How to choose your first overseas destination?

on July 13, I traveled abroad for the first time to the Philippines, and in September of that year, I went to Iran and Turkey, and in December of that year, I made my first self-driving trip in California. In about three years since I first went abroad in 2013, I have been to 22 countries and different cities, large and small, where there are relatively unpopular choices such as Iran, Mexico, and Slovenia. of course, there are also hot spots like the United States, France, and Italy, from visa-free Indonesia and Thailand to European and American countries that are relatively difficult to apply for visas.

Travel is an addictive thing. When I was a child, I watched Arabian Nights, in which there was a story called The Adventures of Sinbad. At that time, I didn't understand why Sinbad, who already had the splendor and wealth, gave up his stable life, again and again, to take risks, until the moment he hit the road. Only then can I understand that this feeling of "on the road" is better than anything I have ever experienced in the past.

the rapid development of technology is destined to make it impossible for us to take risks like people did thousands of years ago. Most of the land you set foot on has been there before, or you already know a thing or two through photos on social networking sites. But as I saw in a friend's Douban log not long ago:

"There are some tips that you can't imagine sitting in front of a computer."

since I started traveling, I've solved a lot of things that seemed big to me before, including a visa. For example, last Thursday, I just finished all the materials myself and sent my passport to the Israeli embassy. Chinese citizens need visas to go to many countries., apart from those island resorts, most of the regions and countries where tourism does not account for the bulk of the economy need visas for Chinese citizens. Fortunately, visas are getting easier and easier in the past two years, and more and more people are traveling abroad.

well, I won't say much about the digression, and then I'll tell you, "how do you choose your first overseas destination?" The original intention of writing this article is also because this question is the most popular question I asked by bean mail, so it is better to write an article at one time to tell you.

when you go abroad for the first time, it is generally recommended to go to a country that is visa-free or relatively easy to get a visa. But this is not absolute, because I applied for a visa for the first time in the United States visa, and successfully issued it. Developed countries generally have relatively high requirements for savings and work, and some countries are so unkind that you have to put a stamp on your passport page if you refuse to sign, and you can't tear it off (roommate rabbit was created by the French consulate). So the teacher's advice is to try visa-free and visa-on-arrival countries. Generally speaking, customs will not refuse you entry without reason.

at present, there are relatively few countries that are visa-free for China. Visa on arrival is more common. The more popular destinations in Asia are Thailand and Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon and Jordan in the Middle East, and Azerbaijan in Europe. Turkey's E-VISA is also very convenient. There are no requirements for materials. You can pay for a visa, print it out, and use it. After June 1, Morocco will also grant visa-free access to China.

Get every eye on you in our 50s style wedding dresses tea length. Easy to use and great value too.

some countries are not visa-free for you if they are white passports, but if you have a developed country visa (generally speaking, the United States visa), these countries include but are not limited to, Georgia, Mexico, Chile, the Philippines, and so on. Generally speaking, it is recommended that after you apply for a visa to the United States, you can join the visa-free South American countries to play together.

even if you need to apply for a visa, visas in many places will be issued on payment, which is very easy, so don't be afraid. For example, both the Philippines and Iran are countries that can get visas after paying money. Philippine visas can be found casually on Taobao. Take a photo, fill in a form, and send a passport to a travel agency. It is done. The way of applying for visas in this type of country will not be dwelt on. Iran has officially announced that it supports the visa on arrival of the Chinese passport, which means that it is not complicated to apply for an Iranian visa. If you want insurance, it is no problem to apply in Taobao or go directly to the embassy before departure.

generally speaking, if there is less than or only a week's holiday, my advice is to choose a country with a one-way flight time of no more than 5 hours, that is, to travel in Southeast Asia as far as possible, because if the flight time is very long, the time on the plane may cost you a day or two, and it will be more wasteful if it is not a direct flight, so you don't really have much time to play. It is good to choose Japan, South Korea, Thailand, or Southeast Asia for a week's holiday. Dubai in the Middle East can also be included if you like shopping.

if you have a holiday of more than a week, you can consider Europe and the United States. The nearest European city should be Moscow, which can arrive in about 6-8 hours from Beijing. It takes about 10 hours for the three cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou to fly to other European cities such as Istanbul. Flights to the United States usually take more than ten hours, and a direct flight from Shanghai to New York takes about 12.5 hours. In short, when you buy a flight, you can see the length of the flight, and you can arrange the time to choose the destination according to the length of your holiday.

this is easier to understand. Generally speaking, it is easier to choose a destination if you have the customs and customs you want to experience. For example, if you want to explore Eastern Europe, you can choose to fly to Budapest, Prague, or other Eastern European cities. For example, if you like Japanese culture, then Tokyo and Osaka may be your choices.

The travel destination is also linked to what you want to do locally. For example, if you want to buy, it may be good to choose an American city or London; if you are obsessed with history and want to explore the charm of Santa Sophia, then Istanbul is your destination (but it is not the best choice for those who want to buy it, because many limited editions or new models are unlikely. Sold in Turkey). If you like a foodie and Asian cuisine, you may like street snacks in Bangkok or Padang food in Bali.

some people want to go abroad, but always feel that they are very chaotic and afraid of accidents abroad. In that case, it may be better to choose some relatively safe and peaceful cities, such as Japan and South Korea. At present, there is no possibility of war, so it is relatively safe.

for those who want to go to a place and feel that it is not safe to consult me, my advice is "Don't go". For example, Istanbul, because it moved for half a year, often received bean mail asking whether it is safe here. My answer is safe. Since the explosion of the city of Iraq, my friends in Turkey have also said that it is safe so far, but things are unpredictable. Nothing is 100%. Turkey is indeed bordering Syria, so if you are afraid of this and that, it's better not to go there.

this point is also mentioned in visas, including previous articles on travel safety. Don't think that this is a trivial matter, it is very important. For example, right now, Lao Shi has a friend who set out on a free trip to Iran, Armenia, and Turkey. It will take about 45 days. Before leaving, he told me that he had set aside more than 10,000 yuan. I said it was certainly not enough. Now it is indeed serious overspending in Iran. All travel budgets should be more or less in advance so that any unexpected overspending will not get you into trouble.

I spend very little money in Iran, but it is not generally representative, because I live with a friend in Tehran (in fact, his apartment costs about 9000 yuan a month, but the company will be reimbursed). Other friends who have gone to other cities say that prices in Iran are generally not high, but because the international community has lifted nuclear sanctions on Iran, and because more people travel and invest in Iran, many scenic spots have raised prices in the past two years, coupled with their previous closure, there are no international hotel chains and no Airbnb, so it is relatively troublesome to book accommodation.

I think it's better to go earlier before the country is more open. Another thing is that Iran's visa on arrival can only stay for 15 days and cannot be renewed, but the visa applied for in Taobao seems to be able to stay for 30 days. Iran's local area network is even more powerful than China's. It seems that even Wechat has been banned recently, so you have to bear the loneliness of traveling without social networks.

in addition, don't think that the country near us must be cheaper than the country far away. Take Chestnut, for example, Japan and South Korea are both developed countries, so the relative prices of accommodation and catering are relatively high. I haven't been to Japan, so I don't have much say, but I don't think Korea is cheap. If you are not a fan of Korean opera, or if you are fascinated by Bangzi culture, you may, like me, find Korea not much fun.

Mingdong, the so-called commercial center, maybe half as big as Guangzhou Beijing Road or Shanghai Nanjing Road, and it is full of The face shop or Nature republic beauty shops over and over again, but these things can be bought in duty-free shops and cheaper, such as LUSH, which is even more expensive than Hong Kong in the United States, so even the fun of shopping is lost. Maybe Caishan or other cities are more interesting, but I didn't go either.

many people may think that going to Istanbul or other European cities must be more expensive than Japan and South Korea. At present, the air ticket to and from Japan and South Korea costs about 3000, including tax, and the flight usually takes only two or three hours. But if you look it up on the Internet, you will find that the same price is often the same for air tickets to cities such as Istanbul or even Athens. Yicheng is sometimes as low as 2900 yuan, including tax, which is lower than going to Japan and South Korea.

coupled with the fact that prices in Illinois are the same as those in China, even prices in Germany may be lower than those in Japan, and sometimes a trip to Europe may cost less than Japan. Moreover, air tickets depending on the occupancy rate. Delta tickets from Shanghai to Tokyo often cost two or three thousand round trip, but tickets from Shanghai to the United States via Tokyo can often be bought with an additional 1,000 yuan, so the length of the flight may not necessarily have something to do with the price of the ticket.

aside, for me, another uninteresting thing about South Korea is that it is Chinese everywhere. Myeongdong's Sales is either a Chinese student or speaks Mandarin better than Cantonese. Except for a few kimchi and bean sprouts back and forth during meals every day, there is no feeling of being in a foreign country at all. Isn't it boring that you have all gone abroad and traveled the same way as you did at home?

the above is my little summary and some experience. I would be honored if I could help you.