You’ve decided to travel abroad and are excited to book your flight to a country that’s been on your list for a long time. International travel can be stressful, even for people who have done it before. But for a first-time visitor, it can be too much to handle. First, there’s the planning you have to do before you leave, like getting a passport if you don’t already have one, applying for visas, figuring out where you’ll stay and how you’ll get from A to B. After that, you have to figure out where you are in a foreign country, where the time zone, language, and currency may be different from what you’re used to. Not to mention any unexpected things that might come up along the way.
Choosing a Place to Live
Maybe you’ve wanted to go to Thailand or Australia for a long time to see elephants or koalas. You might not know where you’re going, but you know you need to go somewhere. If you have a passport and are overwhelmed by all the amazing places you can go, it might be hard to decide where to go on your first trip abroad. Ask yourself things like, “Do you want to stay close to your home country or go far away?” “Do you speak a language other than English?” “Are you excited to meet new people?” “Are you ready for a new experience?” Now you can choose from more than 470 packages for trips to other countries.
Identify your documents
Before you can start to book flights, you need to make sure that you have the right paperwork. To start, you need a valid passport to travel outside of your country. Make sure your passport has enough blank pages for visa stamps. Most countries only need a quarter-page stamp, but there are some that may need a half-page or more. After you have taken care of your passport, you should look into visas. Many countries will give US passport or visa holders a tourist visa when they arrive. Other places, like Australia or Vietnam, usually want you to apply ahead of time and charge a fee. Check to see if your final destination needs a visa, and fill out any necessary paperwork.
Think about the unexpected needs
No matter if you spend a lot of time planning what clothes to bring on a trip or not, there are a few things you should always bring. To start, a digital luggage scale is something that every traveler should have. With this scale, you can keep track of how much your checked luggage weighs. It comes in handy, especially if you buy a lot of souvenirs on your flight home.
Make sure you pack right for your flight
You’ve brought your bags to the airport on the day of your trip. Most international flights let you bring two bags with you. One of the best tips for packing for a trip is to check with your airline to see how many bags you can bring. Before you leave, check the weather at your destination to make sure you’re ready. Remember to put any juices or lotions that weigh more than three kilograms in your checked bags, but keep your passport and other important travel documents on you at all times. Also, don’t forget to bring any medicines you need, something warm to wear on the plane, a travel pillow, and a water bottle you can fill up when you get to the airport terminal.
Buy Travel Insurance
Even though it seems like a no-brainer, a lot of people are too busy planning their trip to think about travel insurance. If you don’t have it already, you should get it. Insurance against lost luggage or canceled flights can save you a lot of money and give you peace of mind in the long run.
