Things You Should Know Before You Travel
“Pack up all the stuff I need plus the stuff I might need, stack up some money, get a plane ticket, and book a nice cozy accommodation. Voila! I’m ready to travel the world.” Sounds good enough??? Well, it sounds amazing, but is that all the preparations you need before you travel? Most certainly not!!!
It’s basically impossible to know what to expect and one cannot expect to be prepared for everything, but it’s wise to be prepared for most of the things that may occur during your travel in order to stay safe and away from troubles. Being prepared is the key to traveling faraway lands. But again, what does being prepared means? Worry not, this article is all about what “being prepared” really means for your travel around the globe.
Here is the list of “must” things you should know/do/prepare before you travel:
Passport
Passport is the basic and one of the most important things that you need to be careful about and have multiple backups. Meaning, you should always keep an extra copy in a different location than your original passport, or even better, consider making an electronic copy and save it on your email account or Dropbox, which you can access remotely.
Travel Warnings and Advisories
Before you travel to any foreign countries, you should always check out with your country’s Travel Department to check and see whether the country you are traveling to is safe enough or not. You may not be aware, but the Travel Department may have issued travel warnings, travel alerts, travel safety, etc. for countries that may possess risky environment and conditions for the travelers.
Money
Another critical factor to be on a lookout for is Money. Familiarize yourself with the monetary conversion rates before you go. Check with you banks whether or not your debit/credit cards are accepted in the country you are visiting. And most importantly, remember to always stack up to local cash on you at different locations such as under the socks, inside the shoes, or any secret pockets in case your stuff gets stolen, lost, or whatnot, and also remember not every place you visit will have easy access to ATMs or banks.
Medications and Vaccinations
If you are on medication for any condition that you might have, you should always remember to pack your medications, more than enough to last your trip as the country you are visiting might not have easy access to the particular medication you need. Also, if you wear prescription glasses, it would be a wise move to pack an extra pair. Besides that, before you travel, you should always check with your country’s Disease Control Authority to learn about any disease rampant and appropriate vaccinations needed for the country you are visiting.
No valuables
In a foreign land, you can never be too sure; for in most tourist destination countries, there are thieves and scums whose primary targets are unsuspecting tourists. So, pack appropriately and other than the items of absolute necessity such as phones and laptops, refrain from carrying valuables like religious and expensive jewelry and heirlooms when you travel. But if you do have to carry them, always be sure to travel with them on you or at least keep them in the security boxes at the hotel.
Let someone know about your travel
You never know, unexpected things can occur when you are far away from home. So, it’s always wise to let your friends and family know where you might be and what you might be doing. Share your travel information and your travel itinerary with them, so they would know about your whereabouts and could easily track you down in case of an emergency or by any chance you get in any sort of trouble, although be sure to advise
your friends and family not to discuss your travel plans with anyone else or at least strangers.
Travel Documents To Carry
Before you go on and about, check each and every travel documents individually such as airline tickets, driver’s license, credit cards, passport, identification cards, records of immunization, records of local contacts, etc. and make sure that they are up-to-date and valid at least for the duration of your travel.
As said earlier, the key to carefree travel is being prepared. Be safe!
Besides the above, keep track of simple things such as ensuring you carry your baggage with a strong lock; learning simple local words and phrases like “Yes,” “No,” “Please,” and “Thank You” before you go; labelling your belongings with your name and address; and upfront booking of attractions which you are sure you will visit in order to skip the waiting time on queues so as to ensure your travel plans go off without a hitch or a glitch.
Lastly, always keep some sort of journal about your travel and travel experiences. It may not seem as important as other things, but it will surely put a smile on your face when you open it later in your life. Shopin Holidays is always in our customer services to make their holidays memorable throughout the lifetime.
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