With spring break coming up, I’m sure many students, like myself, only have one thing on their  minds: vacation. And though nobody wants to think about the preparation part, without it, vacations can quickly turn into a disaster.

So to help you prepare, we interviewed some student traveling connoisseurs – students who have traveled all around the world during previous spring breaks – and asked them for their best travel tips to help you go on break.

“I’ve been to France, England, Dominican Republic, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, and I’m going to Turkey, Greece, and Italy this summer,” Asli Sari, a Junior at Weddington High School, says, “I’ve also been to many states across the U.S.”

Every spring or summer, Asli takes a trip with her family. She loves traveling to explore new areas, meet new people, eat new foods, and engage in tourist activities – she likes to collect fans and perfumes from the countries she travels to. But, she stresses the importance of safety during these adventures.

“Some areas can be more dangerous than others and being a tourist makes you an even bigger target,” she warns. “I would suggest having a lot of zippers to protect against pickpocketers. Also look into the fashion [because] it helps with blending in and not looking as much as a tourist.”

Another big concern for people while traveling is getting lost once you’re there. If you’re in a country with a dominant language that’s different from the one you speak, it’s easy to get confused and struggle with communicating and navigating the area. Asli suggests “you should plan what you want to do ahead of time [and] learn a few basic words, especially if you’re traveling internationally.”

Luckily, with the aid of modern technology, it’s much easier to communicate with others and navigate areas, but it’s still important to know how to get around yourself, in case you find yourself in a situation where you can’t access your phone.

While there’s much to prepare for when you get to your destination, there’s also much preparation that goes into what happens before.

You’ll need to research where you book. Websites like Booking.com and Expedia are generally cited as the best websites to help you book hotels, but you can use whichever site you want. Researching prices, area, and room condition/accommodations are key to finding the best place for your stay. “Research before you go because things can be booked up or expensive,” Asli advises.

And last but not least, though probably the least exciting, you’ll need to prepare for what to pack. Packing can be a slippery slope. We want to be best equipped for the area, but we also don’t want to overpack. 

Imogen Young, another Junior at Weddington High School who often travels to New York, England, and Costa Rica to see friends and family, says to “pack for different types of weather, [like] rain, sun, etc.” This would also require you to do research on your planned destination to know the expected temperature and weather conditions to pack accordingly.

And for the overpackers, Daylin Buie, a Junior at the Central Academy of Technology & Arts (often abbreviated as CATA), suggests, “use those little vacuum packs that let you pack a bunch of clothes and give you more space.” Tools like these can help shrink down the amount of space used and can be especially helpful for people with disabilities who struggle with heavier/bigger items.

In conclusion, it’s important to come prepared. Know the area, take safety precautions, know how to communicate, but most importantly – have fun!