Lifestyle

How to plan a last minute trip anywhere in the world

Shaaz Nasir

Shit just got Real

Good. After countless of articles around the web urging you to travel more you finally found a great deal while surfing facebook at 3 am in the morning.It was probably that hipster staring into the ocean photo with some “deep” qoute in Hevletica that tipped you over. What?! that cheap? ok credit card info and voila trip secured. Oh wait, I take off in 48 hours. UHHH….what do I see? How do I get around? EEEEEEEEEEEE

calm down.

Mindthis Magazine has your back as always.

Recently, I bought a ticket heading to Tokyo within 30 hours of taking off. Crazy? Yes. But that’s life. Insert dramatic hipster quote _____. After letting it sink in for an hour or two, I quickly got my shit together. In this article you will find out how to maximize your trip with some great travel companies, critical apps, and general but important travel advice for your last minute jaunt. You don’t have time to prowl the internet for these answers, just read the below advice and you’re covering the basics to a great trip.

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Short on time? Turn to Viator

No this is not some lame tour bus guide with old people. With most cities they have highly packed full day tours that will help you see the basics and get your barring around the city within 10 hours. I recommend you checking out the reviews on the site and also Trip Advisor. Once you’re happy just lock the ticket in fast because they sell out quickly and since you were that spontaneous with your adventure, you’re lucky to even find a spot.

Google Translate App is your friend

You’re sick and in some Japanese pharmacy. No one speaks english and you’re doing your best to describe vomiting. All you get is a confused Pharmacist who asks you to politely “stop that”. Ok this is not you but was actually me. I quickly used my google translate to type in my symtoms and pressed play to launch the robot like voice to save me. It worked.

For the love of god get a local sim card

Wifi is your casual friend but Data is your best friend. Scratch that. Data is your soulmate. If you’re off in a foreign land you really need access to metro maps, google maps, to snapchat (lol how else can you make your ex boyfriend jealous at 4 am in the morning?), to google translate, and the list goes on. Most of these sim cards can be bought at your airport after landing for around 20 to 150 USD depending on the data package.

Check out the Search Graph by Facebook

I AM FLYING IN 13 HOURS THIS IS NO TIME FOR GRAPHS SHAAZ. Calm yourself. Simply type in “My friends in (insert the city you are traveling to)” and you will find out all the buds, random people you added pop up! It’s a great way to meet people you actually added and upgrade those “umm I think I met her in 2008 at that beer pong game?” to EPIC FRIENDS tier. Remember chilling with locals will open lots of doors for you. I posted a selfie, because that’s what modern 26 year old men do now, and it lead to a friend who was living in Tokyo to reach out to me. Next thing I know, I am attending some wild “Super Energy Tokyo” Fashion show with some of Japan’s finest cultural demi gods for free. Don’t be shy. Just reach out. Facebook is not just for stalking people but actually making the world more connected.

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Alright those were some of the rapid fire tips you needed to hear for a great last minute trip. Of course don’t forget the absolute basics like do you need a visa? Or some medical shots or double checking your exam schedule to avoid conflicts.

Congrats on being bold and living a life worth living. Ok don’t get emotional on me, you got a flight to catch. Remember to tag some instagram photos with #MindthisTravel so that our team can select some great photos to show our readers around the world.