Visit Your Doctor
This is important. New places come with new diseases. In your country, you are probably up to date on your vaccines, but once you cross that border thing can seriously change. Tell your doctor your travel plans and they should be able to check for vaccines that you may need. Your healthcare provider should be able to give you tips on staying well while abroad, such as wearing insect repellent. This visit is also the time to make sure that you have enough of your prescriptions to make it through your trip.
Travel insurance
This is another important item on your list. Things can go wrong. You can miss a flight, lose your luggage, or even get robbed. If a natural disaster interferes with your trip, you’ll need coverage.
Travel insurance coverage and fees can be very different. There are policies that cover fees associated with missed flights, such as, extra meals and hotel stays. If your luggage is lost or stole you could be covered to have those items replaced.
If you plan to rent a vehicle in another country, this will be extremely important. It is illegal in many countries to operate a vehicle without insurance. Damage from an auto accident can be very expensive. You’ll need to be sure you are covered.
International Driving Permit
If you plan on renting a car abroad, you’ll need a license. International Driving Permit isn’t a license, but a permit that is translated in many languages that tell a country that you do have a license in your home country. You need to carry your driver’s license with you also. Be sure to check with the country you’re visiting to know their laws.
Register Your Trip
You can register your trip through your country’s embassy. You’ll also need to check for visa, for example if you’re going to Oman, for an online visa to Oman. In the event of a natural disaster, this makes it easier for your country to find you and get you help that you need. You will also be alerted of any safety issues that arise. Registering also allows you to be contacted if you have a family emergency or your family to be contacted if you have an emergency.
Monetary Conversion
You should be familiar with the conversion rate and also ways to convert your money. If you know the conversion rate you will know how much you are paying for something. Scammers will try to get you to pay extra without you even knowing. This is the time to learn the different places where you can convert your money. Different locations charge different fees.
Call Your Bank
When your bank realizes that there are purchases being made in another country they could flag it as fraud and freeze your account. It gets access to your account you will need to call your bank and confirm that it is you making those purchases. Communication with your bank could be difficult because of time zones and data usage. If you notify your bank before you travel, they will note your account so that you aren’t in another country without your debit card working.
Call Your Phone Company
These days we can’t live without our phones. Check your plan to see if there are extra fees while using your phone out of the country. If you still aren’t sure, call them and someone will be able to you what your plan allows and give you recommendations for what you need.
Hold Your Mail
Putting a hold on your mail is easy to do. You can do it online or at your local post office. An often overlooked reason to hold your mail is to avoid robbery. Thieves are likely to rob a house when they realize that someone is out of town. By letting your mail stack up, you are letting the thieves know that you aren’t around.
Buy Adapters
Nothing is worse than packing up your favorite gadgets, tablets, phones, blow dryers only to realize that you can’t plug in anything you’ve brought. Buying an adapter in another country can be expensive because they know you need it. Plan ahead and buy one before you travel.
Traveling can be very exciting, but without proper preparation it can be a disaster. Do your research before you go, so you have everything you need. Your trip should be fun, not frustrating.
