TRAVEL INSURANCE
Although many people feel insurance is unnecessary, I truly believe in travel insurance. When traveling, anything can happen, lost luggage, delayed trips, accidents, illnesses, etc. You don’t want to have an illness without insurance. Once when on a trip to Athens, Greece, one of the members of our tour group became ill and when the doctor treated her at the hotel, the bill was $800.00. As a result, she had to contact her family back in the states to wire her money to pay the doctor. If she had insurance she would have been reimbursed.
ALWAYS LET YOUR BANK KNOW YOU WILL BE TRAVELING OUT OF THE COUNTRY
If you do not do this and try to use your card or use online banking, the bank for security reasons will shut down your account. When you don’t let the bank know, they will see that the IP address or credit card charge is from outside of the country and think someone is using your identity. When you call the bank let them know what countries you will be visiting.
PACK TOILET TISSUE.
I have had the experience of visiting some countries and going to the bathroom at certain tourist sites where there is no toilet tissue. There would be a lady in the bathroom selling toilet paper. Examples are Egypt and Turkey.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LONG LAYOVERS.
When traveling and you have a long layover, plan to leave the airport to see the sites of that city. Of course, this is good if you are in a location that has something to see. Make plans before you leave. Find out first what the best mode of transportation is. Find out first what are the sites you want to see and calculate the time it will take. I did this on an 8-hour layover in London.
PACK LITE TO HAVE ROOM FOR PURCHASED ITEMS
I have made the mistake in the past of bringing too much stuff so that when I purchased gifts and souvenirs it was a burden to pack. You want to also make sure you don’t come too close to the airline weight limit when you leave home.
GLOBAL ENTRY
I love the Global Entry program. If you travel both domestically and internationally this is a great program. It costs $100.00 for five years. Global Entry is a program of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection service. The program allows pre-approved travelers to receive expedited clearance through automatic kiosks at selected airports when you come back into the US. By doing this you avoid the long customs lines. You will also get pre-check which helps you avoid the long security checkpoints. To get pre-check you must enter the known traveler number from the card they give you when making your reservation.
INVEST IN A GOOD TOILETRY CASE
I have a toiletry case that I purchased from e-bags. In it, I have my travel size items, such as deodorant, lotions, toothpaste, etc. I tend to keep it stocked so when a trip
comes up I am prepared. These bags are small enough to fit in your carryon bag.
Back up photos
Make sure you have enough storage to take pictures on your phone or camera. Back up your photos before your trip to have enough space. You might want to invest in a storage card of at least 32 GB to ensure you have space for your photos.
HOP ON HOP OFF BUS TOURS
These tours are a great way to sightsee. The Hop off Hop on Tours are in most major cities throughout the world. These busses have different pick-up and drop off sites throughout each location. On these tours, you have the option of getting off the bus to explore at any designated point you want. The cost is reasonable.
GET ORGANIZED WITH PACKING CUBES
I love my packing cubes. These are small bags designed to organize and compartmentalize your clothes inside your luggage. I believe once you start using packing cubes there is no going back. I have six; two large, two medium and two small. Packing for me has never been easier. When I get to my hotel, I generally will keep many of the clothes in the cube and place the cube in the drawers.
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE PHOTOS OF YOURSELF
This is something I must remember to do. I have been on trips where I have taken plenty of pictures and I later look, and I am not in them. I love taking a lot of pictures when I travel. Consider taking a lot of selfies and ask people to take pictures of you
KEEP TRACK OF SPENDING
It can be easy to get carried away with your spending when you travel. I always set a limit. I keep records each day so as not to go over my budget. Once I know what amount I will spend, I will deposit a portion into my debit card. And I take a portion in cash. Cash is good for tips as well as some vendors who only take cash.
LOOK INTO INTERNATIONAL CALLING PLANS
I use AT&T for my cell phone. Because I always want to be able to make calls and receive calls in case of an emergency. AT&T has various international plans to choose from. Check with your cellular phone company to see what plans they have.
KEEP DEVICES CHARGED
There is nothing like being out and your phone or camera stops working because it isn’t charged. Always charge each day and bring a portable battery for your device. Remember to keep the battery charged also. When you keep your devices charged you are sure to enjoy you trip without any interruptions.
MARK LUGGAGE SO IT STANDS OUT.
I use removable red luggage handle grips on my luggage. This way my bags stand out when they go along the baggage carousel. There are many things you can use. Small colorful pom poms or large colorful luggage tags