We recovered from jet lag, but something still felt a bit off. It took us a while to realize the simple problem: in our pre-departure packing fervor, we’d taken no time to mentally prepare for our travels.
We were suddenly surrounded by the unfamiliar — another culture, a foreign language, different customs. It was part culture shock, part “AH, I can’t believe we’re doing this for 3.5 months” shock. One day we had full-time jobs and were living in Washington, DC; two weeks later we’d quit our jobs and moved our stuff to Minnesota and ourselves to Argentina.
Having no set schedule, boss to report to at 9 am, or place to call home was disorienting. In retrospect, the shock could’ve been easily avoided, or at least alleviated, with a little mental preparation.
Learn from our mistake. Take these steps to get ready for your extended trip so you can start enjoying your destination as soon as you arrive.
1. Jot down your expectations
Ask yourself some basic questions. What do you think the new culture will be like? What do you hope for? How do you think it will be different from your culture? Writing down your expectations will help you realize exactly what they are and how they might be different from reality.
2. Write out your goals
What do you hope to accomplish while you’re there? Conquer a new language? Do some freelance work? Jot down a few goals before you go and revisit them after you’ve been there a while. Having them prepared beforehand will help you stay on track once you’re there.
3. Nail down a schedule
If you’re traveling for an extended period of time, a daily schedule will give you a sense of normalcy — and help you maintain your sanity. What time of day do you want to get work done? When do you want to read or write? How much time do you want to spend sightseeing versus relaxing or working? You don’t have to stick to it completely, but a basic schedule will help you figure out your life in a new country.
4. Communicate with your travel partner
If you’re traveling with someone else, take time before you leave to talk about what you hope to get out of your travels. How much time do you want to spend alone? How many hours a day do you hope to work? Getting your expectations out in the open will help prevent misunderstanding or conflict later.
photo credit: Leposava
5. Get to know the culture
Before you leave, rent movies and read a book or two about the country you’ll be visiting. Your guidebook can only provide so much insight, and your local library may be a treasure trove of cultural information.
6. Talk to people who have lived there
If you know someone who is from the country where you’ll be traveling, or who has lived there, ask them about it. Especially ask about what’s different there, what they were most surprised by when they came to your country, and what they think might be the biggest shock for you. If you don’t know anyone who’s been to your country or region of choice, ask around; a friend of a friend might have studied abroad there.
7. Learn some of the language
This is the one step we did fairly well before we left and it’s definitely helped. Take a few hours to learn at least some basic phrases in the language of the country or countries you’re visiting. Hearing a foreign language all around you is always disorienting, but being able to communicate and understand even a few words will help you feel at home much faster.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in physical preparations like buying supplies and packing, but it’s equally important to mentally prepare for your journey. Taking these steps will help you get there.
What else have you done to prepare for extended travel?
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Incredible post. Have always anted to travel to a different country and these are amazing tips on what to do when you finally discover your living your dream. Although exciting, it can be frightening. Thanks
When I was growing up in central British Columbia, our family vacations started with a weekend at the waterslides in Penticton. We’d walk up all those steps and slide down the slides in the blazing sun, and exhaust ourselves into a deep sleep by nightfall. Then we’d get up and do it again the next day. By Monday, we were on the road to somewhere exciting and fully “on vacation.”
I didn’t understand or appreciate it at the time, but those weekends were all about giving my dad a chance to transition out of his job, decompress, and mentally catch up with us so he could enjoy the family trip, too.
Based on my family travel experience, I recommend starting your vacation with something new, different, engrossing, and completely relaxing. It can be an arduous hike, a pampered spa visit, or anything else that will wipe you clean mentally and physically and let you start fresh into travel mode.
Go on: do something different to signal to your psyche that you’re switching gears and it is okay to have fun and let go of the command-and-control mode that preparing for a big trip requires.
And have a WONDERFUL time!
Indeed – it’s super easy to read a guidebook to get prepared for your trip, but who thinks about these details as part of trip prep?
Thanks for reminding us all that these are all critical elements to having a fulfilling journey!
Also stay in communication contact with those still at home. Great post these tips will prove useful.
This blog post offers tips for transitioning to a Second or Third World lifestyle before leaving home.