Travelling abroad can be such an exciting and fun experience. However, the days leading to it, when you’re packing and preparing your itinerary, can be a stressful ordeal. When you’re in another country, you want to make sure that you’re bringing all the essentials with you. And, with last-minute preparations, it can be easy to forget something important and have the entire trip go sideways.
To keep that from happening, stay organized by coming up with a checklist of the must-haves and dos. To have a more relaxed and carefree trip abroad, here is a short pre-travel checklist to help you out:
1. Prepare Passports and Visas
Depending on how much you travel in a year, having enough pages on your passport for immigration stamps and visas is always important. With countries using an average of 2 pages per travel, you should make sure that there’s still available space when you pass through immigration, or else you might have a hard time. The validity of your passport should also be updated and checked from time to time.
Within the span of your trip, your passport and visa should still be considered valid, or you’ll face serious immigration consequences. You should also double-check the country first whether they require a visa for your passport before you book a ticket. You can read more about the visa requirements for countries like Pakistan here. This way, you’ll have more time to consider when to book your ticket before your visa gets approved and to have a more coordinated schedule.
2. Print Accommodations and Reservations
Even with the advent of digital communication and online hotel bookings, the chances of having your reservation getting lost in the pile or accidentally deleted still exist. So, to make sure you have proof that you have a room in that hotel or lodging, print a copy of your booking itinerary.
This way, if your phone dies or you lose Internet connection, you have a hard copy to present to the lobby that will validate your reservation. Printing your tickets, be it for a train or bus tour is also important as some agencies may still refuse digital copies.
3. Share Travel Itinerary with Family Members
As much as you would like to disappear off the grid and relax on your upcoming trip abroad, not telling anyone, where you’re going is simply unsafe and irresponsible. Before you get your tickets booked and accommodations arranged, make sure to tell at least one member of your family or friends where and how to reach you in case of an emergency.
So, if you’re a foreigner looking to enjoy a ride on a tour bus in Toronto, you should update your emergency contacts with your whereabouts to ensure your safety and their peace of mind as well.
4. Prepare an Adapter
Each country has its own type of socket. As it’s already a given that you’ll be bringing phones, cameras, and tablets to name a few, to make sure that you’ll be able to charge them, research first on what kind of socket type that country has.
Once you’ve figured that out, don’t forget to purchase the appropriate adapter. Doing this before your trip can help you avoid getting lied to by a market scammer trying to sell you fake low-quality chargers or getting sidetracked from your travel itinerary to look for one.
5. Pre-book Your Accommodations
Booking your accommodation only when you’ve arrived at your destination is a bad choice. Doing so will not only spike up the prices, but chances are, you might not find any available space right away, especially if you’re visiting during peak tourist season. So, to ensure that you have a place to sleep for at least your first night, book accommodation at a local hotel where you can comfortably rest when you arrive. To find the best option, do a little research before booking with cozycozy accommodation search engine. It can help you compare prices, and different accommodation types and even read reviews from travelers.
6. Reroute your Mail
If you’re planning on a month-long trip or longer than that, it’s important to note that your life at home will continue. This means that you’ll still be receiving mail at your house. However, no one wants to go home to an overflowing mailbox and miss important mails.
So, to make sure that your mail is still organized and safe, contact your local post office and have it rerouted to a trusted friend or family member. This way, when you arrive, all your posts, letters, and mail are still unread and intact.
7. Bring a Survival Kit
Physical hazards and health risks will always be present wherever you go. To make your safety a priority, always bring a survival kit that includes all the essentials for a first-aid response and specific health needs.
From EpiPens, inhalers, insulin shots, and more, every essential health commodity should be packed for your trip abroad to ensure your safety. And, if you come home from your trip with a serious sunburn or hyperpigmentation, make sure to visit a clinic for melasma treatment in Toronto to examine any long-lasting sun damage.
Travelling, be it for business or pleasure always ushers in a sense of anticipation and excitement for new memories, sights, and experiences. However, how can you fully immerse in the journey if you’re worried about forgetting something important? So, to make sure that you are travelling safely and without worries follow this checklist carefully before you start your amazing journey.