It wasn’t until I arrived in Shanghai that the fear and shock hit me. Surrounded by hundreds of non English speaking Chinese people at Shanghai airport, my friend Anna and I realised that our lack of research and poorly thought out planning had finally come back for its revenge.

After an eleven hour flight and severe sleep deprivation, we had to find our way to our pre booked hostel. We needed to find out where the tube station was and how to get there. We finally found an airport staff member who spoke English and kindly showed us how to get to the tube.

What I didn’t know at this point was that I was about to embark on probably the scariest moment of my life as I made my way to what only can be described as the dirtiest, scariest most intimidating place I’ve ever seen, also known as Shanghai underground.

We made our way down the steps armed with 60kg backpacks, a bottle of water and a great lack of knowledge to be confronted by a collection of unsavoury looking characters and bombarded by stares and glares from the locals at their shock of two white girls with blonde hair. At one point I had two men stroking my hair and knew I definitely did not want to stay there.

Following our initiatives, we quickly left the tube station and made our way to the bus stop instead. After two buses, a 40-minute taxi drive and a near death experience involving a moped and a pavement we made it to our pre booked hostel. This day made me realise that if we were to continue with this trip, we had to plan it thoroughly. After our Shanghai ‘learning curve’ the rest of the trip went pretty smoothly.

ROUND THE WORLD TRAVEL TIPS
Passport? Check. Tickets? Check. Ideal travelling partner? Action plan for when you get sick? Some things just can’t be predicted but you can be prepared for the worst. Travelling the world? Follow these tips to ensure you’re fully prepared for your journey abroad.

Friends forever
The dilemma: When I travelled the world, the girl I travelled with was a girl who I got on with, sometimes went on nights out with and whom I sat with in English. We though our time away together would strengthen our friendship, but when I realised how different we were, it just made us resent each other.

Pre plan: Always discuss with the person you’re going with what you want, where you want to stay and what you want to do. Make sure it is someone you know and trust and even have practice runs before you go such as a weekend away camping to get used to being together for long periods of time.

Press Packer
The dilemma: In typical female fashion, I over packed for my travels. I packed too much for our nights out and too little for our days out. It was a disaster and I was continuously buying new t-shirts and spending money unnecessarily.

Pre plan: Work out how many days you’ll be away and how much you’ll need. Although travel wash is handy, it isn’t the same as having your clothes washed at home so your clothes won't last that long.

In sickness and in health
The dilemma: When I got to New Zealand I started to get what I though was bad eczema, but what turned out to be a severe case of Impetigo all over my face and hands. Yikes. I had never had it before and I was sure I was so careful.

Pre plan: Although you might be the proud owner of the most amazing travelling insurance in the Northern hemisphere, you wont get your money back ‘til after your travels so any money you spend on medical care you’ll need straight away. Always budget for an emergency.

About the Author
Jenny studies English Literature and Journalism at Staffordshire Universirty. She has been on this web site many times and would love to travel again after Univesity.