We Should Move Here Travels
Searching for our new home while traveling the world ✈️🏡✨
We Should Move Here Travels is a hybrid audio and video travel podcast that follows a couple’s journey exploring cities and countries internationally. Each episode dives into authentic local experiences, walkability, food culture, community vibe, and potential for relocation. Join them as they uncover hidden gems, share honest insights, and contemplate what it’s really like to move and live abroad.
We Should Move Here Travels
Prepare Like a Pro: Making Your First International Trip Easy
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First International Trip? Essential Packing, Travel-Day, and Planning Tips (We Wish We Knew!)
Brittany and Josh share practical tips they wish they’d known before their first international trips, covering what to pack and how to plan. They emphasize bringing outlet adapters, a warm layer even in hot destinations, and any items you can’t easily replace abroad (medications, vitamins, retainers/cleaner, hearing aids/chargers), plus being mindful of size-inclusive clothing availability. They stress verifying passports, IDs, phone plans, and that credit/debit cards aren’t expired, and carrying multiple backup cards. Brittany recommends organizing with packing cubes and keeping a spare change of clothes in a personal item, while Josh highlights water-resistant footwear. For travel days, they suggest comfortable layers, compression socks, a light rain jacket with zippered pockets for essentials, wired plane-compatible headphones, and skincare. They also recommend mixing planned tours with unstructured exploration, saving food spots in Google Maps, using AllTrails for hikes, and sharing travel details with family.
00:00 Welcome and Overview
01:36 Packing Essentials Checklist
05:27 Documents Money and Liquids
08:37 Packing Cubes Strategy
11:55 Shoes and Travel Day Outfit
14:46 Plane Comfort and Sleep Tips
20:28 Phone Plans and Booking Tours
24:11 Flexible Itinerary and Local Tips
27:10 Backups Safety and Expiration Checks
30:18 Upcoming Trips and Wrap Up
@WSMHtravels
Hello, and welcome to the We Should Move Here Travels podcast. My name is Brittany.
JoshI'm Josh.
britAnd we are your hosts. Today, we are gonna be talking about how to prepare for your first ever international travel adventure. So we got a lot of tips and tricks that I at least wish that I knew. some of them I did know, but if you're a first-time traveler, we got you.
JoshI will say definitely more your side of things. I'm so type B that- I could throw everything into the bag within the last, hour before leaving for a multi-week trip, and I'd probably be totally okay with that.
britYes, but even if you are type B, you can listen to this episode and make sure you got everything squared away.
JoshOh, yeah, for sure. There's definitely some things on here that I'm like, "Yeah, wish I knew that."
britLike, this would be the episode that you should have watched before going to Thailand.
JoshYeah. Yeah, probably.
britYeah. Absolutely.
JoshWould've made me think a little harder, but you know what? It is what it is.
britfor this episode, we'll be going back in time and talking about what we wished we knew, what we learned, and what we think others should know before going on their first international trip. first up is very type A of me, but It's so important to have this list. So it's things to make sure that you pack, because you don't wanna miss some things and not be able to get them. Some of these you definitely could be able to get, but it's important to plan ahead. the first one I have on here is outlets. So they make outlet adapters for the country that you're going to. If you don't know this, other countries have different outlets. US plug-ins will not work in other countries that use other outlets, so you need an adapter. That is something I did not know before going to Italy. I didn't know a whole lot of things before going- to Italy, to be honest. but you had mentioned the outlet adapter, and I was like, "Oh, okay." You already knew all about it, so good to go there.
JoshYeah, definitely something ideally that you have going in. It is not the end of the world because Lots of countries know that they have tourists coming who might forget, misplace, need an adapter. You can usually get them at an airport or like a store while you're there. But also because so many things have gone to like a USB 2, some sort of connection-
britYeah
Joshlots of hotels have USB, wall outlet plug-ins. So as long as you have like your phone cord that has a USB on one side, you can get a wall plug-in on the other side that you can buy in that country.
britYou definitely will be able to buy outlet adapters and, phone chargers-
JoshMm-hmm
britfrom that country, uh, in stores. But it might be cheaper to get them while you're preparing for the trip.
JoshYeah, you definitely wanna be prepared for your trip.
britMm-hmm.
JoshIf you forget though, not the complete end of the world.
britYeah. Agreed. I put at least one sweater and pants Even if you're going in warm weather season. This is mainly because I remember in a couple different countries, I didn't have warm enough clothes, and I love to be snuggled up in the bed in warm clothes and just feel, you know, comfortable. And sometimes with the AC, not typical with, um, countries in Europe, but there were times where I felt too cold. So definitely pack that even if you think there's no way you're gonna wear 'em. There might be a day where you just wanna be comfy, cozy, inside in a well AC'd area. And then I also wrote down things that you cannot buy. So you can buy mostly everything you need, right?
JoshMm-hmm.
britHowever, for me, I cannot buy my retainers or my retainer cleaner in stores in another country. My phone. I wear hearing aids, so my hearing aids and my charger for my hearing aids. Any vitamins. If you have specific vitamins, try to stay con- consistent with those. I certainly do, and I always fail. But medications. You might be able to get medications at a local pharmacy in the country that you're going to, however, it might be a hassle, so just pack your medications. and also some countries have a lack of size-inclusive clothing, so be aware if you live in a larger body and you're traveling outside of the country, clothes might not be available for you. and then obviously your passport with another ID
JoshThis one I wrote down, and I think it's so fitting that I put it and you did not. But- make sure that you bring a passport with you when you're going on a trip, especially verify before you leave your house to the airport or wherever you go to then proceed to the airport. And also bring an ID with you, preferably a driver's license. Even if you don't plan on driving, you never know what might happen, and a driver's license will be useful.
britAbsolutely. And bring cards, credit cards.
JoshMm-hmm.
britUh, definitely have one and then a spare- Yep credit card, and bring a debit card that is not expired. If you wanna hear a funny story about that, go listen to our Germany episode.
JoshVery funny story. By the way, both of those passport and credit cards, we just thought of as doing this list.
britYeah. There's gonna be so many more things that we are not gonna touch on or that we're gonna forget-
JoshMm-hmm
britas we always do, honestly. Packing, like we always forget something, and that's fine. Just make sure to remember the things that you cannot buy, and that's very specific to you.
JoshSo many things. We all live different lives.
britMm-hmm.
JoshWe all need something different, and, you know, some countries just don't have what we need.
britAnd then the obvious things should come along, like your toothbrush, your toothpaste, clothes, a swimsuit, phone chargers, things like that. Obvious things should come. I will say all liquids need to fit inside a quart-size bag unless you're checking your bag. So any carry-on liquids need to be in a quart-size bag. I think it's different for different countries. However, this is, like, the ground rule of, if they follow that rule, then that's what it needs to be. And honestly, airports change their mind every two seconds, so just do it. That's... I always do because they change their minds so much. but I didn't know that before traveling internationally, that it had to be in a quart-size bag.
JoshYeah, usually when you book your tickets, it gives you this long list of things to bring and you can't bring.
britMm-hmm.
JoshAnd it's in there, 'cause we usually all just hit next, next, next and book. We typically just go for at least one of us just checking our roller carry-on.
britMm-hmm.
JoshThat way we don't have to worry about it. It's not an issue then what size, how much, if something needs to be dumped out, whatever. Mm-hmm. It just gets, it just gets checked.
britYeah. Except for the liquids that you're gonna want on the plane- Mm-hmm which we'll get to.
JoshYeah.
britThis is also very type A of me
JoshThis is so type A
britHowever, It's helped me so much, and I love this system. So pack in space-saving cubes and organize the cubes. So one cube has a change of clothes, including a spare pair of socks and underwear. You never know what's gonna happen in an airport. This cube with your spare pair of clothes and everything, this should stay with you on the plane. So you're gonna have probably a backpack or a larger sized bag where you can put that cube, and you're gonna keep that with you on the plane. That is not gonna get checked because you never know what could happen. You could get a mimosa spilt all over you in the airport, I got 12 more hours of travel."
JoshAnd I got orange juice and champagne all over me.
britThat might be a story from an actual thing that happened
JoshYou never know. It could be.
britNo, everything was good. I actually opened up my suitcase though and found a spare pair of clothes, but ever since then, I, I mean, it made me learn my lesson. I need to pack a spare pair of clothes in my backpack.
JoshMm-hmm.
britso that cube should go with you. Another cube, and these all can be in your checked luggage. Another cube could have the extra stuff like toothbrush, toothpaste, chargers, stuff like that. Miscellaneous stuff can all go in one cube. another cube has all underwear, socks, and maybe a sweatshirt or a jacket depending on where you're going. I think it's really important to always bring a jacket though. You never know. Another cube could have pants, shorts, tops, and dresses. and this way it's easier to unpack at your stops along the trip, and if you're going to several stops, it's also easier to pack back up because you're not gonna use everything in the cubes. You can leave some in there, unpack what you think you're gonna use, and then pack them back in the cubes. So easy You don't do it this way?
JoshNo. This, just listening to you talk about this, I'm like, "Oh my God, just throw it in the
britbag." That's crazy to me. No.
JoshIt's, I mean, part of my brain is like, "Yeah, that makes sense." Other part's like- "It's gonna get messed up anyways. This does not matter to us."
britIt matters to me, and it doesn't get messed up if you do it the right way.
JoshThank goodness that we travel with separate bags.
britI would drive myself crazy If we didn't. But yes, those are my packing tips for traveling internationally. Do you have any packing tips?
JoshI think-
britThrow it all in there?
JoshYeah, throw it all in there. You know, I agree with most of it, minus the total Type A style of packing, but having footwear that is like a water-resistant-
britMm.
JoshYeah footwear, especially if you are traveling to where it might be misty, rainy often. Because if, like me, most of the time you travel with like mesh walking shoes or running shoes that aren't-
britMm-hmm
Joshyou're just gonna have wet feet all the time, which is horrid, horrible.
britYeah. But- Wet socks.
JoshRight. Yeah. Not fun.
britUgh.
JoshSo if you're traveling to some place where you think you're gonna do, just like a lot of walking, but maybe do some hikes, if you're hiking most likely you're gonna have a water-resistant boot. Mm-hmm. If not, probably a good idea. but just have a pair of walking shoes or if you like to dress nice one of your shoes be a water-resistant shoe.
britYeah.
JoshMm-hmm. Because that is... Some people love, uh, traveling and shopping for those things and maybe for more expensive items. I do not. I like to know what I'm bringing with, so I always have like one shoe that's like a walking shoe so if I know it's gonna be a nice day. It's breathy, it's airy, it's light, but I always have a shoe that has, uh, a leather casing that's water-resistant.
britYeah. That is such a good tip. And you told me that, particularly when we went to Japan, Scotland, and Ireland I think is when I started bringing my water-resistant shoes.
JoshMm-hmm.
britCause I mean, in those places it's very common to rain. for the actual travel days, I would suggest travel in comfortable clothes. For me, that is leggings, a T-shirt, and a cardigan. Make sure you bring some kind of sweater. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've been on a plane and it has been absolutely freezing, and I run hot, okay? I'm very warm-blooded. We all are, I know, ha ha ha. But I run hot- Mm-hmm and I have been freezing on planes. Mm-hmm. So always keep a sweater. No matter how hot it is outside, when you're in the air in that plane, you don't know what it's gonna be like
JoshFor me, travel days, Really comfortable, relaxed clothing. I am gonna be wearing my joggers. I'm gonna be wearing my comfortable running shoes that I don't run in. They're just really comfortable. Um, I'm gonna be wearing compression socks, which I see you have written down on the list-
britYes
Joshbecause they help keep my toes warm. When I have not worn them, sometimes you get a little lower leg swelling 'cause you're sitting down so much, and my toes go cold. Compression socks help me out a ton with that.
britMm-hmm.
JoshBut also, this might be a travel day tip I love to wear a light rain jacket- Mm every single time I travel on a plane. One, if someone were to happen to spill a mimosa on me- I'm most likely wearing my rain jacket. Lots easier to clean and wipe off than, like, a cotton shirt.
britYeah.
JoshAnything like that. Or, you know, you, you wipe it off and then you can just carry it a- around while it dries. Also, I make sure it's a rain jacket with zipper pockets because I keep everything in there. Mm-hmm. I keep our passports in a zippered pocket closed up. Nothing can spill on it. I know where they are. I keep a, uh, pair of headphones that are, like, a firm connection, not just, like, earbuds. Um, then they don't have to be awkwardly hanging off a backpack or in a backpack I have to dig around in.
britMm-hmm.
JoshUh, any sort of sleeping medication to help me sleep on a plane, I keep it, like, in a separate inner pocket.
britYeah.
JoshAnything you wanna bring, I put in, in those zipper pockets, and then I just know if I got that jacket, everything's in there. Wallet, everything.
britYeah. That is so helpful, too. As a, uh, traveling princess- even though I'm type A and he's type B, he takes care of everything once we're there. I just take care of a lot of the planning beforehand. Um, but while we're there he takes care of, like, passports and everything, like he said. So That's a really helpful tip to make sure you have some sort of jacket to put everything in. Mm-hmm. Or even a bag- Mm-hmm if you have, like, a bag that you always keep with you.
JoshMm-hmm.
britI think that's important, yeah.
JoshI just think the jacket is helpful because if it's, like, a water-resistant, like, rain-resistant jacket, typically it's also wind. So then if you are on a colder airplane, it's kind of li- Airplane? Airplane. If you, if you're on an airplane that is colder, it's kind of like a sheet almost, so it's not too heavy, keeps you too warm. Uh, also, if you get off at your destination and it's raining right away, and it's one of those places where they take you off and you get on a bus-
britOh
Joshand it's raining between that little bit- I
brithate that
Joshthen you got a rain jacket on already.
britYeah, that's fair.
JoshMm-hmm.
britThat is a good tip. Absolutely. And the compression socks too, I think that was a really good tip because, compression socks, they help with every aspect of travel. When you're walking around, when you're sitting down so much, like, it just helps the blood flow. Mm-hmm. And you'd be surprised. you can be a pretty active person and still have issues with swelling when you're traveling.
JoshMm-hmm.
britIt's so common and so normal. I think alongside that too, I would recommend not eating a lot of salt and not, I know, this is gonna be very controversial, but not drinking day of. Like, there have definitely been times where we've had situations where we've had a beer in an airport, right? Several times. However It will make your legs swell if you have a long trip of, ahead of you.
JoshMm-hmm.
britSo not just your legs, but your hands as well. just keep that in mind.
JoshYeah. If any of that bothers you, I mean, it's better off to just not, not drink, not have a ton of salt. If you're worried about, you know, falling asleep, just take like a melatonin.
britYeah. This is not medical advice.
JoshNot medical
britadvice. But yeah. Mm-hmm. I think you take a melatonin mixed with a magnesium glycinate.
JoshMm-hmm. Yeah. I take one pill of each, which is like the magnesium glycinate is like 25% of your daily magnesium, and the melatonin is like five milligrams, I think.
britYeah. Really- Very low dosage
Joshbut that, that'll knock me out on a plane.
britYeah.
JoshMm-hmm.
britBut again, not medical advice. It's
Joshnot medical advice. We are not doctors.
britWe are not doctors. another thing that I would recommend for the travel day is headphones that plug into the plane screen. Headphones that are not wireless and can plug in. Although a lot of planes now have the Bluetooth connection where they can connect to a wireless earbud, I would just always stick with the comfortable option of plugging it in and you know it's gonna work. they do provide you with headphones, but they're kind of uncomfortable. Yeah. Also, something I do on every single long trip is I make sure I bring my skincare, because if I don't, I will look like a scaly fish walking off of that plane. Mm-hmm. I'm not kidding. If you have dry skin, Traveling will affect it so much more. And then another type A thing of me is to plan ahead. So make sure you plan your phone to be working-
JoshMm-hmm
britunlike Josh in Thailand.
JoshYeah, you, you don't wanna be overly trusting of people to help you out with your phone and just freely hand it over to people. That was a 25-year-old Josh thing that I did. We talked about it in our solo travel episode, really funny. Go listen to it. But yeah, totally. Have your phone plan set up. Double-check that your plan works in the country you're in. Most of the big carriers now do. Like, we have T-Mobile and Verizon.
britMm-hmm.
JoshThose work in the vast majority of countries, but you can double-check.
britYeah, absolutely. And once you're in the country that you're in, make sure you plan ahead. not every single minute needs to be planned, but make sure that you have some plans of things that you're looking forward to. So for us, we love to plan food, culture, or history tours through Viator, GetYourGuide, or TripAdvisor. Sometimes we'll find some on really unique websites as well, or the company's actual website. Mm-hmm. Like I s- I think Secret Food Tours, we've booked through their website directly.
JoshYep.
britbut we just like to have a couple tours here and there to kind of set us up for the trip, and we really like to have a good food, culture, or history tour in the beginning-
JoshMm-hmm
britof where we're staying because then we kind of have a layout of the land from the food tour, and we've learned a lot, and if we really like a place, we can go back and have an entire meal there-
JoshMm-hmm
britwhich is great. So highly recommend doing that.
JoshNo notes.
britAnd then if you are a foodie, find places beforehand that you want to eat at and save them in your Google Maps. So in Google Maps you can look up a restaurant, and it'll say save on the bottom, and you can save to your want to go places. Then once you're there, all you have to do is bring up your Google Maps, and there's a bunch of pins around you. And if you're in the area, just go to the, the nearest pin and you'll find a spot you wanted to go to or you had already researched.
JoshMm-hmm
britOther things that we've planned or spontaneously done on trips are escape rooms, swimming days, or hikes. However, we have planned ahead some of our hikes, and then some of them we just planned, like, the day of or day before. So you can do this by saving them on the AllTrails app, and then when you're in the area, again, you can just look at the map and see where you are and see what hikes are near you. Really great app. Recommend it.
JoshYeah, I would say it's also good to have many more kind of scoped out that you might not plan on doing but that you just have listed. And then if you get to know some locals, having conversation with them like we've done- Mm-hmm like, "Oh, h- thinking about going hiking here. What do you think?" Sometimes they're like, "That's great, but you want something even better, maybe a little less popular." And then they can point out something else to you. So just to kind of have a list of, These are what we're thinking of. Someone else might be able to give you a better idea.
britYeah, absolutely. And also, like, while you're there, talk to the locals.
JoshMm.
britLike, that is how we have found half of the shit that we've done that's just so incredibly amazing. Like, a lot of the hikes in Ireland that we did, we found through locals. Mm-hmm. And the AllTrails app, but locals have r- also really recommended them, so.
Joshand we definitely don't talk to locals enough as we should. We gotta do more of it as well.
britI agree, yeah. Like, we talk to locals, but, we're just not very, like, outgoing.
JoshYeah.
britalso make sure to leave some time open, though, because again, some of our best moments have been when we've planned absolutely nothing. when we're just walking around a new city and exploring and have absolutely no plans, that's some of my favorite times with you.
JoshI think we typically try to leave one day in a city-
britMm-hmm
Joshcompletely open of plans. It's usually kind of our second or third day. We typically have three to four complete days in a city. Second or third day is usually our completely open day. First day, like you said, we have it planned out with a kind of like a walking history tour of the city or a food city tour, something like that. And then the second day, now that we have our bearings, we kinda walk, get our coffee, and then we're like, "Oh, let's go do this," or, "Walk by this place." And then we also got ideas for lunch and dinner, and it just kinda all works.
britMm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It really does, yeah. I appreciate the days that we leave open just as much as I appreciate the days where we have so much planned. Mm-hmm. Like, it's really a give and take, and I think it's... It depends on who you are as well. You might not like having a lot of plans, and you might hate the idea of having a food tour that you need to be at at a specific time. That might not be your thing. Maybe give it a try, but i- if you don't like it, that's totally fine. but you might also be a type of person that really likes to have things completely planned, like every single day. So I think it's also very individual of what you like.
JoshLike we've mentioned so many times, you just do your own thing. Figure out what you like and do it. Yeah. Don't listen to anyone else that you have to do this thing, you have to go see this thing, do this thing. Some of them are valid, but you do you.
britEven if we say something that you're like, "That doesn't sound like me," then don't do it.
JoshYeah. If you don't wanna bring your passport on an international trip- you go ahead. You don't bring your passport, I'm sure you'll get really far.
britNo. You, you have to bring your passport, people.
JoshYeah. I... Oh, man. I think- The obvious one, of course, is bring your passport, bring your identification. But I don't know if I can say how important it is to have one credit card- and then have at least, I would say, two more. You have a backup for your backup.
britYeah.
JoshAnd
brityou- No, that's so important. You got your credit card eaten at an ATM-
JoshMm-hmm
britin, where were we? Germany?
Joshwe were in Belgium.
britWe were in Belgium.
JoshMm-hmm.
britAnd you got your credit card eaten.
JoshYep. I was, it was actually my debit card, and I was getting out money because you need to have cash on hand for Oktoberfest. And I was like, "You know what? I'll just get it now, and then I don't have to worry about finding an ATM or whatever around Oktoberfest." Put it in, eaten. But, uh, we did have backups, and we did have spare cards. We won't go through the whole story again. listen to Germany episode. Really funny story, and explains perfectly the importance of having several backup cards and the importance of verifying when they expire. Yes.
britYes. Very, very important.
JoshYeah, I, I think that's another one. Anything that could expire, verify it. Phone plan, verify. Paid and not expiring. Passport, not expiring. Credit cards, debit cards, not expiring.
britMm-hmm.
JoshMedication, not expiring.
britMm-hmm. There's so much that we have learned, but these are just, like, the biggest tips, I think. And, like, the credit cards, obviously, that's so important.
JoshMm-hmm. Because we have, are fortunate enough to have loving and caring parents and individuals that care about us Giving them the majority of our travel information beforehand just in case anything were to ever happen
britYeah. I always s- give my mom, like, our flight information and stuff like that so that she knows, and I update her and my dad as well when we travel, just in case. Like, you never know what's gonna happen. And we've said it before, and we'll say it again, you're safer, honestly, in another country right now statistically-
JoshMm-hmm
britspeaking, but that doesn't mean you're 100% safe, right? So- Mm-hmm you still gotta be smart and be aware, And make sure people know where you are
JoshYeah
britCause you're in an unfamiliar place.
JoshMm-hmm. I feel like if we keep talking, we're just gonna keep on coming up with little tidbits here and there. But I think for the most part, those are the, the biggest things for sure.
britYeah. And if you have any specific questions on things that, maybe we would know, or if you have any additional tips that we don't know- Mm-hmm please let us know.
JoshOh my gosh, yes.
britUm, but really if you have any questions, like, just reach out to us. Mm-hmm. We're happy to talk through anything that has to do with travel, so...
JoshYeah. Absolutely.
britSpeaking of travel, we have some plans for some upcoming travel. Lots of local traveling, but also some international plans. So in the next six months we are planning to travel to Madison, Wisconsin; Door County, Wisconsin; Canada; Mineral Point, Wisconsin; Two Rivers, Wisconsin. We're gonna be camping in Wisconsin. we'll also be going to Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and Panda Fest in Chicago, which is a food festival with a bunch of different Asian food trucks, and we are so pumped for it. We'll also be going to Vegas with my dad. We'll be going to California with my mom. And then we will also be checking out Chaska, Minnesota, which is where our wedding venue is next year, and we'll be checking out some local things to do there in the fall. then we are also going to be going to Finland next year.
JoshMm-hmm
britthat's kind of our n- next six-month plan. Like I said, lots of local travel, but I think it'll make for some good episodes, 'cause we haven't explored in this way in Wisconsin before.
JoshYeah, definitely have not. we've been to some of the places we have on here already, but to kinda do more of a tourist sort of like traveling, kinda what we've been doing for our international trips, in these places as well is gonna be really fun and really nice to do.
britYeah, and to consider living in these places. Mm-hmm. Like, who knows, maybe we love a town here in Wisconsin and maybe we move there.
Joshjust like anything else, if anyone has any suggestions for any place in Wisconsin or nearby states, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, anywhere within a short driving distance, even Canada just north of us, let us know.
britYes, please do. Don't forget to like, subscribe and follow on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube @wsmhtravels.
JoshYou can listen to our podcasts on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube. YouTube is where we have our video record version, including pictures and videos from our trips. Please continue to leave your comments and send us messages on what you liked from our trips and suggestions for future trips. We really appreciate it.
britThank you so much for listening. Until next time