Where was your first international trip to?

[MuuDaeng]

Day trip to Soviet Union, Viborg, by ferry (riverboat?) with dad, age about ten years or so. Can't remember much details, but Russian "Pepsi" bottle cap that I kept as souvenier...

[williet98248]

Age 24. From the US to US army station in Ankara turkey in 1967. Took the Embassy flight out of NY to London, Paris, Rome, Athens and Ankara. Did a twenty month tour In Turkey and loved it. Got to travel around the Middle East and Europe. Great time.

[houlicha]

First trip was a Caribbean cruise at age 12. Puerto Rico, Guadelupe, Trinidad, and someplace else. Oh yeah, St. Thomas. Second trip was a year in Udon Thani at age 22, compliments of the U.S. Air Force. Parents were watching me too closely the first time, they didn't come along for the second one, so I had much more fun.

[paulchiangmai]

Curacao, from England.two things remain in my mind, seeing a huge cockroach which I had never seen before and my first taste of Fanta orange, still have a brochure given to me on arrival, age 14 and on my own, wouldn't be allowed nowadays. Don't know how many times I have been around the world since them, would love to have a penny for every mile travelled.

[LoZth]

1968, Majorca for two weeks. Brilliant. Never got the same ciggies from the hotel bar two days on the trot.

The reason, the night watchman used to go to a little bar on the harbour and bring a box full back, big time smuggler!

My next time abroad was in 1990 on a package hols to Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, I've never looked back since.

I've been to most Asian countries now over the years but never managed to get to Vietnam.

My last trip overseas was to England three years ago... ;-)

(I never had the urge to go back to Singapore though)

Rob8891, where in Lincs were you, I lived in Wainfleet for many years

[Skeptic7]

Bahamas from Tampa, FL.

23 y.o. w/gf

Glorious resort, huge swimming pool with in pool bar. Casino gambling and the wonderful Bahamian dish...peas and rice! Fond memory despite being with her! haha

[akentryan]

Similar story. 18-year old Florida boy serving in the US Air Force in northern California. Went to Tijuana whenever we could afford it. Tequila was $1 a quart and a slightly used "virgin" was $5. Don't remember eating or much of anything else except the squalor. Lots of fun with a car load of friends.

[bazza40]

Saudi Arabia 1960. It was a shithole.

Nothing has changed.

[bazza40]

East Timor, 1968. Still under Portuguese rule. Remember the cockfights on Sundays, buffalo steaks cooked in coconut oil, local coffee, Mateus Rose and incredible poverty.

Portuguese were attempting to develop a tourist industry. For AUD 10 per day for a couple, we got the best accommodation in each town, buffet breakfast, 5 course lunch with wine, 7 course dinner with wine, laundry, and shoes polished every day. Remember a village there whose sole source of income was salt-making. They would sell small woven bamboo leaf baskets of salt for 5 cents.

They also made a local brandy with chocolate and coffee flavour, superb. Came out of the bottom of the bag in the middle of Darwin Airport on return, shattered of course. Curses.

[nikmar]

Spain with a mate when I was 18.

We took a bus trip from Liverpool that went through France and into Spain.

I remember going to Mass on the Sunday. my friend insisted as he was staunch catholic.Shamefully, I got a little upset at having to stand through an entire service in Spanish.

Really, i should have enjoyed the cultural experience but all I wanted was beer.

It was a beautiful cathedral.

And i got food poisoning!!

[bazza40]

Blackpool.

Lurved it ever since.

April Fool joke, right?

[northernphil]

In 1968 I went to Holland , earlier in the year I was riding around in my Morgan with a Dutch Au-pare girl , I was 21 she was 19, Of course my first trip abroad was to Holland , Gronigen to be precise , a great year to be 21 , loved Holland and have great memories of that trip. Wonderful people.

[1BADDAT]

I deleted my fist two on the list because at the time you didn't need a passport to travel to either. If you aren't required to have a passport it really isn't International to me.

First international trip: Puerto Rico (still part of the US), Vancouver Canada (almost the US), Shanghai China
Age (at that time): 33
Country of origin: USA
Impressions: I was a little disappointment that it wasn't crazier. Shanghai is quite modern and similar to other Mega Cities. I hated the food. I really liked my coworkers. They were very friendly and polite. I didn't really mingle much with the locals and they seemed to not be very social.

[louse1953]

Bali,20 years old.$A1/night with a village family,who are still my friends.Surfs up every day.1976.

[F4UCorsair]

Darwin Australia to Singapore, early 70's in an Air Force Hercules transport. I was about 18, and what an eye opener.

I stayed free at the New Zealand Forces digs at Tengah and took a taxi to Bugis Street in the old Singapore, between Beach Road and North Bridge Road, the centre of sin before Lee Kwan Yew, not long in power, declared it be cleaned up. Orchard Road was being established about that time I think.

Changi village, the site of the WW2 POW camp, was a place I spent a lot of time drinking with air force guys, and eating Chili Crab.

It was not as clean as it is now, and as it has been since the late 70's.

The A $ went a long way...... A $1 = S $3, now almost parity.

I recall taking 20+ Seiko watches back, then about A $20 each, and more than doubling my money.

Singers is still a favorite stopover for a day or two, a hotel down Little India way on Serangoon Road, a street of old shop houses, and a breakfast at Komala Vilas restaurant.....superb.

I always include a visit to the Mustafa Centre, a 24 hour department store on the edge of Little India, great shopping.

Edited April 1, 2016 by F4UCorsair

[steve73]

School cruise to Spain/Portugal/Gibralter when I was 11 - then Inter-rail around Europe at 19 with my g/f (incl. Yugoslavia just before it all fell apart.)

At 21 spent 3 months working/holiday in Oz. Flight connections in Singapore/Jakarta gave me the taste for Asia, but never got back this way again until 2005.... and then retired permanently here in '07.

[JohnDodd]

July 25 '61 joined my first ship as deckboy on the m/v Atlantic City a 1941 built trampship, first port Norfolk,Virginia loaded coal for Yokohama/Tokyo, what an eye opener for a 16 year old, seeing my first colour TV, women walking around in kimonos, and the beer bars filled with lovely Japanese girls.Next stop, Nauru an island in S. Pacific loaded guano for Shanghai remember lots of red guards running around, and the Bund another eyeopener beautiful blonde Russian girls and Chinese to pick from, down to Geraldton in W. Aus, loaded wheat for Valleta Malta, down the "gut" my first tattoo of sailing ship under full sail done on my arm, freehand no stencil, drunk for a week along with the rest of crew, next stop Port Said, Egypt loaded bulk salt for Moji Japan,'nuff said about P.Said but Moji another taste of paradise, 1000 yen to the pound, thats what a girl cost all night, hotel the same, the hotels were traditional Japanese inn's sliding bamboo doors tatami mattress on the deck and a hard pillow filled with rice, but also a small tea ceremony given by the Mama-san, followed by a half bottle of warm sake before another ceremony began........Japan in the early '60s was paradise. Back down to Australia, Port Lincoln a lovely small town in Spencer Gulf where we took two weeks to load wheat for UK.....in those days the bars in Oz closed at 6pm...we would knock off 4;30 and be in the first boozer out the gate, you never seen so many drunk and incapable blokes in my life, staggering around with bottles of Penfolds wine, in the bars stood 3 deep and ordering 3 Schooners at at a time, well we joined in and downed a few, spent my first night in police cell's for sleeping in public place, what a trip, what a ship.. I was duly impressed with life at sea, and continued 'till age 60, never regretting a day despite many hardships,

[ThaiKneeTim]

First overseas trip was to visit an aunt in Cincinnati, Ohio when I was about 12.

It was the RAF that sparked my interest in seeing more of the world. Too many trips to foreign shores and not getting beyond the perimeter fence of the airfield left me curious. Also tales of far flung outposts from some excellent Warrant Officers I served with and who inspired me to visit SE Asia.

[F4UCorsair]

East Timor, 1968. Still under Portuguese rule. Remember the cockfights ion Sundays, buffalo steaks cooked in coconut oil, local coffee, Mateus Rose and incredible poverty.

Portuguese were attempting to develop a tourist industry. For AUD 10 per day for a couple, we got the best accommodation in each town, buffet breakfast, 5 course lunch with wine, 7 course dinner with wine, laundry, and shoes polished every day. Remember a village there whose sole source of income was salt-making. They would sell small woven bamboo leaf baskets of salt for 5 cents.

They also made a local brandy with chocolate and coffee flavour, superb. Came out of the bottom of the bag in the middle of Darwin Airport on return, shattered of course. Curses.

Bazza, you probably flew to Dili with SAATAS ex Darwin?

[Suradit69]

From the US.

Aside from a few visits to Canada and the Bahamas in my teenage years, including a week or so on a Windjammer cruise, in my early twenties I spent a month in West and East Africa.

Found the sights, smells and sounds of Africa intoxicating. A few years later I moved to southern Africa where I spent most of the next 25 years during which time I only made a few brief visits to the US along with a couple of years completing a couple more degrees at university. Felt more of an alien in the US than in Africa.

Never took up residence in the US again. Stayed in the UAE, Pakistan and now Thailand, where I expect to end the journey.

[arunsakda]

Flew overseas in a PanAm jet as a 6 month Foetus in utero.

Born a foreigner and likely die a foreigner.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BarnicaleBob]

It was an all expense paid, three year trip to Asia. The first country being Vietnam. It was very exciting and I still have dreams about it.

[bazza40]

East Timor, 1968. Still under Portuguese rule. Remember the cockfights ion Sundays, buffalo steaks cooked in coconut oil, local coffee, Mateus Rose and incredible poverty.

Portuguese were attempting to develop a tourist industry. For AUD 10 per day for a couple, we got the best accommodation in each town, buffet breakfast, 5 course lunch with wine, 7 course dinner with wine, laundry, and shoes polished every day. Remember a village there whose sole source of income was salt-making. They would sell small woven bamboo leaf baskets of salt for 5 cents.

They also made a local brandy with chocolate and coffee flavour, superb. Came out of the bottom of the bag in the middle of Darwin Airport on return, shattered of course. Curses.

Bazza, you probably flew to Dili with SAATAS ex Darwin?

No idea what airline we flew; however, the first port of call was Bacau. Didn't see Dili until the tail end.

The other memory was the local lassies, who looked very attractive - until they opened their mouths. Betel nut chewing made them all look like vampires.

[smotherb]

Saigon, 1968 - 19 years old.

UK, Mexico and Canada came first, but Vietnam in 1967; four years of tropical vacation.

[smotherb]

Nasty weather, narrow dirty streets, old run-down buildings, lousy coffee, bland food, warm beer, pasty-white buck-toothed girls, antiquated shared toilets, dinky kitchens, no shopping malls, and limited recreation facilities—pretty much third-world, and that was London in the early sixties.

[khunPer]

To Hamar, just north of Oslo, in Norway from Copenhagen, Denmark, 4 years old following my parents for Figure Ice Skating competition, where my father was judge and my Godfather participating (he won). Remember having great fun sitting in the car making new ice-surface.
Flying for the first time, back from Oslo to Copenhagen with a SAS DC-4, or maybe it was a DC-6, propeller aircraft, I got so air-sick from turbulence...

[The manic]

Belgium at 12 years old - the channel crossing was rough - the Stella Artois was great and they just don't make flick knives like they used to!

[Speedo1968]

As a Londoner - when 1968, where to Isle Of Wight, why the festival !

Then 1968 to Sydney cost me 20 quid ! cheapest 6 week boat cruise available.

[chicowoodduck]

Wet behind the ears lad of 17 trekking through Switzerland, Germany, Italy....early 60's....those were the good ol' days for sure.....:-) After going back to the US was bored shi*less for years on end....:-(

[ChrisKC]

I was 20 years old. The trip was with a railway workmate and went we around Ireland from England in his car. I will never forget that trip - I have been back a few times but not since 2001

My first trip to the Continent was to Norway, Denmark and Sweden, this time by boat from Newcastle to Bergen and back.

On the return trip was a stunningly beautiful Norwegian 18 year old who was coming to London to be an au pair. Lucky me. I was living in London and she thought I was wonderful. We had a great time for six months before she....

My first Flight was to Morocco with my new wife, that was 1970. we went with our best friends who were also just married. On the flight from Luton, my friend and I asked if we could go into the cockpit and talk with the pilot. No problem!!! We spent ten minutes in there - Those were the days!