Whenever you travel to a place far away from home, there are always those slight lingering worries at the back of your mind - especially if you are a worrier like me… It is understandable though because travel disasters, both major and minor, do occur. But rather than aimlessly fretting over them, try to prepare better and take steps to prevent those disasters from striking and ruining your travel plans in the first place.
These are the things that can help you to avoid the kinds of problems that lead to the most common problems and travel disasters that people experience each year. So if you’re planning a getaway this summer, the advice below will *hopefully* help you to avert disaster.
Know as much about the location you’re traveling to
You should aim to find out as much as you possibly can about the place that you’re heading to before you leave home. When you’re armed with that information, you’ll be prepared for all of the things that matter. For example, you’ll know what kind of weather and climate to expect when you arrive there. I usually do this research when I’m putting together an itinerary of everything I want to do while I’m away.
That certainly makes packing a lot easier but it’s not the only thing that matters when you’re researching a country. You should also look at the political situation and look for signs of instability because you probably don’t want to be caught up in those kinds of situations. Like I said, I am a worrier so I always make sure to check this out before I leave.
Don’t become a target for pickpockets
When you’re in your location and walking around, you don’t want to look like an easy target for pickpockets. It’s very easy to be targeted when you look like a tourist. So, don’t leave your wallet sticking out of your back pocket or in a zip pocket on the back of your backpack.
That’s just asking for trouble and you will be targeted if you’re in a place where pickpockets are known to operate. Keep all of your important possessions somewhere safe where they can’t be easily taken. And generally do what you can to not to stick out as a tourist, if at all possible!
Get travel insurance
You definitely need to make sure you have travel insurance cover before you go anywhere. If you don’t have this, you could find yourself in a very difficult situation if something does go wrong on your travels. You never know when you might get sick or experience some sort of accident.
By making sure you have the right travel insurance in place, you’ll be able to make sure that you don’t end up going home with a massive hospital bill to worry about on top of everything else. It’s cheap and easy to find travel insurance these days, so there’s no reason not to get it.
Don’t forget hayfever medication
If you’re going to be traveling in summer and you know that you often experience hayfever, you want to make sure that you don’t spend the whole trip suffering. This is especially important if you want to spend time in nature, walking through the countryside.
You’ll need to take the right medication with you and you can buy them online now so it’s easy to stay protected as a hayfever sufferer. If you’re heading to a rural location, you might struggle to buy the medication you need there, so it’s best to be safe and take it with you. Nothing worse than trying to enjoy your holiday with both streaming eyes and nose!
Don’t let all your plans rely on the weather
You never know what the weather might decide to do, so it’s best not to let all of your travel plans hang on the weather conditions. You don’t want them all to be washed away and ruined if it turns out that the weather is bad and you don’t want to be spending time outdoors.
You should always have a backup plan for times like these. That way, you can still have a great time and not be left stranded wondering what to do when the rain starts to fall.
Give yourself A LOT more time than you need
If you’re the kind of person who often finds themselves rushing to get that train or struggling to reach the airport before the plan leaves, you’re probably worried about missing your flight this summer. Well, the easy solution to this is to make sure that you give yourself a lot more time than you think you’ll need.
That way, even if you do start running late, you’ll have enough time to make sure you get to your transport connection on time. You don’t want all of your plans to be completely thrown off course because you missed your flight or your train or bus.
Check your car rental details as soon as you land
When you arrive at your travel destination, and you’ve already booked a car to hire, you’ll want to make sure that you call to check the details as soon as possible. Even before you pick up your bags, you can call to confirm and check your car is ready to pick up.
That way, they can deal with any problems and get things ready in the knowledge that you’re on your way and will be ready to pick up the car soon. It makes a pretty big difference if you do this as you could end up saving yourself quite a lot of time.
Pack with lost luggage in mind
It happens rarely, but it does happen, so you want to make sure that you pack your bags with the possibility of lost luggage in mind. That way, you can be sure that you don’t have your plans completely ruined if your luggage is delayed and you have to cope for a day or two without it.
You can do this by having a carry on bag that has some of the important things you need. For example, take a change of clothes and other essentials in your carry on bag. It can’t hurt to do this and it could be a lifesaver if your luggage is lost and delayed. I always do this as I have such a fear my suitcase won’t make the flight after an experience of it being left in Greece on a previous holiday…
Plan to protect your passport and take an emergency kit
Protecting your passport is one of the important things you should do when you’re traveling. Doing this will help to avoid the disaster of losing your passport and having to try and find a way home without one. Doing that isn’t exactly fun, but it can be done.
If you take a passport-size photo, photo ID, proof of citizenship and your travel itinerary, you’ll find that the process of getting a replacement passport should you need one is a lot easier and a lot quicker.
Take a printout of your itinerary with you
It’s always a good idea to take a printout of your whole travel itinerary with you when you’re traveling. When you do this, you will be able to make sure that you always know where you need to be and what your plans are.
It might sound obvious but having that paper backup can be important. It’ll certainly be important if you have problems accessing the internet when you’re away and can’t check those details on your smartphone.
No one wants to experience a travel disaster but people do every day, whether it’s a big one or a small one. So, in order to ensure you never find yourself in that situation, you should keep the points and tips listed above in mind as you plan for your next summer travel trip. You won’t regret doing so later.
*This is a collaborative post but all thoughts are my own.
