GRIP, Internships Abroad Travel Tips I Learned (the Hard Way)

GRIP: PR and Marketing in Bangkok

Here are the tips I lived by this summer while interning in Bangkok and traveling to China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore! They’re listed in no particular order.

- Always double check! Always. For everything. We are not in a Zombie Apocalypse, but the double tap rule from the movie Zombieland has never been more relevant.
- Check your passport number. It should be 9 digits!
- If a crazy man shouts at you or tries approaching you or following you, immediately start walking or running away. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t engage at all under any circumstance. Get to a public space.
- Make sure you are flying to the right airport. On that note, make sure to study the geography of the land you are visiting.
-  Use rideshare apps to make sure you aren’t getting scammed for rides. Drivers will match prices.
- Haggle whenever you can, especially if you look foreign to the land you’re visiting. The trick to haggling is to not actually want the product. If you go in with the mindset that it is expendable, and you do the technique of referencing another place and walking away, you will always get the price down. If the seller isn’t willing to sell, go somewhere else.
- Visa machines will charge a fee, but exchanging cash at malls typically will not.
- Solo tripping is not so bad actually and quite heartwarming.
- Make sure your driver is going to the right location with maps, especially if you are the only one in the car.
- Be wary of solo male travelers.
- Unless you're familiar with the area, avoid walking around alone at night if you’re a solo woman traveler.
- Look for hotel and activity tips on YouTube. Shoutout Ride with Gabi.
- Don’t book hotels with a pool and complimentary breakfast because you will not make use of either.
- Pay with card whenever possible to save up your cash.
- Splitwise is so useful for splitting bills with friends.
- Get to the airport at least 2 hours before departure. And always double-check what time your gate closes!
- If you have a bottle larger than 100ml, particularly cruel airport security will take away your eye solution, even if it’s only 1/10th filled.
- Bring an umbrella!
- Get travel recs from your fellow GRIP buddies!
- Your essentials are your wallet and passport. Always know where they are.
- Passport covers are quite inconvenient.
 -Waking up early to see a sunrise might be painful, but it is worth it 100% of the time.
- Don’t wear sandals to hike.
- Book flights on Sunday, or weekdays in the morning/midnight. Prices will also fluctuate depending on how many times you visit the website, so get someone with a different IP address (shoutout to my lovely mom) to book your flight.

Good luck and enjoy your travels!