Last Updated: 4/12/21 | April 12th, 2021
A few years back, I went to Sri Lanka and, outside a few facts I’d chosen up by reading the news as well as speaking to good friends over the years, I realized I understood shockingly bit about the country.
I understood it was when ruled by the British, there was a long dispute between the Tamils as well as Sinhalese, the country creates a great deal of tea, it has beyond-delicious food, its funding is Colombo, as well as there are some outstanding jungles as well as beaches to explore.
But, beyond that superficial understanding, I understood nothing.
I couldn’t tell you if the country was affordable or inexpensive, what to see, one famous ruin, security issues, where in the country is prominent to visit, exactly how to get around, what their currency or culture is, or anything in mellem.
Sri Lanka was a blank slate to me.
I never like to go somewhere new blind — it’s a sure-fire method to get ripped off, eat the wrong thing, get sick, make a cultural faux pas, and, generally, have something go badly.
Knowledge is power and, provided that so much info is offered online, I feel like going somewhere without any type of comprehending of that location shows a laziness in your planning as well as a indication that you’re an unskilled traveler.
So, when planning my trip there, I needed to do some preparation. Normally, if I have sufficient of a fundamental comprehending of a place, I just wing it — I’ve been to neighboring countries, understand people, or have checked out sufficient to have an idea. Sri Lanka needed some work.
Faced with a understanding gap, here’s what I did — as well as you should do — when you travel somewhere you’ve never been before:
1. buy a travel Guide
To get started, I bought the rough guide to Sri Lanka. I believe guidebooks are still important for travelers. even though their practical info is commonly out of date, I like looking over them to get an overview of exactly how to get around, type concepts on what to see as well as do, suggest itineraries, as well as look at the maps as well as featured places.
It assists me put together the foundation of my planning. Besides, there’s just something enjoyable about holding a book as well as highlighting locations that reading a blog doesn’t offer.
2. checked out travel Blogs
Next, I went searching for travel blogs. Guidebooks are a great foundation, however blogs can fill in a great deal of spaces as you can discover more updated info as well as off-the-beaten-path destinations, as well as ask concerns of the bloggers. I searched, read, as well as searched some more for material as well as stories that provided me a sense of the destination. For reference, these are the blog posts I read:
The expense of travel in Sri Lanka
A budget plan Traveler’s guide to Sri Lanka
Train travel is the very best method to Travel
Sri Lanka | The Blonde Abroad Archives
3. Ask Friends/Family for Advice
Once I had my guide as well as checked out over some blogs, I asked good friends as well as household for their advice (or if they understood anyone who might provide me advice). It turned out I had a few good friends who had been there just recently as well as a few with household there. They provided me advice, tips, as well as tips on hotels as well as restaurants, as well as they linked me to household members.
Now when I land, I have some people to stay with, show me around, as well as assist me get situated. nothing beats a regional host.
4. Ask other Travelers
With so many people reading this blog, I figured there must be some visitors who had been there. Tweeting, Facebooking, as well as my blog posts created a flurry of messages with tips as well as advice, as well as some from locals looking to satisfy up.
It was incredibly helpful, as well as now I have some people to hang out with when I go!
Since not everybody is a blogger, I would suggest Couchsurfing or The Nomadic Network as an alternative. They are both excellent methods to link with locals as well as travelers alike to get insider tips as well as information.
5. checked out Some Books
Finally, I bought books about the country. As I’ve stated in the past, you can’t understand a location if you don’t understand its history. With a long flight ahead, I bought a few books about Sri Lanka’s history so I can get a much better comprehending of the country’s rich history.
Here’s what I read:
The Cage
Island of a Thousand Mirrors
Elephant Complex
***
Talking to friends, family, readers, as well as blog writers has now provided me a sense of the destination: an affordable, risk-free location with friendly locals, tasty food, as well as sluggish transportation. “Everyone is incredibly nice as well as helpful, however don’t expect to get anywhere quick unless you lease a driver” was the typical refrain.
For the very first time in a long time, I am gotil et sted, jeg forstår intet om. Jeg kan ikke vente med at prøve at rygsæk såvel som at finde ud af tingene på metoden igen! Sri Lanka ser en hel del turister såvel som det ikke er helt “uden for den slagne spor”, men det er anderledes for mig.
Jeg er sikker på, at mine planer, ruter såvel som koncepter vil ændre, når jeg rammer jorden. Men lige nu føler jeg, at jeg har et meget bedre koncept om, hvad jeg får mig selv ind i. Jeg har en fornemmelse af, hvad jeg kan forvente, såvel som det gør mig mere noget behagelig med at besøge.
Du forstår aldrig, hvordan en placering virkelig er op, indtil du går, men nu er fotoet af Sri Lanka ikke en total sløring – det er kommet i meget mere fokus.
At besøge et sted, du forstår lidt om i en region, som du aldrig har været, kan være noget skræmmende. At gå et sted helt anderledes skubber dig ud af din komfortzone såvel som det kan være en vanskelig ting.
Selv efter femten års rejse har jeg stadig en lille mængde nervøsitet, før jeg går.
Sikker på, det forsvinder lige, når jeg lander så godt som jeg tror “Hvad var jeg så bekymret for?” Der er dog den stemme i bagsiden af mit sind, der undertiden går “Er du sikker på, at du vil gøre dette?”
Foretag en smule forskningsundersøgelse for at få en forståelse af en placering muter den stemme.
Dette handler ikke om at arrangere alle dine dage såvel som alle dine aktiviteter. Dette handler bare om at være mere informeret om den destination, du besøger.
Fordi en klog såvel som informeret rejsende er en meget bedre rejsende.
Der er stadig meget at opdage om Sri Lanka, men nu føler jeg mig ikke som om jeg er helt tabt eller uvidende om stedet.
Sådan rejser du verden på $ 50 om dagen
Min New York Times meget populære paperback -guide til verdensrejser lærer dig nøjagtigt, hvordan du mestrer kunsten at rejse for at sikre, at du kommer fra den slagne vej, sparer penge samt har en dybere rejseoplevelse. Det er din A til Z Planning Guide, som BBC kaldte “Bibelen til budgetplanrejsende.”
Klik lige her for at opdage mere såvel som at begynde at læse det i dag!
Book din rejse: logistiske tip såvel som tricks
Book din flyvning
Find en overkommelig flyvning ved at bruge Skyscanner. Det er min foretrukne browse -motor, da den søger på websteder såvel som luftfartsselskaber over hele kloden, så du altid forstår, at der ikke er nogen sten, der ikke er vendt.
Book din indkvartering
Du kan booke dit hostel med HostelWorld. Hvis du vil bo et andet sted end et hostel, skal du bruge Booking.com, da de konsekvent returnerer de billigste priser for gæstehuse såvel som hoteller.
Undlad ikke at huske rejseforsikring
Rejseforsikringsdækning vil beskytte dig mod sygdom, skade, tyveri samt aflysninger. Det er omfattende sikkerhed i situationen, alt går galt. Jeg tager aldrig på en tur uden den, da jeg har været nødt til at bruge den mange gange i fortiden. Min foretrukne forretning, der tilbyder den allerbedste service såvel som værdi er:
Safetywing (bedst for alle)
Forsikre min rejse (for dem over 70)
Medjet (til ekstra evakueringsdækning)
Klar til at booke din rejse?
Tjek min ressourceside for den allerbedste forretning at bruge, når du rejser. Jeg viser alle dem, jeg bruger, når jeg rejser. De er de allerbedste i klassen så godt som du ikke kan gå galt ved at bruge dem på din rejse.