You can have an amazing experience traveling to another country. You step into a totally different place which has many local cultures and customs. You may see world-famous monuments or marvels of nature and enjoy exotic food and local activities. A wonderful international journey can give you joyful memories that last a lifetime. However, your travel experience depends largely on how you plan it. So, a well-prepared international trip is key to a successful experience. In this article are the most important things that you need to prepare for a perfect international trip.
After you choose your destination and create an itinerary, you can dive into the next stage of preparation following the steps below.
If you haven’t chosen your destination, you can see my previous posts on finding a destination, cheap flights and hotels, and creating a travel itinerary. I hope these tips can help you enjoy your vacation planning.
1. Have a Valid Passport
A passport is a must whether or not your destination country requires a visa. Make sure that when you leave your passport has enough valid time, normally at least 6 months, and has a few blank pages left. Check specific requirements on the website of embassy of your destination country.
2. Know the Visa Requirements
Some countries require a visa to enter. Check your destination country’s government website to see whether you need a visa. Be sure to check the visa requirement early enough because a visa application takes weeks to process. If you are traveling to more than one country, you will need to check each country’s visa requirements to make sure you have all the documents for entry.
3. Check the Vaccination and Medication Requirements
Some areas require travelers to have certain recent vaccination records to enter. Check the embassy website for each destination to understand the requirements. You can find helpful information from your home country’s CDC website or the WHO website.
If you have prescribed medications you need to take with you, check with the embassy of each destination to see what kind of documents you need to provide to carry your medicine.
4. Think about Obtaining an International Driving Permit
If you plan to rent a car and drive in your destination, you need to check the requirements for a driver’s permit. If you need an international driving permit, you can easily apply for one in person at the nearest AAA office.
5. Consider Getting Travel Insurance
If your destination requires a travel visa, chances are you also need to have a travel insurance policy that meets the criteria of the visa application. Even if you don’t need a visa to travel to your destination, I still suggest purchasing travel insurance which can cover most of the unexpected things and doesn’t cost much.
6. Have Cash in Local Currency
Generally, the best way to get your destination’s local currency is to get them from the bank where you live. How much cash should you bring with you? Carrying too much cash feels insecure but too little may cause inconvenience. It depends on the daily expense you estimate when you travel. A good rule of thumb is to estimate how much you may spend each day and bring enough cash to support 3-5 days’ daily expense.
7. Bring a Credit Card and a Debit Card
Using a credit card is convenient when you travel internationally. Choose a credit card which doesn’t charge you a fee whenever you make a purchase in a foreign country.
Bring a debit card which allows you to withdraw cash in another country. It is better if your debit card bank doesn’t charge a foreign country withdrawal fee, however, even if your bank does, bring one just for urgent needs.
8. Notify Your Bank and Credit Card Company
Your credit card company may suspend your credit card for security reasons if you forget to inform them that you are traveling aboard. You may also want to notify your bank for security reasons.
9. Copy Your Travel Documents
Copy all your important documents and upload them to a safe online storage site, such as Dropbox or Google Drive, where you can easily access your files when you are aboard. If you don’t have any cloud storage, you can simply email those documents to yourself, so you can find them in your inbox when you need to.
10. Ensure Cell Phone Connectivity
When you are traveling internationally, you definitely want to be well connected so you can access the internet or contact other people. You don’t want to limit yourself to where you can access free Wi-Fi. Check with your cell phone carrier to see if they provide any kind of data plan out of the country. If you are traveling for a long period of time, a good, practical option is to get a local sim card.
11. Have Universal Adapters
Countries usually have different plugs and voltage. Bring at least 2 universal adapters or one that can charge multiple devices with you when you travel.
