Things to Do Before You Leave for Holiday
It’s not only about booking a ticket, packing and adding an out of office before heading to the airport. Today I’m sharing some essentials to cross off before you leave for a holiday/city trip.
Find out if you or any of your party needs a visa to travel… trust me on this through personal experience. A lot of non-EU countries for example require your passport to be valid for six months beyond the date of entry, so make sure to check the immigration requirements of the country you are travelling to – these will usually be on the country’s ‘ministry of foreign affairs’ website.
Depending on where you’re going, you may need to get special vaccines or medications as a precaution against various diseases. I like how Fit For Travel is laid out, but for an up-to-date medical recommendations check the health agency/ministry website of your country.
Make copies or scans of important items. Be sure to have copies of your passport and credit cards with you in case you lose them on your trip. You should always have paper copies or scanned copies in your email.
Check your health insurance policy to see if it includes international coverage. If not, consider buying a short-term policy that will cover you while you’re abroad, in case something should happen.
Plan your route from home to the airport, ensuring you have all the contact details for a hotel or airport parking lot you are staying at, and the airline you are flying with. And if you’ve left your car in an airport parking lot, write down exactly/ take a photo where you left so you can find it when you get back.
Plan out your first day as planning ahead will help you make the most of that first confusing day. I like to check if there is a Sandeman New Europe Free Walking Tour at my destination as they take you to the important tourist attractions and from there you can plan more things ahead.
Order your foreign exchange on time and make sure you do your math before you travel to get a sense of where the conversion rate is at. It’s good to find out that 100 Czech Republic Koruna equals just 3 pounds.
Also ring your bank or credit card provider and let them know that you’re going to be out of the country so they should expect to see some international charges. Some banks want you to call before you go abroad so they don’t flag your account and reduce the chance of your card being blocked when the bank systems detect unusual activity.
