• Blog
  • Guides
  • Journals
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Links
  • Interviews
  • About
  • Home

Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

Top Five Most Useful Trip Preparations

April 19, 2018 by DaveLeave a Comment

While travels never go exactly according to plan (and perhaps that is part of why I travel), there are several important steps one can make prior to a trip to help ensure your trip is a smooth one.

Insurance
One of the most overlooked items when planning a trip is travel insurance. Sure it costs a bit to acquire prior to a trip but based on having peace of mind when traveling and the actual cost versus what might be incurred costs as a result of sickness or injury is surely worth the up front price. There are numerous types of insurance ranging from short trips to long term travel insurance options for retired travelers.

Pack Light
I cannot stress this enough. If you enter your packing with a mindset of “what do I really need” versus a mindset of “lets take much of my wardrobe and other household items with me” you will be rewarded in several ways. If you pack to fit the carry-on requirements of most flights you eliminate the risk of the airline losing your baggage – and it does happen – it is has certainly happened to me’ on more then one occasion. And you avoid waiting in line at the luggage carousal for your bags to arrive. Not to mention a carry-on is generally lighter and easier to tote around versus a larger checked bag.

Check Travel Documents
Make sure your passport has at least 6 months expiration before you take a trip overseas. While perhaps sounding a bit old school in this digital age, it is always a good idea to leave copies of your passport with family and bring a copy with you.

Notify your bank/credit card company ahead of time as to the countries you will be traveling in. Note their international phone number in case you need to call them while abroad.

And remove any credit cards, other cards or items you don’t need to take in your wallet – and again while sounding old school, consider putting your most important documents in a money belt – for an added layer of security.

Be sure your medical insurance card is one of the documents you take with you.

Miscellaneous
It is often the miscellaneous items that can cause complications while traveling. Some items to consider are: turn off data roaming on your cell phone (otherwise pay often exorbitant roaming charges) – alternatives are purchasing a local sim card (make sure your phone is unlocked) or signing up for your providers’ International plan ahead of time.

Check the electrical outlet situation – and bring a charger adapter if needed. Create a travel checklist or use ours – and do a final glance before leaving for the airport. And know the conversion rate of the country you are going to – nothing like standing in front of an ATM and not knowing how much money to withdraw when presented with a numberof options all with more zero’s after the numbers then you are used to!

Google Maps
This is one of the most valuable apps I have used in all my travels – the most useful features are being able to use the maps offline, knowing exactly where you are at any time and perhaps even more importantly, knowing the direction you are facing.

Prior to venturing out each day, pre-load the maps on your phone – zooming in to the areas you will be visiting to the smallest scale so individual sights or businesses are listed. This way if you don’t have internet access while on the road you will still be able use the maps.

Google Maps has helped me out of numerous situations where otherwise I would have been lost or wasted valuable time trying to determine directions. In addition, it has brought me new experiences by directing me through parts of towns and streets/alleyways at times that I would otherwise never have visited on my own.

These are just a few helpful trip preparation items – do you have your own? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Related posts:

Don’t break the Bank – Trip Planning Win a Trip to Italy! Upcoming Antarctica Trip, Ortelius Basecamp – Oceanwide Expeditions Pre Wedding Ceremony Preparations, Chennai rhine-river-germanyTrip to the Rhine in Germany

Filed Under: Mini Post · Tagged: Airline, Airport, Cell Phone, Internet, Passport, Travel Insurance

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Want an avatar to show with your comments? Get a free Gravatar

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow @DaveDTC

Get FREE Email Updates

Categories

Latest Posts

  • Alternative Destinations to Las Vegas
  • Busy summit cairn at the top of Scafell PikeScafell Pike the Easy Route to Conquer the Mountai…
  • The Spirit of Columbia
  • Letting it all out at Inle Lake, Myanmar
  • Bordeaux France – January 2021

Explore

  • Above the Clouds
  • Guides
  • Highlight of the Month
  • Interviews
  • Journals
  • Press Releases
  • Videos

Prepare

  • Book Reviews
  • Pack List
  • Quiz: Geography
  • Quiz: Travel
  • Tour Booking
  • Travel Insurance
  • Travel Products

Share

  • Contribute
  • Forums
  • Links
  • Photos

About

  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Contributors
  • Email Dave
  • Media Coverage
  • Media Kit
Hi I'm Dave. After a life changing trip in 1996, I began this site as a creative outlet to educate, inspire and share travel experiences. Read more...
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • YouTube

Return to top of page
Copyright © 1996-2020 Dave's Travel Corner · All Rights Reserved · Log in

7ads6x98y
X
Sign Up for FREE Email Updates