Preparations

I first decided to drop everything and head out the door last summer. At the time many of my friends were making big life changes and I started to feel like while so many people were moving forward, I was stuck in a place where I was not really living or enjoying my life.

Since college I have been dreaming of backpacking through Europe, but somehow those plans always fell through because of busy schedules and hectic lifestyles. It never occurred to me that I could go it alone, and so I was always waiting for someone who could, and would, go with me.

When my sister and her now-fiance decided in early summer to quit their jobs and take an extended trip to Hawaii I was inspired. After quitting my job I went to spend some time with them on the big island, and when I got home I was ready to start getting plans in order.

I did not have a timeline when I first decided to go travel, so at times I have not been the most motivated planner, but after some extensive research I have some basic tips and resources that I hope can help other new travelers get started.

First Things First

• Get you passport (if you don't already have one) AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I cannot even imagine how stressful it would be to have a ticket booked for another country and have your passport application delayed or denied.
• Keep in mind- many places will not let you enter the country if your passport is set to expire in the next 6 months. If this is the case, renewing your passport is a fairly easy process that will save you time and stress.
• Follow the guidelines for obtaining a passport as closely as possible and you should not have any trouble getting the right documents. For US passports the official guidelines are clearly spelled out here: http://www.us-passport-service-guide.com/obtain-a-us-passport.html
• Get a basic idea of where you want to travel and the visa restrictions for that area.
• For much of continental Europe and the UK no visa is required to visit a country, however there are limitations to how long you are allowed to stay as a traveler.
• This is an excellent resource explaining visas and how to travel long-term in Europe: http://thesavvybackpacker.com/long-term-travel-europe/
• Research your flight options early and check prices often. 
• If you are a student, teacher, or younger than 26 years old I highly recommend checking out www.statravel.com for excellent deals on flights both domestic and international
• The best website I have found for generally good flight prices is www.kayak.com
• Research how you plan to get around once in Europe or wherever your destination.
• First-Time Europe, By Louis CasaBianca, has a lot of useful advice about the different ways to get around Europe when you are there and gives a practical breakdown of the basic information you need to successfully travel Europe.
• If you decided to travel Europe using primarily the train system, keep in mind that Eurail passes are generally a good deal for US travelers, however they can only be bought at home because they are not available to European travelers. If this is your plan, buy the passes before you leave. (www.eurail.com will give you more information about the types of passes available and the costs)
• Once again, there are discounts for younger travelers if you are looking to buy a train pass, so it pays to buy and activate your pass before your 26th birthday if possible.
• Start looking at accommodations early to get an idea of your lodging budget. Aside from travel expenses, housing will generally cost you the most while traveling and can vary widely depending on where and when you plan to travel. Some of the most recommended sites for finding accommodations are:
• www.hostelworld.com- Lists prices and availability for hostels in many locations
• www.airbnb.com- Lists information for renting apartments and personal homes while traveling
• www.couchsurfing.org/- For staying with locals while you travel
• Other helpful websites to get you started:
• Student travel advice: http://studenttravel.about.com/
• Information on flights, tours, travel insurance, ect: http://www.statravel.com/
• Rick Steves- advice from a prefessional world traveler. This guy has been everywhere and has advice on almost any topic imaginable: http://www.ricksteves.com/
• I also highly recommend you read this article, very well written and gives great advice and tips on world travel: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clayton-b-cornell/traveling-around-the-world_b_4065797.html

I hope this information can be helpful for anyone else considering an extended trip abroad! I have many more resources to share about packing tips, and other travel hacks, but I will save that for another post. I also hope to get together more resources as I travel and see what works and what does not, so keep an eye out for those.