With ease of access and increasing interest in tourism, international travel is becoming nothing but easier by the day. While the excitement of travelling to another country may overpower the process of planning, keeping a few tips handy is essential.
From your documents to forex cards to travel insurance, consider these tips a checklist that helps you be well-prepared for a new country.
Keep your passports ready
Needless to say, this is the basic identity required to travel out of the country. As basic as it is, sometimes travellers tend not to pay attention to details like the validity of the passport. Check with the requirements of the country you are travelling to and make sure your passport holds valid during your travel. In case it is expiring any soon, you may want to fast track the renewal
process.
Check visa requirements
Before planning or booking for any international trip, go through the visa requirements in detail. You may be looking to visit a country where you do not need a visa, need a visa on arrival, an e-visa or a visa authorised by the embassy via a process of several documentations. Make sure you have a valid visa before making any bookings. Your flights and hotel bookings will not
always be fully refunded if you happen to book them before applying for the visa, in case it gets rejected. And last but not the least, if you don’t want the headache of doing visa related research, applying for the same etc. then plan your trip to one of the Countries where visa is not required for Indians.
Get a Forex travel card
It is given that all countries use different currencies and have different exchange rates as well. Thus, it’s best to get a forex travel card for easy transactions during your trip. Almost all variations of currencies are covered in travel cards these days, but make sure you have conveyed about your requirements before applying for one.
Plan your activities
There could be several activities available at the place you are travelling to. Depending on the weather you are travelling during, see what all activities you can avail. Check for whatever can be pre-booked; others can be availed on the spot.
Buy an International travel insurance
Please do! This will keep your health, losses etc covered when you have nothing to rely upon. An International travel insurance is something most travellers tend to ignore buying before flying overseas. But this is the most essential part of planning an international trip. There are multiple types of plans that define what all can be covered during your travels, so pick the plan
that suits you best.
Corporate businessman packing his bag and planning a business trip, he is booking flights online using a digital tablet, travel and technology concept
Check for baggage restrictions
Many airlines apply restrictions on the baggage you can carry along. It is best to take note of the luggage limit and do not exceed, because it will either cost you money or you may need to leave some of your belongings. At times the number of bags and the dimensions are also specified, do not miss out these details.
Make copies of your IDs, reservations etc
In a new country, all you got as an identity is your passport. Keep it safe and make print as well as digital copies of the same. This applies to your flight and hotel reservations too. If you have an international driver’s license, carry it along, for that too is a recognised identity card.
Pack smart and have fun!
Pack according to the weather, planned activities and topography of your destination. Starting from your clothes, shoes, sunglasses, hats, sunscreens and travel pouches, keep your luggage smart and light. Avoiding heavy luggage is a key to having fun during your trip.
