Ever since I left for my first digital nomad adventure more than a month ago — has it been that long already? — I’ve had an amazing time, of course, but just about every day has brought with it some unique challenges. In this post, I list five lessons I’ve learned that will hopefully not only help me but may also provide some guidance to you, dear reader/subscriber. And if you’ve already subscribed, thank you; YOU ROCK! If not, please hit the subscribe button below. Thanks.
Lessons Learned!
#1 — Double…no, triple-check what you’re packing!
Packing isn’t easy, evening for someone like me who isn’t the kind of procrastinating packer. Sure, I may scramble at the last minute to find what I need, but I’m rarely in a rush to stuff everything into my suitcase, backpack, and large purse/tote. This time, I thought I had it all figured out and that I’d nailed it. Right? WRONG. As it turned out, I’d managed to bring only one pair of regular shorts (and only one pair of workout shorts), only one bikini top and three bottoms (how does that happen?!), and more winter weather-type clothing than I’d ever need in Hawaii or here in Australia. And yet, it’s one of those “this was so ditzy of me, but it’s not the end of the world” type things that are easily remedied. In this case, I went shopping in Wagga Wagga and bought a new bikini pair and new casual shorts. As much fun as it is to go shopping while traveling, I could have saved money by bringing more appropriate clothing. And that leads me to the question: “How do I make sure I bring the right clothing with me?”
First of all, why only the right clothing? What’s wrong with the left clothing? Anyway, dumb puns aside, the solution here would have been to double- and even triple-check I was bringing everything I needed. My Notes app checklist was helpful, but because I was checking it off throughout my days of travel prep, I could have erred in my calculations. Also, it would’ve been a good idea to do detailed research on the areas in which I’d be spending most of my time. I was only in chilly Boston for less than a day, and my time in New York on the way back will be about the same (in April, when it’ll be warmer), so why would I need several long shirts, pants, and socks? Well, socks take up little room, but the point is that it never hurts to RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. I realize that you can’t know the weather that far in the future, but you can at least use something like ChatGPT to help you determine typical temperatures and weather patterns for where you’ll be. That said, airplnes, airports, and other places may be cold, so it doesn’t hurt to have at least one sweater/sweatshirt.
#2 - Set up your eSIM in advance!
This may come as a shock for someone who’s seemingly as experienced as an international traveler as I am, but this trip was the first time I’ve added an eSIM Card to use my phone when not connected to wi-fi. I’d learned my lesson the last couple of times I traveled internationally: that, even if I think I won’t need to look stuff up on my phone or use data to message/call people (usually via WhatsApp), it’s not a bad idea to get an eSIM for whenever you do need that. For my current provider in the U.S., AT&T, I can use my phone overseas but the International Day Pass charges me $10/day, which adds up. I did ample research before this trip regarding what eSIM would be best, especially considering how long I’d be in Australia (1+ month) and that I’d then be in New Zealand. After using ChatGPT for assistance, I purchased Airalo’s Oceanlink 10 GB, 30-day eSIM, and was ready to go…
…or so I thought. Lo and behold, the day after I arrived in Australia and attempted to activate my eSIM, I was unsuccessful. As it turns out, I needed to unlock my iPhone, and to unlock it, I had to pay off the rest of my last model’s installments. And then I had to wait up to 48 hours before requesting to unlock my phone and then, and only then, could I set up my eSIM. I hadn’t planned to pay off the phone just yet, but that was the only way — or so I could find — to unlock the phone and to, thus, set up the eSIM. Luckily, it all worked out pretty well, but now I know: SET UP THE ESIM BEFORE ARRIVING IN THE COUNTRY WHERE I’LL BE NEEDING IT. Once I’d installed the eSIM, I turned off my main data service to avoid those $10/day fees.
#3 - Bring food with you, even if you think you won’t need it!
This is an interesting case of me not learning my lesson after not using my neurodivergent brain properly. You see, the Hawaiian Airlines flight I took from Boston to Honolulu severely lacked vegan options. A few days before the flight, I reached out to the airline via live chat to see if I could request vegan meals ahead of time, but unfortunately, they were unable to do so because it was a domestic trip. And even though I came armed with my vegan power snacks (like Cliff bars), between waiting in airports — where I am reluctant to waste money on food — and waiting for some decent vegan options onboard, I quickly went through my snacks. Thankfully, a friendly woman in the row ahead of me offered some fruit, which was very kind. Not only was I tired, but I was starving and angry that such a notable airline wasn’t catering to plant-based individuals like yours truly. So, you’d think I’d learned my lesson…
…but I did not! When it came time for my flight from Hawaii to Australia, I’d brought a few snacks, but evidently not enough. Still, I’d looked up the menu for Jetstar Airways, and there was at least one vegan option [that I could see]. Unfortunately, being a budget airline, I’d have to pay for any food or drinks, as well as any in-flight entertainment. (Not only that, but the lack of a window shade prevented me from sleeping during that flight). I ate my snacks pretty quickly, so by the time they asked for meal orders, I was prepared to order the ONE VEGAN MEAL they’d listed on the menu. Unfortunately, though, my section was late in the ordering, so they were OUT OF THE ONE VEGAN MEAL. It was very frustrating, to say the least, so all I could order was something to drink and a can of Pringles. Luckily, yet again, people near me heard my complaining (can you blame me?!) and shared some of their snacks — that just so happened to be vegan — with me.
So, on both of these flights, if it hadn’t been for the kindness of strangers, I would’ve been extremely hangry. Thankfully, I wasn’t, and after that particularly frustrating experience, I vowed to never go hungry while traveling. I mean, okay, I will undoubtedly be a least a little hungry, which is normal, so instead I vow to at least never be starving while traveling. It never hurts to bring as many snacks as possible, and to eat meals before getting on plains, trains, and in automobiles, even if I think there be will vegan options. This rule is also useful if you have specific food allergies, are gluent-free, are diabetic, etc., because you can never trust airline food. Except Emirates Airlines. I loved them.
#4 - Don’t assume you’ll always have reliable wi-fi!
While the wi-fi at the house where I spend most of my time has been very reliable, that hasn’t been the case everywhere I’ve been, especially on airplanes, in airports, and in public places where there’s supposedly free wi-fi but you can’t connect for some reason. Also, if you either don’t want to get an eSIM card or you don’t set it up early enough (see above), you’ll have to rely on wi-fi. After being able to use the internet for free aboard my Hawaiian Airlines flight, I incorrectly assumed that Jetstar would do the same. So, not only was I starving and unable to sleep on the nearly 11-hour flight, but I also had to purchase an entertainment pass to watch multiple movies onboard because at least semi-counted on using wi-fi to watch TV/movies on my iPad. I’d downloaded a couple of things, but clearly not enough.
On one hand, this can be a great way to disconnect from the technology to which we are attached, as wi-fi won’t be available everywhere you go. For example, when I was in Madeira, Portugal last year, I didn’t need an eSIM because I was with my parents for most of the time, and if I didn’t have wi-fi and needed to look something up, they could help. However, on my own, there’s only so much I can manage without both wi-fi and regular internet access. So, going back to places like airplanes where you can’t connect to the internet, if you don’t want to rely on the in-flight entertainment system, make sure to download any movies/TV shows (as well as any music or podcast playlists) you want — even if it’s more than you think you need because you’ll be thanking yourself later. Of course, sometimes I feel like unplugging from all (or most) devices, so I may work on a sudoku or other type of puzzle, do some coloring, or maybe even some inconspicuous people-watching.
#5 - Every public transportation system is different, so do your research!
Even though I have a car at home and have no problem driving to places like Foster Parrots, the YMCA, and other places in the vicinity of Westerly, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with driving a car in a new setting, especially in Australia, where it’s the other side of the road. There’s always Uber, but it can be expensive, so it’s always nice when the town in which I’m staying has public transportation. There’s a bus stop just a couple minutes from here and, even though I’m grateful for its existence, I wish I hadn’t assumed certain things about it before doing my RESEARCH (you can never do enough of it!). While I found the transport in Sydney to be very easy — just tap your phone (using Apple Pay) as you get on and off — the one here in Wagga Wagga, while still far from complicated, is different. For one, unlike in Sydney, here you need to pay with CASH, which I found strange, especially considering how often I’d already been paying for everything with Apple Pay.
It was a bit of a pain when, after some Googling, I discovered that you had to pay with cash on the local bus, although I’m relieved that I at least determined this before getting on a bus and then awkwardly telling the driver I didn’t have any cash. The first time I went into town, I took an Uber both ways, because I had no cash and couldn’t find a way to exchange the USD I’d brought with me, especially since it was the weekend. Eventually, I decided to walk to a local ATM and get cash using my credit card (most providers allow you to get a PIN for your credit card, so you should look into this!). If I’d done my research, I would have exchanged my dollars soon after landing in Australia. And while this isn’t a BIG deal, it’s still frustrating, and I didn’t make things better by — on one of my outings — missing the bus back after misunderstanding the bus pick-up location. Oh well. Life goes on.
Thank you for reading about my LESSONS LEARNED. There will be more to come, I’m sure, far too many to share with you all. Regardless, I leave you with a picture of my pretty chickes pals, who (along with the dog, Bella, who makes a cameo here), I will miss dearly when I depart from Wagga Wagga in a few short days.
