Destressing International Travel

Writing by Kaitlyn Hardy 

Artwork by Marilena Perilli

When planning your next vacation, the entire world is at your fingertips. The choices are endless and complicated. Stressful travel is almost as inevitable as death and taxes. But it doesn’t have to be. We’ve enlisted the help of some local experts to break it down for readers in different stages of life. And with any luck, keep some of this travel anxiety at bay. 

Where to? 

The first course of action is determining where to go. 

Nancy Panzer, travel consultant and owner of Nancy’s Travel By Design, has been working with families, couples and individuals for eight years, finding their perfect vacation destinations. Despite the assistance she provides, she asserts that a destination is in the eye of the beholder. 

“It’s all about who you are,” she says.

And with that in mind, let’s figure out where you should go.

Parents with children

“It’s really specific to what your family wants,” says Panzer. 

In the winter, for example, some families might want a break from the cold, heading south towards the Caribbean, while other families look for cozy snowed-in lodges and skiing in the mountains. Regardless of where your family is vacationing, Panzer recommends staying at an all-inclusive resort when traveling with young children. Rooms, meals and activities are all planned out, taking some of the stress out of traveling with kids. 

“It’s very important that parents feel like they can have a vacation too,” she says. “Meaning there needs to be enough to keep the kids busy.” 

Panzer says destinations in Central America and the Caribbean—such as the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic and Costa Rica—provide a myriad of activities, including hikes, ziplines and horseback riding. They also fit families opting for a more relaxed itinerary of lying on the beach or by the pool. These destinations are shorter trips, which also makes them better for traveling with children.

College students & young adults

For college students and young adults who are traveling alone or with friends,  Europe is perfect for a vacation. Panzer says Europe’s flexibility makes it ideal for this age group. There are many countries to visit, and each one is relatively easy to travel between with public transportation. Plus, there are a range of experiences throughout the continent, from country villas and historic cities to relaxing beaches. Go on hikes, visit historic landmarks, or go on local tours. Panzer highlights London, Sicily, Spain and Ireland. 

Adults ages 30-65 (traveling without children) 

Panzer finds that honeymooners and adults traveling without children tend to seek out more “diverse” places to vacation. She lists countries in the Mediterranean, Southern Asia and South America, and specifically mentions Greece, Indonesia and Argentina. In Greece, for example, experiences can include lying on soft-sand beaches, snorkeling, traversing ancient cities, and taking a sunset cruise. In countries with diverse attractions and topographies, the possibilities are endless. 

For outdoors-y travelers, Panzer recommends destinations such as Patagonia or Antarctica for a real challenge. 

Seniors ages 65 and up

Cruises are a fantastic option for seniors, suggests Panzer. She says they allow for a blend of leisure, sights and adventure. Vacationers can partake in activities and mingle with other guests while on the ship, and when the boat docks, they can choose to disembark and explore the area or stay on board. Panzer also recommends river cruises, which can be smaller and more relaxed than ocean cruises. 

For those who are water-averse, Panzer finds safaris popular among any age group. 

Those with mobility issues should check for or request a travel option with handicap accessibility. 

Forge your own path 

At the end of the day, however, traveling is a personal adventure. You know yourself, your abilities and your tastes better than anyone else could, so craft your vacation according to your own preferences. We offer guidelines, but let your wants and needs take you to where you want to travel.

Saving and spending 

Keeping track of your budget and savings is a challenge, even when you’re not away from home. Luckily, Lisa Summa-Guarino, market leader and vice president at Valley National Bank in Mount Kisco, is itching to share her travel tips. She says she wishes more people would turn to their bankers for vacation saving and spending advice. 

First thing’s first: Summa-Guarino says that, preferably, you should begin preparing for your vacation a year in advance. Start by creating a vacation fund that you can regularly deposit money into. 

“Move $100 a week from checking to savings,” she recommends. “Or when you get paid, put $500 from the check into savings. When you set something up that kind of funds itself automatically, then you don’t have to think about it.” 

College students & young adults traveling alone

Budgeting also applies to those who may not have as hefty a salary to set aside hundreds each week. For teens and young adults, sacrifice small spending—a daily iced coffee or a new pair of shoes—to save up for a trip. Regardless of age, “you need to have the discipline to put that money aside,” Summa-Guarino advises. 

If teens are traveling by themselves, Summa-Guarino recommends parents consider setting up a “pre-loaded gift card,” which can be filled as needed. They can also allot this money to stores or chains they know their children will be around, like Starbucks. 

“Any time you know places away that match what we have here, you can send those gift cards electronically,” she explains. “This gives your teen or young adult safe access to funds.”

Summa-Guarino doesn’t generally recommend exclusively using debit cards while on vacation because they are tied to the holder’s funds. However, for teens and young adults who may not have a credit card to use, debit may be the only option. In this scenario, leave a limited amount of money in the account in case the card is lost or stolen. 

“You could even, day by day, transfer money into the account as you need it,” she suggests.

Bring a currency cocktail

“You want to have a mix of everything,” says Summa-Guarino. “That means credit cards, debit cards and cash. Each is useful for different scenarios, and it’s best to have backup options in case of an emergency.” 

Cash: Exchange currency at your local bank before traveling to avoid currency exchanges abroad, which Summa-Guiarino says may have exorbitant fees. When getting currency before a trip, she recommends setting aside $100 per person per day. Although ordering an exchange from your bank may only take a few days, she suggests initiating it two weeks in advance. 

Credit cards: Prior to your trip, Summa-Guarino advises taking a picture of each card (front and back) that you plan to bring, along with your ID and passport; send this information to a trusted person not traveling with you or traveling somewhere else at the same time as you. If a card is lost or stolen, you can call back home and get the information needed to cancel the card ASAP.

She also recommends bringing multiple cards in case one is lost or stolen, but only bring those that have a free foreign transaction fee. You don’t want to be left without money, and a bank can’t overnight a new card to your vacation destination. When you’re out and about, bring only one card with you—the one with the lower limit—and leave the rest in the safe. This has the added bonus of helping you be more contemplative about your purchases. 

Summa-Guarino says debit cards should be a last ditch effort. Credit cards are safest to use for larger purchases (as long as your cards have free foreign transaction fees), cash for small purchases and debit cards if all else fails. 

Room and board

Summa-Guarino suggests searching for airlines and hotels where you can earn “points” or that have deals with your credit card. 

“IHG [InterContinental Hotels Group] has a number of different hotels, and if you keep staying at places within their group, you earn points that you can redeem for a free night or upgrades,” she explains. 

When going out for meals, “travel off the beaten path,” she suggests. Don’t always go to the restaurants or shops with the most attention on social media, as the increased attention may increase prices as well.

“Go where the locals go,” Summa-Guarino recommends. “People are generally friendly; ask them for recommendations.”

Packing

Out of all the planning and minutiae that goes into traveling, packing can sometimes be the most maddening. Scarlett De Bease, wardrobe stylist and owner of Scarlett Image Consulting in Waccabuc, has spent 18 years helping women curate their closets, and she also has advice on how to pack it into a suitcase.

Less is more

De Bease says the biggest mistakes people make when packing are taking too much and packing at the last-minute. Impulsive packing doesn’t give a traveler time to truly think about the practicality of what they are bringing. 

“Anything you pack has to be able to be worn multiple ways,” De Bease says.

Think of it as a mathematical equation: you are calculating the combinations of clothing and trying to multiply your uses of a singular clothing item. Don’t bring outfits; bring items. 

For example, for 14 days of travel, you should pack two bottoms, four to five tops, and two to three pairs of shoes. Keep in mind that one pair of black pants or jeans can be extremely versatile. 

Also bring accessories, such as jewelry and light scarves, to add variety, which can also come from what De Bease calls “toppers”—anything that can be layered, such as shawls or jackets. 

“Some people tend to pack more bottoms than tops, but you can’t make lots of outfits that way,” she explains. “Accessories are how you can change your outfits and make them different.” 

When traveling to colder climates, layering is the key. De Bease recommends packing at least one long sleeve shirt that can be used as an undershirt beneath sweaters, jackets or toppers—or as a shirt itself. Plus, if you’re packing boots, use them as storage for small items, like socks or other undergarments.

Except for lounging vacations, such as beach destinations, most trips require a lot of walking. Therefore, opt for comfort over style. Or, pack only one pair of style-over-comfort shoes to wear for short periods of time, like nice dinners or events. 

“There’s something so freeing and stress-reducing about carrying a suitcase that’s filled with just the things that are right for you,” says De Bease.

Don’t be afraid of synthetics

De Bease highly recommends synthetic fabrics when traveling. 

“You can roll them in a ball and open them up; there’s not a wrinkle to them, and they don’t take up a lot of room,” she says. 

She specifically recommends clothing made out of modal fabric, which is a “semi-synthetic” eco-friendly fabric made of organic and synthetic materials. It’s more breathable and offers better moisture retention than cotton. 

De Bease also recommends bringing pants made of ponte fabric, which is also made from natural and synthetic materials, including polyester, rayon, spandex, nylon, cotton and linen. 

“It moves like leggings but doesn’t look like you’re wearing leggings,” she says. “Ponte knit pants are fabulous because you can do anything—you can sit cross-legged, you can do downward dog—but it will look like a normal pair of pants. They’re wonderful, and they don’t wrinkle.”

Be resourceful 

The few tops, pants and undergarments you pack for a week or multiple weeks are going to work overtime, but you shouldn’t have to. De Bease says travelers don’t have to buy travel packs of detergent or bring their own; hotel shampoo and soap will do just fine (especially for the fabrics she recommended earlier). 

Additionally, instead of packing large bottles of toiletries, collect travel-sized bottles and free samples, especially for makeup and skincare. Whatever toiletries you do bring, be sure to pack them in a sealable bag to prevent them from spilling on your clothes. 

You’re ready to go

You may already be cemented into this summer’s vacation plans, but you can begin thinking about next summer. Make a list of possible destinations. Open up a vacation fund. Begin collecting hotel toiletries. And start thinking about how stress-free your next vacation will be when you’re traveling with the advice of experts. 

This article was published in the July/August 2024 print edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.