Ten things I tell every first-time international traveler

Your first passport stamp is a big deal. It's also the trip where small, avoidable mistakes cost the most: a passport that expires too soon, a phone bill you didn't see coming, a museum you flew nine hours to see and couldn't get into. None of that has to happen. Here is what I tell every first-time international traveler I plan for.

1. Check your passport today, not next month. Many countries won't let you in unless your passport is valid for six months past your return date. A brand-new U.S. passport can take 6–8 weeks to arrive, longer in spring. If yours is close, renew now. And take a photo of the ID page: it makes a replacement far easier if the original goes missing.

2. Find out if you need a visa or travel authorization. Some countries require one even for short vacations, and the rules change. Europe is rolling out ETIAS, a pre-travel authorization for U.S. visitors. The UK now requires an ETA. Check the official requirements for your destination when you book, and again a month before you fly, or ask me to do it.

3. Tell your bank, and bring two cards. Call your bank and card issuers with your travel dates so a purchase in Lisbon doesn't lock your account. Bring at least two cards from different networks and keep them in separate places. When a card reader asks whether to charge you in dollars or the local currency, choose the local currency; the dollar option almost always carries a worse exchange rate.

4. Sort out your phone before you land. International roaming from your home carrier is easy but usually expensive. An eSIM (Airalo, Holafly and others) gives you data for a fraction of the price, and you can set it up from your couch before you leave. Download offline maps of your destination in Google Maps either way; airports and old-town alleys have a way of swallowing signal.

5. Book the headline sights in advance. The Vatican Museums, the Alhambra, the Louvre, the Anne Frank House: the places you're going for now sell timed tickets that run out days or weeks ahead. Reserve them before you go, and leave the rest of the day loose so there's room for the café you stumble on.

6. Pack less than you think you need. Cobblestones, train stairs and tiny elevators all favor a carry-on. Choose clothes you can layer, one pair of shoes you've already walked ten miles in, and a universal plug adapter. Anything you forget, a pharmacy abroad can sell you.

7. Get travel insurance, and learn what your card already covers. A medical issue overseas isn't covered by most U.S. health plans, and a trip-cancellation policy is cheap next to what it protects. Many premium credit cards include some coverage when you pay for the trip with them; check before buying more.

8. Give yourself a soft landing. Plan nothing ambitious for arrival day beyond a walk and an early dinner. Jet lag is real; a trip that starts with a 7 a.m. tour after an overnight flight rarely ends up loved. If you can, arrive a day before anything that can't be moved, like a cruise departure or a booked train.

9. Learn five words and how to tip. Hello, please, thank you, excuse me and "the check, please" in the local language change how you're treated everywhere. Look up tipping norms too. In much of Europe a few coins or rounding up is generous; in Japan, tipping can cause confusion.

10. Register your trip and know the emergency number. The free STEP program from the U.S. State Department sends you alerts for your destination and helps the embassy reach you if something happens. Save the local emergency number (112 works across the EU) and the address of the nearest U.S. embassy in your phone.

The last tip is the one I care about most: you don't have to do this alone. Planning is complimentary when you book through me, and I watch the entry rules, the flight changes and the things that go sideways so you can be the person who's just there, with a good table and a glass of something local. Ready to start? Tell me where you're dreaming of.