You are leaving in less than 24 hours. You thought you were all set and ready to go and then the FREAK OUT happens. Planning for any trip is stressful, but leaving for a trip that spans a few weeks or a few months in another country can straight up cause a panic attack. I remember talking to my mom the night before I left which opened the flood gates. I then proceeded to cry in the shower, cry because I was leaving my dogs, cry because I was never going to be able to pack everything into my TINY bag, cry because I couldn’t take my favorite dress, cry because of global warming, I even cried because my boyfriend was being NICE to me (he is always nice to me by the way). I was totally panicking and there are a lot of things a person can forget when they are in a “stressed” state to say the least. That is the very reason why I want you to have this little check-off list of six travel tips to make the night before you leave a little less stressful. If you’re really a go-getter, you can do these things ahead of time!
1. Notify your bank
Let your bank know that you will be out of the country so that you can continue to use your debit and credit cards. The last thing you need is for your bank to cancel or block your card because they assume it's fraudulent activity.
You should also double check if you have a credit card such as Chase Sapphire that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and gives you double airline points because that is AWESOME.
Make sure you take out enough cash to get you by when you first arrive. It’s nice to have cash handy to exchange at the airport so you can pay your taxi fare on the way to your hostel.
WARNING: DO NOT EXCHANGE VERY MUCH MONEY AT THE AIRPORT: YOU WILL ALWAYS GET THE WORST EXCHANGE RATE.
2. Photocopy your passport
The last thing you need is to be stuck in a foreign country with a lost or stolen passport. I actually carried three copies of my passport, sent a photo copy to my email AND had one stored on my phone. I may be a little OCD, but it’s definitely good to have copies not only if you lose your passport, but because many hostels and adventure sport companies require a copy.
I cannot tell you how much fun it is getting your passport stamped when you enter a new place! Eeek I get excited just thinking about it.
3. Make your phone travel ready
Every phone plan is different, so you must decide what capacity you want to use your phone abroad and then make sure your cell phone carrier is aware that you will be leaving the country. I decided to go “off the grid” if that is even possible these days. This worked well for me but make sure you familiarize yourself with how to turn off your data and roaming charges to avoid huge oversea bills.
I would make sure you back up any valuable information such as your pictures just in case your phone falls off the edge of a pier into the blue abyss, slowly sinking like the heart necklace in Titanic... or you have too many tequila shots and lose it at a bar.
I also wanted to let you know that there are a few great apps that can help you on the road even without a data connection. Google maps allows you to save maps off-line. I can’t tell you how valuable that was for my boyfriend and I as we were wandering around a city trying to figure out which way was east and west. Google Translate also lets you save an entire language off-line which can also prove to be very helpful...especially if you need to know how to ask for a bathroom or order a beer.
Lastly, CHARGE YOUR SHIT. Your flight is more than likely going to be extremely long so make sure your phone is not only charged, but your tablet, your fitbit, or whatever other gadgets you are bringing.
4. Cancel Bills/subscriptions
You want as much money as possible to play with on your travels so make sure you cancel subscriptions you won’t be using such as Spotify or your gym membership.
Depending on how long you will be gone, you may need to look into forwarding your mail.
If you are like me and had to pay rent and electricity bills during your travel, make sure everything is set up for automatic payments.
5. Emergency Numbers
You never know what can happen when you’re traveling and that is half the fun, but you definitely want to travel smart and that means having a list of emergency numbers readily available just in case.
I made a list of numbers for the following:
- -Important family members
- -My bank’s lost/stolen helpline
- -The consulate of each country
- -Insurance Claim Hotline
- -I also liked having all the numbers/information of all the hostels I booked ahead of time. I found this very useful because wifi connection was very limited.
6. Book your first hotel/hostel stay
You are going to be exhausted from traveling and disoriented being in a new city more than likely with a language barrier. I recommend booking a hostel that is easy to get to because why not make your life easy! Before you go, double check with the hostel on the best way to get there so that you have directions ready to go the moment you land.
Now you can take a deep breath because you have handled all the important stuff. Anything you may have forgotten won’t be the end of the world. You are about to have the time of your life buzzing around the world. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT.
Actually, the best gift you could have given her
was a lifetime of adventures....
Lewis Carroll- Alice in Wonderland
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