Where are your ideal travel destinations this year? Whether you’re dreaming of a month exploring South East Asia or just a weekend away in Amsterdam, travel always takes one thing to go well: planning. And when life is really hectic anyway, finding that time can be hard. Before any significant trip there are a few things it really pays to have sorted. You don’t want to learn the hard way about any of these – mistakes which can cost you time, money and peace of mind. The last few days before you jet away can be a little frantic, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed if you leave all your travel prep until just days before you’re due to fly. To bypass the stress, start getting things in order as soon as your travel arrangements are confirmed, and you’ll find you get off to a much better start and can just focus on enjoying your trip.
Sort Out Your Travel Insurance
One thing you should never do is go away without the right travel insurance in place. When we’re doing something as exciting and life-affirming as travelling, we don’t necessarily want to think about the possibility of things going wrong. But unfortunately, accidents, illness and crimes do occur sometimes, and being in a foreign country where you may not speak the language, trying to sort out a crisis, is going to be a lot harder if you don’t have back-up in place. You may have to have emergency medical or dental work carried out, and you’ll want a basic level of cover in place for this, even if you then decide to come home and get tooth colored fillings or extra work done, you won’t have had to interrupt your trip. Travel insurance offers lots of different levels of cover, so check that the policy you’re taking out covers any special activities you may be considering doing – things like extreme sports, white water rafting, bungee jumping or rally cars are usually not covered within the terms of a basic policy. Read through the documents carefully so that you understand exactly what is covered.
Sort Out Your Shots
When you finish booking flights and hotels to anywhere long haul, then book a trip to the doctor’s office straightaway – depending where in the world you’re travelling to, you may need travel immunisations against different illnesses that are prevalent in that part of the world. It’s also a good idea to discuss any medications you’re on, and fill a prescription so that you have enough to cover the duration of your trip.
Pre-Book Your First Night
While some travellers are the sort to have a travel itinerary planning out each minute of their stay, others are more happy-go-lucky and find the best part of going away is the freedom to see where the wind takes them. Even if you fall into the second category, it’s always a good idea to have at least your first night’s accommodation sorted out before you fly. Sure, you could just show up and try to find a place to stay, and it might work, but it’s sure to be at least a little bit stressful and often involves dragging your bags around from place to place after a long flight. Using a hotel bookings site can help you to compare prices and make sure you get a fair deal on that first night’s stay. Sometimes it’s also worth booking a hotel at the airport, especially if you have early flight times and live some distance away. Rather than stressing out over arriving in time for your flight, you could enjoy a leisurely hotel breakfast and stroll to the gate in plenty of time.
Print Out Copies Of Everything
These days, we tend to do everything electronically. And while it may be way more convenient to have your travel passes, tickets and documents all on your smartphone, you never know when you might run out of battery far from a charger point or encounter patchy public WiFi networks that just won’t seem to connect. So, even if you do opt to do it digitally, you should also make sure you have a folder of printed backup copies stashed in your suitcase – passport, boarding passes, flight tickets, hotel reservations and anything else important. You should also supply copies of this information to someone that you trust. If something unforeseen happens and you don’t have access to the originals, it means that there is someone you can contact who has all the information as well. It’s also important in the event of an emergency for someone to know your travel plans and last known location.
Pack Your Bags Carefully
Packing well is an art, and being a little organised here is also another way to save a lot of stress. Pack a small first aid kit in a little waterproof plastic box, which contains a selection of basic medications – aspirin, antihistamine tablets, band-aids, ear plugs, disinfectant, an antibacterial hand gel, rehydration sachets, a sleep aid and any prescription medicines you need to take. This can save you a trip to a doctor’s office and it also ensures that you can treat any minor ailments instantly. Using packing cubes can also help to keep all your belongings in order and make extra room in your luggage, which is more important the longer your trip is planned for. Other useful things to have in your luggage include a spare charger, a plug travel adapter, an eye mask to help you sleep when you need to, a hand-held electric fan and a travel wrap that can be used as a blanket, pillow or just an extra layer when it gets chilly.You will be so much more comfortable for a few clever additions like this, and it means you can simply focus on enjoying your visit.
A little preparation goes a long way when it comes to being a smart traveller. You just need to cover a few eventualities and then you’ll gain peace of mind. Happy travels!