What to Expect When Traveling Out of the Country

I've been traveling out of the country since I was still in Pampers. (Only at night, ok?!) As I've mentioned before on the blog, my dad is from Honduras. We visit every couple years and I get to see my many, many cousins. (My dad is #8 out of 10 kids!) We do a family reunion every couple of years and it's a great time to get to hang out with my huge family.

This December, it isn't time for our scheduled family reunion, but we are going to visit to have a relaxing and fun family winter vacation.

So...I'm not necessarily a "pro" because I haven't been all over the world. However, I have been to Honduras a handful of times and I've waited in the long, hot customs line for more hours than I've probably watched Netflix. Yup. So I'm kinda a pro.

Here's what you need to know about traveling out of the country:

Flights can be long
Luckily, the flight to Honduras is only two and a half hours. Still, it's good to be prepared. Not only do I bring books and magazines with me, but I always take my Evian spray mist. (#notsponsored) It's great to refresh my skin when I get off the airplane and into the hot and humid customs line.

It's different, but good different
As soon as the warm air hits me, I know I'm not in Kansas Texas anymore. I am definitely one to get anxiety in new environments, so I have to really focus on relaxing and not freaking out about being in a new place. Breathe in everything as a new experience!

You'll need to part with your phone data
Not just so you can relax on a vacation, but because data charges. Turn roaming data off and if you're not sure, just put your phone on airplane mode when not on wifi. But when you do find wifi, post a bunch of pictures so everyone can ooh and ahh at your trip.

Be up for trying new things
I am HORRIFIED (all caps because it's so true) of anything that stings. Jellyfish, stingrays, ....what else can sting? Oh, bees. Yes, I hate bees. So on a family vacation a couple of winters back we went swimming with stingrays. I thought about not getting off the boat at all and just taking pictures of my family participating, but then I thought "YOLO", so I jumped off the boat grabbed onto my dad for dear life and swam out to the stingrays. They were actually so gentle and pretty cute!

You never know what "new things" you can try while traveling out of the country. You might try to speak a little bit of a foreign language or try exotic food. Whatever it is, just do it. You may only get that experience once, so you won't want to miss out.

It's pretty easy to fall under the weather
Ask me what my worst fear in the world is. Go on, ask me...

Getting sick away from home.

It's happened to me a couple times and all those times have happened to be some of the worst days ever. Have you ever thrown up 4 times in an outhouse in 100 degree weather? 10/10 would not recommend.

The best way to prevent picking up any germs while traveling abroad is to wash your hands thoroughly, stay hydrated, and don't eat anything that has been sitting out. (We think this is the culprit of the outhouse incident of 2009.)

The weather might be different 
Before my boyfriend Cameron went to study abroad in Ireland this past summer, we spent an hour in Eddie Bauer getting him a rain coat. He tried on a a couple over and over, debating which one was lighter, which would be easier to roll up in his backpack, and which shade of green truly looked best.

It didn't end up raining much on Cam's trip, but the jacket was a good investment for sure. For Honduras, I pack lots of lightweight clothing, bathing suits, and good sneakers for any excursions.




So I'm actually in Honduras right now if you didn't know...#gotcha! My post scheduler is faulty, so Cam is posting this and another one on Thursday to keep up with my normal schedule. (He's the best.)

Be sure you're following me on Twitter and Instagram (@cristina96x on both) to keep up. Thursday's post is really, really near and dear to my heart so stay tuned, ya'll!

Hope your winter break is going swimmingly! (pun intended because I'm swimming like a fish over here!)

X,

Cristina