The Most Important Tips for Your Travel Preparation
Travel preparation is truly key for a good trip. Nothing is more annoying than traveling and forgetting something important. Some things are not so easy to buy or acquire abroad. Especially with personal documents, if you don’t have them with you, it could lead to a small disaster. For you to avoid this and not ruin your trip by forgetting items, we have created some tips for travel preparation.
Travel Preparation: Information, Documents, and Money
Before the fun part of the trip preparation begins, you should first deal with the organizational things and take care of them. Once you have started and read up on it, you will have it done faster than you think!
Entry requirements
Once you choose your travel destination, one of the first tips for travel preparation is the entry requirements. This can vary greatly depending on the country and continent. If you are traveling from one EU member state to another, your identity card is sufficient as a travel document. For countries outside the EU, however, it gets a bit more complicated. You need a passport and many countries require a visa.
You should also find out which vaccinations are required. You can get a good overview of these things for the individual countries in our itineraries. It is best to deal with them as early as possible, as they often take up a bit of your time. In addition, in some countries, it is more difficult to apply for a visa than in others. If you don’t have a passport yet, plan some time for this as well – processing can take up to six weeks. We have summarized all the important aspects for you to plan a perfect trip.
Insurance
Probably one of the topics none of us likes to deal with, but one of the important tips for your travel preparations. Insurance is indispensable, especially if you are planning a longer and more expensive trip. If you are traveling out of Europe for a longer period, we strongly recommend you take out international health insurance. This way you can go to the doctor abroad and the costs will be covered when you present the receipt to your health insurance company. Most international health insurances also offer you security in case you get Covid on your trip.
If you are booking a more expensive trip or flight, it is also worth considering taking out travel cancellation insurance. This will cover the costs if you are unable to go on your trip. If you decide to rent a car, it is also wise taking out insurance. However, it is best to do this locally and find out which insurances are accepted at the rental place.
Money, money, money
Yes, money always plays a role and is an essential tip for your travel preparations as well. Of course, at the very beginning, you should think about your budget. How much money do you have available for your trip? Will it be enough in case of unexpected circumstances? Therefore, always plan a little more money. Especially when it comes to work and travel trips, you should have a certain amount of seed capital. When entering Australia with a work and travel visa, you have to be able to prove a certain amount of capital.
In addition to your savings, you should of course also inform yourself about the currency used in your destination country. This is important so you know if you have to exchange money locally and how much the currency is worth compared to the currency in your home country. To find out, there are currency converter apps that will help you with this.
If you don’t already have one, you should get a credit card before your trip. It is necessary if you are traveling outside of Europe from a European country. For more information, check out our article on foreign credit cards. Again, you will need to do some research and it will probably take some time to find and apply for the right one. So, take it easy and don’t stress if it takes a while.
Travel preparation documents
As you may have already noticed, documents and their validity play an important role when traveling. Of course, travel documents are always individual and therefore there is not one list for everyone. However, we have created a checklist for you with the most important and most common travel documents, which you can use to cross off if you have everything ready:
- Passport/ID card
- Tickets and booking confirmations
- Visa
- Insurance cards/contracts
- Vaccination certificate
- Driver’s license and, if applicable, international driver’s license
- Credit card, cash
Travel Planning
Planning is an important step in your travel preparations. Generally, it is best not to leave everything to improvisation and devote yourself to planning your trip.
However, do not underestimate the planning of your trip. Gathering information like where to find the cheapest flight, accommodation, or rental car can be overwhelming! But, take it easy especially if it’s your first time booking on your own. Take your time to prepare for your trip. talk to experienced people and turn to experts in case of doubt.
Weather
Before you travel, make sure you check the local weather and weather conditions. Not only should you pay attention to the season and the temperature, but also whether it is a rainy or dry season. The travel time is especially important for countries that experience extreme temperatures and weather. For example, avoid Caribbean countries during hurricane season. You can find a wide range of climate guides for different countries on our website. Maybe your destination is among them!
Accommodation
After you have booked your flight, you should also take care of your accommodation. Depending on your itinerary, your accommodation can differ, whether it’s a hotel, hostel, host family, or campervan. The important thing is that you have a place when you arrive. Depending on the duration of your trip, you don’t have to book all accommodations directly from home. However, you should be prepared for the first few days so that you can arrive relaxed and then continue planning in peace.
Itinerary
Your travel preparation also includes roughly planning an itinerary or the things you want to see and experience. Here, too, it depends on the duration of your trip. If you are planning a shorter trip, then think about what you want to see and when beforehand. This way you can save time and get as much out of your trip as possible. But don’t stress about having to visit all the attractions. You can personalize your trip for utmost enjoyment. So don’t let Instagram hype and pressure get in the way. Plan your trip the way it suits you best!
Packing
The last step of your travel preparation is packing. Once you get to this point, there’s not much separating you from your adventure!
How and what you should pack depends on what kind of trip you have planned. Ultimately, it is up to you whether you prefer to travel with a suitcase or backpack. Think about the climate, the duration of the trip, which clothes you are taking, and how much you need.
For us, checklists are essential when packing. Take your time to write down what you might need. It’s best to start with this a few days or weeks before your trip, so you have enough time to consider everything.
For some inspiration, you can find a few packing lists for different trips on our website.
Conclusion
Although we love the experience of spontaneous travel adventures, some trips require thorough preparation.
Especially if you are planning an overseas adventure, you should allow enough time for your travel preparations. Often you will need to apply for a visa, passport, and credit card, which can take some time.
The various steps of planning your trip can be time-consuming and complicated. However, the effort will pay off as soon as you leave! The more you do to get informed and organized before your trip, the less likely it is that unpleasant surprises await you.
With all the organizational stuff, don’t forget that the best part of preparing for your trip is the anticipation and excitement of what is to come!
