PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP
These days, I often hear people talk about how great it is to book a one-way ticket without any pre-planned ideas of how long they will stay at their first stop, and where they will go next. This free-spirited mentality can be very exciting. But whether your next vacation is going to be a no-rules/no-holds barred adventure or a meticulously planned down to the second trip, I have found that no matter what, there are certain bare minimum things you should plan for. These may seem like common sense to a great many of you, but I have been surprised to hear of people who forgot to do one thing or the other and been caused serious inconvenience because of it. Therefore, I wanted to make a checklist for whatever type of traveler you are!
The most obvious: Before you leave the house, do a triple check and make sure your passport is with you! You don't want to get to the airport and find out it's not.
Check the visa requirements for the destination you are visiting well in advance. I can't stress this enough. It could take months for you to get a visa from some countries, so if you buy your plane tickets on a whim, you could be in for a huge disappointment. For example, sometime last year, I wanted to visit Brazil and planned a flight 1 month out, but learned the visa could take several months to get for a US citizen. Thankfully, I had not booked the flight yet.
Check any travel advisories for any safety alerts. Usually the entry, exit, and visa requirements are also posted on the department website.
Do some minimal research and find out if you need any vaccines, boosters, or any other type of medication (anti-nausea pills, antibiotics) for the trip - just in case.
Travel insurance. When I was younger and on a tight budget, I used to travel without a thought for insurance. I was lucky I never needed it. I have known people who were caught abroad in hurricanes and tsunamis. I use Travel Guard. Insurance for a trip with pre-booked expenses of about $1500-2000 cost about $40, and that included, among other things: missed connections, lost luggage, flight delays, missed flight due to medical reasons, doctors visits, evacuation, and heaven forbid the worst case scenario- death and dismemberment coverage.
Copy of your passport. Keep it separately from your real passport. You may need it if yours gets stolen or lost. It would also be helpful if you had access to it somewhere online if you happen to lose the copy or choose not to keep a spare copy with you in-person.
An emergency contact list.
Giving your itinerary to someone you trust. Telling at least one person your finalized or even just your tentative itinerary so they have an idea of where you are or might be visiting in the event something happens to you.
Different forms of access to currency. This means carrying some local currency, and 2 credit cards. I like to keep these separate as well so if you lose one, you don't lose all! This happened to me in Naples, when my wallet was stolen and I had all my cards and currency there. I had the credit card expedite a new card to the hotel I planned to arrive at in several days, but in the meantime I had nothing! I was fortunate to have been traveling with a friend at the time, who could loan me money. Otherwise, an international wire transfer would probably have been my next step, and this could be a huge hassle depending on where you are.
Call your credit card company for the cards you are bringing on your trip. Inquire as to whether your country is on the flagged list and request them to put a travel note so your card does not get rejected when used so far from home. Not all cards implement this security measure, especially with the chips these days, but you don't want to find yourself having to contact the company while abroad to sort it out.
Travel adapter and/or converter.
