Pre-Holiday Checklist
Planning a holiday can be an overwhelming task, especially for people who do not travel a lot. There are many situations wherein you will find yourself frustrated just because you were not able to prepare properly for the trip. The better prepared you are, the better time you’ll have. With this, before your vacation, make sure to take care of the things that we will briefly mention in the rest of this post.
Pre-Holiday Checklist
Get Travel Insurance
A lot of us may consider not getting travel insurance because of the additional cost it creates, without an assurance that it can be actually put to good use. However, it is always important to be prepared, as you never know what might happen. You could break your leg, lose your luggage or have to cancel your flight due to unforeseen personal circumstances. In these instances, you’ll be so pleased that you took out travel insurance. With travel insurance, you will be compensated accordingly in the most unfortunate of situations, and it will offer financial protection and peace of mind. If you’re planning on getting involved with any potentially dangerous activities, like bungee jumping or snorkeling, then you need to make sure that your insurance policy covers this.
Plan Excursions and Daytrips
Before you arrive in your holiday destination, it would be good if everything has been taken good care of, including your tours. By booking everything online and in advance, you can enjoy significant savings, aside from the fact that it will be hassle-free. You do not have to go around and haggle for the best prices. If you plan it ahead of time, you can easily compare rates from different providers and see which ones amongst them will be able to offer the best deals. Planning your itinerary in advance also ensures that you don’t miss anything which only happens on specific days or dates.
Check All Documents
Before your trip, make sure that you have the necessary documents, which will depend on the destination you will be visiting. Check your passport and see to it that it is not about to expire. In some countries, you will also need to obtain a visa. There are also some countries, especially in Africa, where you will need to obtain vaccinations before you will be allowed to enter. Double check your flight tickets and hotel bookings just to be sure that everything is in order. You should also put all of your documents in a plastic wallet to keep them safe, and print out copies for each member of the group.
Take Care of your Finances
Make sure that you have the money that you will need to spend for your trip. Take note of the maximum amount of cash that you can bring out of the country. Call your bank ahead of time and inform them that you are leaving so that they will not block your account when they see foreign transactions from your credit card. Research about the foreign currencies and the best places to exchange your money or withdraw from an ATM. The Money Saving Expert site is very helpful, and provides honest and useful advice.
Research Renting a Car Abroad
What are you going to do as soon as you land in the airport? How do you plan to travel around? While trains and cabs can be good transportation alternatives, if you want to have more freedom when exploring, it would be best to rent a car instead. In most cases, you can have the car as soon as you land in the airport, they will require specific documentation, and they will check your driving license, so make sure you fill everything out accurately. If you are travelling with a group, and you are planning on sharing the driving, then ensure that everyone else is also insured. If you are unsure about their driving records, you can find them online. The benefit of having a car in a foreign country is that you can go around at your own pace and you do not have to deal with unfamiliar transport systems.
Pre-Holiday Checklist is a feature post
