Traveling Tips For Abroad

If you’re planning a trip to another country, you will find thousands of recommendations online advising you how to pack, how to make flight and hotel reservations, how to skate through security checkpoints with a minimum of inconvenience, and what to wear when you get there. Harder to find are collections of miscellaneous hints for making life easier for overseas travelers. Here are 10 sure-fire ways to reduce your anxiety level while traveling.  Fill your pocket with change and find a copier. Make at least five copies of your itinerary and hotel information. Give one to a neighbor or friend and another to a son, daughter or other close relative. Pack one in your carry-on bag, another in your purse or briefcase, and another in your checked luggage. Make a copy of your passport identification pages to facilitate its replacement if it is lost or stolen, and put it in your carry-on bag. Finally, make a copy of your credit and debit cards (front and back) and pack in your suitcase.

Fill your pocket with change and find a copier. Make at least five copies of your itinerary and hotel information. Give one to a neighbor or friend and another to a son, daughter or other close relative. Pack one in your carry-on bag, another in your purse or briefcase, and another in your checked luggage. Make a copy of your passport identification pages to facilitate its replacement if it is lost or stolen, and put it in your carry-on bag.  Finally, make a copy of your credit and debit cards (front and back) and pack in your suitcase.

Drop by your bank and buy a few traveler’s checks, even if you plan to use your debit or credit card to obtain cash and make purchases. You could end up in a small town whose one ATM is out of order and whose charming antique shop does not accept plastic.

Check with your health insurer as to what medical events are and aren’t covered outside of your country. If your coverage is sketchy, buy medical travel insurance (available online) that will cover transportation from a clinic or less-than-modern town hospital to a nearby primary care hospital, or the cost of an unexpected ticket home, or worse, the cost of a first-class ticket home due to a broken leg that just won’t fit comfortably into an economy seat.

Males and females alike: Shop for a pouch designed to wear around your neck or for a money belt and use it to hold your passport, a form of identification and your boarding passes, since you will be asked to produce one or more of them about 300 times before you reach your ultimate destination. Either can also be used to stash cash and a credit or debit card for airport purchases.

If you have a choice of seating on your long flight, consider the benefits of the less-popular aisle seat: You will be more easily able to get up to stretch and move around, not to mention make trips to the restroom, thereby spending less time in the laps of your seatmates.

Know your options for ground transportation once you arrive at your destination, especially if you’re not fluent in the language of your host country. Know where to get off if you take a train or bus into the city, i.e., not only the name of your hotel but its street name and if it’s located on a particular square or marketplace.

In the air

Count the number of seats between your seat and the nearest exit. In the unlikely event that smoke obscures your vision, you’ll be able to feel your way to the exit.

Breathing recycled dry germy air for several hours is far from beneficial to your respiratory system, so kick any vanity concerns to the curb and wear a face filter mask during your flight, unless you want a bad cold, flu or worse to be among your travel souvenirs. Drink lots of liquids to keep your nasal passages and throat moist (remember the tip about the aisle seat?).

Understand that not all exchange rates are created equal. Because they have the best exchange rate, use an airport ATM or go to a large bank to obtain local currency. Money-changing is a competitive for-profit business, and vendors charge extra fees for conversion, which they include in their advertised exchange rate.  Be able to recognize enough words to make sure you can understand signs and navigate through an unfamiliar airport, e.g. queue up in the correct line when going through customs or find the appropriate baggage carousel for your flight.