When I was seventeen I spent three weeks in Guatemala as a humanitarian. It was a trip that opened my eyes to poverty and helped me gain a passion for service and a love for people and travel. That trip was made with a large group of people I knew.
My current trip to Quimper, France in a homestay program has been my first big trip alone and has opened my eyes to my personal list of “do’s” and “dont’s” of traveling, especially to a European country.
A Few Do’s:
- Make sure you have a debit card and works at any ATM machine.
- Make sure you have room in your luggage so you can bring back souvenir’s, etc.
- Have appropriate clothing for the weather. If you can’t bring everything you want (an umbrella for example) make sure you buy it asap when you get to the country.
A Few Don’t’s:
- Don’t bring cash that needs to be exchanged. It is much easier using your debit card. Many larger cities (like Paris) will have banks (such as western union) that can exchange your cash for you and most smaller ones, like Quimper, don’t. ATM machines can be found almost anywhere.
- Try and use “chip technology” with your cards. I live in the USA and unfortunately could only use my credit card by swiping. Not everywhere has a machine here that allows one to swipe a debit/credit card.
Whether you travel to France or the beautiful jungles of Africa for any kind of purpose, in the end I encourage everyone to be as mentally, emotionally and physically prepared for some serious self evaluation when traveling. It opens your eyes and heart to truths within, without and throughout.
