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I'm 18 and going on my second ever trip abroad (the first was with my father aged 10) from England to Dublin in Ireland, in April of next year. I'm taking with me my long-term girlfriend.

Is there anything I/we should know or be aware of before going, in terms of travelling overseas together for the first time?

Connor Gurney
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  • How are you travelling? If you want to know about the mechanics of 'what do I do when I get to the airport?' and so on, I'm sure that will be covered by other questions on this site. – nekomatic Dec 07 '17 at 09:24
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    Go easy on the Guinness - that's my advice :-) – Mawg says reinstate Monica Dec 07 '17 at 10:00
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    To be fair, this hardly qualifies as 'International'. There is no border (yet). – Strawberry Dec 07 '17 at 14:04
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    In America 100 years is considered a long time. In UK 100 miles is considered a long distance. I hadn't thought about how that applies to the definition of "abroad". – Harper - Reinstate Monica Dec 07 '17 at 17:26
  • Its not exactly abroad, unless you also consider Scotland or Wales to be 'foreign' (and I know some people who do), just use a bit of common sense and takes things a little slow and easy, no more then you would visiting a different city with England. Accents, slang and habits are all slightly different, but similar enough to get you into trouble so be slower to take offense and be quicker to apologize then you would on home turf. After that, just keep your eyes open for the differences so you can enjoy them when you find them. – Paul Smith Dec 07 '17 at 22:59
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    @Strawberry There is a border, there's just practically no restrictions about crossing it. – Pharap Dec 07 '17 at 23:22
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    @PaulSmith Technically speaking it is abroad. Different sovreign state, different currency. – Pharap Dec 07 '17 at 23:27
  • @Pharap - Technically speaking by that criteria, so is Scotland. The fact that a Scottish Pound and an English Pound have a 1:1 ratio is a pleasant coincidence that the Irish Punt shared until 2002. Scotland defers some powers to London, which defers some powers to Europe, Ireland also defers some powers to Europe. Don't get me wrong, as a proud Irish person, I know we are a separate country, but as a well traveled person, I know Dublin to be a lot more familiar to most Londoners then many other English cities. – Paul Smith Dec 08 '17 at 00:11
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    @PaulSmith there is no Scottish pound, just Scottish bank notes issued by some banks. It's still the same currency as the rest of the UK. Scotland also doesn't defer powers to London, it's the other way round - specific powers are devolved from London to Scotland, while others are reserved to London. –  Dec 08 '17 at 00:39
  • @PaulSmith Scotland is its own country, but it isn't a sovreign state. Scotland's official currency is pound sterling, the same as Jersey and Guernsey, having different symbols on the physical representation of the currency (i.e. coins and notes) does not make it a difference currency. I'm not sure about the 'defer' thing - defer means "To submit to the opinion or desire of another in respect to their judgment or authority", in which case both Scottish Parliament and British Parliament defer to each other, but the latter can overrule the former. – Pharap Dec 08 '17 at 03:35
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    yeah..... Ireland is a different country folks..... Dublin is the capital of Ireland. One of the biggest tips for travelling there is don't tell them it's part of the UK. Only the separate area Northern Ireland is part of the UK. – Mike M Dec 08 '17 at 09:00
  • @Strawberry been agreed today there will be no border and common travel area will stay – BritishSam Dec 08 '17 at 09:19
  • @Harper 100 miles taking you into a different country is hardly unique to Europe. San Diego, Seattle, Duluth, Miami (just), and San Diego are all less than 100 miles from another country. Heck, parts of Detroit, Buffalo and El Paso are within 100 yards of another country. – David Richerby Dec 08 '17 at 09:55
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    @PaulSmith Almost everything you've said about Ireland and the UK in this comment thread is wrong. The situation of Ireland with respect to the UK is not even remotely comparable to the situation of Scotland or Wales with respect to the UK. The Irish pound stopped being pegged to the UK pound on 30th March 1979, when Ireland joined the EU Exchange Rate Mechanism and the UK didn't. As I recall, the exchange rate was about 1.1IEP=1GBP during the 1990s. – David Richerby Dec 08 '17 at 10:06
  • Ok, so Ireland is like your Canada. Except for the violence (though in all fairness they haven't burned down the White House lately...) – Harper - Reinstate Monica Dec 08 '17 at 15:17
  • @DavidRicherby - Not sure where you are coming from. My point was that even though Ireland is a different country, it will seem more familiar to many English people then some other parts of the UK. You are correct about the pound/punt but other then that I am not sure what you have found so offensive. – Paul Smith Dec 08 '17 at 17:49
  • @PaulSmith I said wrong, not offensive. Ireland "not exactly abroad": wrong. Implication that Ireland is only abroad if Scotland and Wales are: wrong. Scotland is a foreign country (wrt the UK): wrong. There's a "Scottish pound" that's only "coincidentally" at a 1:1 exchange rate with the UK pound: not since 1701, when the exchange rate was 12:1. "Scotland defers some powers to London": wrong. – David Richerby Dec 08 '17 at 18:03
  • @DavidRicherby - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are all different countries and to say otherwise is wrong, though it is a mistake that many English people make. If you are in England, as the OP is, then to go to Scotland is to go to a foreign country. It doesn't require a passport and they speak a similar language. The Republic of Ireland is also a different country that does not require a passport to visit (if you are British) and where we also speak a similar language. (Contd.) – Paul Smith Dec 08 '17 at 18:20
  • (...contd) All of the aforementioned countries have their own governments, and each government defers some of its authority to other powers. – Paul Smith Dec 08 '17 at 18:22
  • @PaulSmith Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are referred to as the "constituent countries" of the UK. However, they are not countries in the sense that the UK and Ireland are countries: they are not sovereign and their status is much closer to the states of the US than to anything that would be called a "country" anywhere else in the world. As for delegation of powers, you have the relationship exactly backwards. The UK government devolves some of its powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; they have only the powers that are granted to them by the UK. – David Richerby Dec 08 '17 at 18:31
  • @DavidRicherby - 1) They are distinct countries, regardless of what unions they are in, 2) I did not say devolve, I said defer. Please take a moment to actually read what is written before assuming it is wrong. – Paul Smith Dec 09 '17 at 19:29
  • @PaulSmith Yes, I'm well aware that you used the wrong word, "defer", but I thought it would be petty to explicitly correct you. You clearly have no conception of the UK's constitutional basis. If you care to find out, there's plenty of accurate information on the web. However, this discussion has gone way off-topic. – David Richerby Dec 09 '17 at 19:53
  • @DavidRicherby - That explains why you have not been making sense, you have been answering the questions you think people asked. I didn't use the wrong word. "To Defer to": to allow (someone else) to decide or choose something. Use in a sentence: The Scottish Parliament deferred all taxation matters to London until the Scotland Act of 2012 when London devolved some limited powers back to Scotland. – Paul Smith Dec 11 '17 at 14:47

5 Answers5

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Ireland is a very easy first international trip alone for a Brit - few language issues, generally the same level of lawfulness and laws, a similar low level of corruption in police forces etc, no visa or immigration issues and plenty of flights back home if you need to leave early. You are going to have a great time, but you aren't going to learn a great deal about the art of travelling I'm afraid :)

There are a few things to be aware of however:

  1. Get your European Health Insurance Card so you have the right to state provided healthcare in Ireland, should you become ill on your trip

  2. Even though you will have your EHIC card, get decent travel insurance - even though you will be in an EU country with a decent healthcare system, and a right to access that healthcare system, the EHIC does not cover such issues as repatriation to the UK should you require a medical flight, nor does it cover the costs of extended over stays due to illness. And of course, decent travel insurance covers other issues such as lost luggage etc.

  3. Get a travel book for your destination, such as a Lonely Planet guide - these often cover "places to avoid" such as tourist traps, tricks, cons etc as well as giving you good advice on decent places to eat. They also tend to cover the "do's and don'ts" of local customs and behaviours, so you can avoid some "interesting" interactions with the locals.

  • I suppose it's just an easy place to start off, cheap and cheerful. I'd have never thought of the EHIC, considering how used I am to the NHS — thanks for the heads-up! – Connor Gurney Dec 06 '17 at 23:32
  • @ConnorGurney don't get me wrong, Ireland is a lovely country with some great places to visit - I just wanted to point out that you aren't going to gain the same level of travelling experience as going to, say, Thailand for example :) As you say, Ireland is nice and easy, so go ahead and enjoy it :) –  Dec 06 '17 at 23:34
  • Looks absolutely lovely to be fair — got a fair few things planned, just wanted somewhere close to home for the first time. – Connor Gurney Dec 06 '17 at 23:45
  • The second point is highly questionable. Such insurances are almost never priced even remotely close to actuarially fair, especially in the risk class as the OP. Insurances against relatively small risks (lost luggages, cell phones, etc.) come with huge price premiums. Guess why they are advertised every time you book a flight ticket ;-) – HRSE Dec 07 '17 at 10:07
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    @HRSE when you are stuck somewhere with a broken leg and can't fly for weeks, that premium ain't going to look so high when it's paying for board and lodging and a new flight... that's why you buy travel insurance, luggage cover et al are just nice-to-haves. –  Dec 07 '17 at 10:11
  • @Moo Sorry, but one should not even consider going abroad before having sufficient emergency funds (at that age probably through family members) to cover such expenses. For a discussion of why it does not make sense to insure risks such as lost luggages, see http://www.wisebread.com/things-to-insure-things-not-to-insure and https://money.stackexchange.com/a/54579/40193 – HRSE Dec 07 '17 at 10:33
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    @HRSE if you can afford a six figure emergency fund for a medivac, good for you. Us normal people however... and luggage cover is just a nice-to-have part of the bundle, don't fixate on it. –  Dec 07 '17 at 10:37
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    @Moo: I don't believe HRSE is arguing that you shouldn't have decent travel health insurance - just that you should not pay anything for lost luggage/mobile-phone insurance. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Dec 07 '17 at 10:50
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    @MartinBonner it certainly sounded like it in their last comment... Wherever they are from might do it differently, but in the U.K. you just buy "travel insurance" which covers everything from flight delays to medivacs to lost luggage, all in one. So arguing about the luggage portion is meaningless, as you buy the insurance to cover the significant expense of getting you home after a serious illness abroad, or any other similar unexpected expense which would be impractical to cover out-of-pocket. –  Dec 07 '17 at 10:55
  • "so you have the right to state provided healthcare" confused me for a second. Then I realized you meant "so you have the right to state-provided healthcare." – sirjonsnow Dec 07 '17 at 13:35
  • @ConnorGurney Although UK libraries are being seriously cut it would be well worth checking the library catalogue for your local Council (you can probably do this online) to see if any guides for the region you are visiting are available. Although these are likely to be out of date, the bulk of the information will still be correct (just research anything that involves significant travel or that would be a significant disappoint if it changes) and most library services will allow you to order copies held in other libraries to be collected at your local branch. – pwdst Dec 07 '17 at 14:52
  • Alternatively some unlimited eBook services include well known guides such as Lonely Planet - if you have an eReader or a device (such as a phone or tablet) you can read eBooks on a free trial or a single month's subscription might be a good way to obtain guidebooks for the short period they are needed. – pwdst Dec 07 '17 at 14:54
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    @Moo UK residents inside the Common Travel Area don't need to carry an EHIC for Ireland. Just proof that they reside inside the Common Travel Area. See my answer here https://expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/12631/dual-british-irish-citizen-can-i-use-my-british-eu-health-card-in-ireland/12658#12658 – Rodney Hawkins Dec 07 '17 at 20:17
  • @RodneyHawkins I concur, but at the end of the day an EHIC removes all doubt, and for many people is an easier and cheaper proof than an NHS card (many people don't have these as they ceased to be issued many years ago) or proof of their NHS number (not everyone gets correspondence from the NHS, and a letter from your GP can be costly - it's a non-entitlement service so they can charge, and EHICs are free). –  Dec 07 '17 at 20:23
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    @RodneyHawkins An EHIC card may not be strictly required, but if OP intends to go further than Ireland at some point in their life, it will be: If you use medical services in e.g. Germany or Scandinavia without one, be prepared to pay a lot of money and not see it again for a long time (until the NHS reimburses you). – errantlinguist Dec 08 '17 at 00:14
  • @Moo You don't have to fly to get back from Dublin to England, and a trip on a ferry from Dublin to Holyhead in a van of some kind won't cost you a six-figure sum. – Mike Scott Dec 08 '17 at 08:09
  • @MikeScott firstly, in the comments I was giving a generic example, and secondly, even a ferry trip involving a specialist ambulance and a supporting medical team can get well into six figures. –  Dec 08 '17 at 08:20
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    @MikeScott my wife's father was ferried back from Amsterdam in the early 2000s after having a bleed on the brain, and that ended up costing around £120,000 for a four team rotation of doctors and nurses, ambulance and other costs. Luckily they had travel insurance and it was entirely covered. He died a few days later. –  Dec 08 '17 at 08:24
  • @Moo You said a broken leg, not something requiring monitoring while travelling. – Mike Scott Dec 08 '17 at 08:25
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    @MikeScott So? Need I list every possible scenario just to please nit pickers...? My mention of a broken leg and medivacs were also in two different comments with different contexts - again, should I add a disclaimer that future comments may not be direct continuation of prior examples...? –  Dec 08 '17 at 08:27
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You asked for a more general approach, so:

Rule Number One: Inform yourself about your destination.

Inform yourself about the people and their customs(!) and the respective laws(!!). This cannot be stressed enough because there are still people out there who believe that they can behave like in their home country and that the home law still applies. This attitude can kill you or give a very long prison sentence in countries like Singapore or Saudi-Arabia.
No, "I did not know that!" does not work. It is also not recommended to puff up oneself and believe that problems are going away if you complain loud enough.

Important is at any case the location of embassies (if you lose your passport or need general help from your home country) and how ambulance, police and transportation is working in the destination country.

Rule Number Two: Get all documents.

Everyone knows that you need a passport, but there are often other documents needed, so I give a short list of the ones who are often forgotten.

  • Visa: As everyone here knows in painful detail, people try to travel to countries where a visa is needed and already bought a flying ticket. Then they are horrified that they do not get a visa and their ticket is worthless. Don't do that, get first the visa, then the ticket.
  • International Drivers Permit: You want to travel inside the country by car? While there are countries which allow you to drive cars with your home license for a limited amount of time, for most countries you need an IDP which allows you to drive cars. Don't forget Rule No. 1: Inform yourself about the traffic laws and the traffic situation.
  • Vaccination certificate. Some countries only allow people to enter which have been vaccinated against specific diseases.
  • Credit card/Debit card/Cash. While you don't need a credit card at all in e.g. Germany, holiday in the USA will be almost impossible without a credit card. Some third world countries do not accept credit cards at all (and if they accept it, watch out. One joker in a bank (!!) tried to booked the money two times). Sweden on the other hand is almost cashless. So inform yourself what money form is available.

Rule Number Three: Don't forget important things and arrange a channel of communication if things run bad.

Because you cannot get things once your plane lifted off, you must be sure that you have everything inside your luggage. I have a list of things which I tick off when I travel. Please also look that you don't put forbidden things in your hand luggage which will be confiscated at the airport. I also have a list of phone numbers/emails of different people if something goes awry and I need help or inform others what happened (Or if something happens to me, police/ambulance can contact my contact persons). Don't use a single person because it is a single point of failure: The person can get sick, have an accident, whatever.

Have a nice holiday.

Hanky Panky
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Thorsten S.
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    I think a person could get by quite well in the USA with only cash. Credit cards are more convenient, sure, but I can't remember ever buying something from a business here that wouldn't accept cash at all. (Excluding online purchases, of course.) – David Z Dec 07 '17 at 01:16
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    @DavidZ -- the usual "no cash here" culprits in the USA are hotel rooms and car rentals – UnrecognizedFallingObject Dec 07 '17 at 01:17
  • These are all absolutely great ideas! I appreciate you taking the time to write this out — thanks ever so much. – Connor Gurney Dec 07 '17 at 01:20
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    Addendum to #3, assume checked luggage will be lost or delayed. Make sure everything you must have is in you carry-on. – Bob Dec 07 '17 at 04:55
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    If you don't have a credit or debit card, there are alternatives. In the UK the Post Office offer a Travel Money Card, which is just a pre-paid card with foreign currency on it. They even support multiple currencies on the same card. Of course, if you do have a credit or debit card it's worth checking what kind of fees you'd pay for foreign currency transactions. Even if you do pay a fee it may still be cheaper than the exchange rate you get from the Post Office for adding foreign currency to the card. Mine has the MasterCard logo on it, so should be accepted anywhere that accepts MasterCard. – Anthony Grist Dec 07 '17 at 10:12
  • My absolute 'must-haves' for travelling abroad is my Monzo Debit Card (yes - they do current accounts now) and my Halifax Clarity Credit Card. They do not have the extortionate 3-4% charge for withdrawing (to a limit) or purchasing in another currency (plus they have easy to use apps to track spending etc.). Both have saved me A LOT of money over the past few years! Have a great trip. – tda Dec 07 '17 at 10:19
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    In addition to Rule 3 - The local emergency numbers can be very important. Throughout Europe 112 should work, but I still meet a number of North Americans who are shocked that 911 won't work in Europe (and presumably a percentage of British people who don't know 999 won't universally work abroad). – pwdst Dec 07 '17 at 14:58
  • @pwdst 112 works on GSM networks all over the world, even in places that don't normally use 112. The only people that have to watch are ones that use non-GSM networks (e.g. Sprint and Verizon in the US). – Jim MacKenzie Dec 07 '17 at 18:23
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    @JimMacKenzie I won't pretend to be an expert but although 112 is part of the GSM standard, it is only listed as being implemented in 90 of 195 world countries on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/112_(emergency_telephone_number) - it also won't necessarily work on landlines and isn't always the number for all emergency services. Looking up the local emergency numbers could still conceivably save your life or that of someone else. – pwdst Dec 07 '17 at 19:26
  • @pwdst That's a fair point. It works everywhere that has a simple nationwide emergency dialing number (999, 112, 911, etc.), but some countries may lack that system. – Jim MacKenzie Dec 07 '17 at 19:44
  • An "International Driver's License" is just a translation of your license. It is useless in any Western country. You can use your US license in Europe during your stay as a tourist. After you take up residency you have a specific time to get a local license, but that is not applicable here. Don't waste any money on a IDL. – Karl-Henry Martinsson Dec 07 '17 at 21:11
  • @Karl-HenryMartinsson The OP was asking for general advice concering international trips. If I would have limited the advice to Western countries, I could have also skipped vaccination certificates. And even your answer is wrong, several countries including Spain, Italy (Western enough?) and the new countries Poland and Hungary do require an IDP per law; the police may ignore it at goodwill, but you cannot rely on that. – Thorsten S. Dec 07 '17 at 22:09
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    Rule Number Four - buy a few locals the beverage of their choice and pick their brains on good places to visit. – Laconic Droid Dec 08 '17 at 00:31
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The UK and Ireland are both in the Common Travel Area, which is an "open borders" area agreed to by the UK and Ireland. As a result, it is not required for you to bring your passport, but just photo ID. However, note that some air carriers (eg. RyanAir according to that article) may require you to bring a passport anyway. Bring yours, and keep it with you at all times.

If you have an ATM card, you should be able to withdraw Euros in Ireland from your UK bank account. Notify your bank first that you are travelling, to make sure they don't block your account for possible fraud (seems unlikely between UK-Ireland, but you never know what might trigger a fraud alert). If you have a credit card, it should work with no special action required.

Greg Hewgill
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  • Thank you! It's great to know that I won't be having to convert between pounds and Euros. – Connor Gurney Dec 06 '17 at 23:31
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    @ConnorGurney I'd recommend doing it beforehand anyways. ATM conversion fees can be quite high. – ave Dec 07 '17 at 07:36
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    You should almost certainly use your current account cash card (debit card) to get cash out, rather than a credit card. The credit card company would probably treat it as a cash advance, which can mean higher fees and interest. Best of all, check with each bank or card issuer what the charges would be. Usually on a UK debit card you pay about 2.5 - 3 % on top of the standard Visa or Mastercard exchange rate. – nekomatic Dec 07 '17 at 09:23
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    ^ unless you get a Monzo card... 0% fees on withdrawals up to £200 a month abroad! Saved me a fair amount of money over the past year! – tda Dec 07 '17 at 10:21
  • If you exchange Euros at home, do not get bills larger than 50 euros because a lot of shops do not accept them (maybe only because they do not have enaugh small change to pay you out). About ATMs: Since withdrawing with a bank accound card costs a fee, you may try to withdraw more money (like 300, 400€) at once. However, banks may have additional limits and you may run into an error anyhow. Try a smaller amount then. – Matthias Ronge Dec 07 '17 at 12:21
  • Don't forget about Apple / Android pay. Most places in Dublin will accept both. – Laconic Droid Dec 08 '17 at 00:32
  • Ah, thanks all — this is why I posted my question as I'd have never thought about any of your points! – Connor Gurney Dec 08 '17 at 19:43
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Many great answers already here. Some more points on “arrange a channel of communication”:

  • If you want to take your mobile phone with you, you should consider the following: Find out if your contract supports roaming (use in other countries) at all, and what it costs. Incoming calls cost, incoming SMS cost, calls being redirected to the mailbox may not cost or may cost twice (once for redirecting to the other country and once for redirecting back), you may want to disable it. There may be substantial additional costs for the usage of data. Find out if your holiday location offers free wifi, and at what speed. Some may say “free wifi” but data rate is so low you cannot skype/whatsapp call sensibly. I never tried it but it is also common practice to get a local prepaid card at your destination country. Some phones support multiple SIM cards which makes this easier. For US/European travellers: Cell phone radio frequencies differ in US and Europe, so some phone handsets may not work at all when travelling between them. In Europe and in general cell phones have SIM cards, in the US not all. In cell phones without SIM cards obviously will not be able to use a local SIM card. Inform yourself before you travel.
  • Find out how to call your home country. In all Europe, this is usually double zero, international code, full phone number without first zero. There are differences in other countries (I know of USA, Chile, Italy).
pwdst
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Matthias Ronge
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    There will be no additional charges for a UK SIM roaming in Ireland (or anywhere else in the EU). – Calchas Dec 07 '17 at 19:47
  • With the prevalence of mobile phones these days, the international dialling code is pretty much a dead thing - just make sure your contacts have the right plus code (+44 for the UK) preceding them (replacing the leading 0 for UK numbers) and the network does the rest automatically. –  Dec 07 '17 at 22:33
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    Your second point especially made me think... Thanks! – Connor Gurney Dec 08 '17 at 01:04
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As British/EU citizens travelling to Ireland, you shouldn't have too many difficulties - no visas needed, they speak English, and your phones and bank cards will almost certainly work in Ireland just like at home, though you will need to 'convert' your phone numbers to international codes (ie. 01234 567890 will become 0044 1234 567890).

Do a bit of research before you go. Assuming you are travelling by air, find out how you will get to and from the airport in the UK; and the same in Ireland - Dublin airport has various bus lines and of course taxis ready to take you into the city centre. The airport also has ATMs, so you can grab some Euros to pay for the bus or taxi. Find out the address of the place you are staying and find out how to get there. A taxi will take you straight there, but a bus from the airport might drop you a long way from your accommodation.

Try to travel light. You don't need to take your entire wardrobe and the entire contents of the bathroom; and don't pack away anything you might need during the journey (passports, tickets, money, phones, medication, etc).

Airports are restrictive on what you can take through security and onto the plane, so find out what those rules are. No one likes having their stuff confiscated by security.

Nick
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  • He doesn't say he's flying, and you can take pretty much whatever you want onto a ferry. There's no security screening (except perhaps for known criminal suspects). – Mike Scott Dec 08 '17 at 08:12
  • @MikeScott: Should have mentioned that — I'm flying with Ryanair from Manchester. – Connor Gurney Dec 08 '17 at 13:05