Tips To Follow When Traveling Abroad

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Traveling abroad can be quite exciting, what with discovering new people, learning new cultures, eating new food and visiting new places. Unfortunately, when not enough planning is done, traveling can also be a nightmare! Imagine exchanging most of your money into the local currency only to misplace or have it stolen and then luckily have your credit card which you try to use only to have it blocked! How about trying to enter a new country only to be turned away because your passport is about to expire?

The tips below will help you travel safely abroad and let you in on how to learn a new language while at it!

Your health matters

Go to your doctor and get yourself checked out to ensure that you are healthy enough to travel. In case you do have medical insurance, find out whether or not it extends to the country you intend to travel to. In case it doesn’t, you need to add extra coverage to cater to emergencies while abroad. In addition, you should also take note of the nearest hospital or medical center by where you intend to spend most of your time.

Have a valid passport

It is important to find out if the months left on your visa are good enough to travel with to a given destination. This helps do away with scenarios such as being turned away upon arrival at the new place.

Make copies of important documents

It is a good idea to make copies of your important documents such as your passport. You can also leave a copy of the same back home or with someone you trust.

Don’t forget to register with your embassy

It’s a good idea to find and register with your embassy just in case a problem arises in the country you are visiting. This makes it possible for your government to contact you and try to get you to safety.

Find out if there is an entrance/exit fee

There are countries that do charge an entrance/exit fee; as such it is a good idea to be armed with such information.

Don’t keep all your money together

It is never a good idea to keep your cash and credit cards in one place. If you are traveling, try as much as possible to separate your money, for example, you can keep some in your wallet, some in your luggage and the rest in another safe location just in case you are faced with unexpected happenings, such as your wallet going missing!

Don’t forget to call your bank or credit provider

Calling your bank or credit provider helps eliminate the scenario of having your cards turned off as a security measure when they notice a transaction in an area other than that they are away of.

Learn a new language and tryout new food

It can be fun to try out new food in new places you visit. Embrace the new culture and try to interact with the locals in their own language. To help you learn a new language you can:

  • Live with native speakers to help you practice
  • Engage in language training by listen to audio files or videos in the new language
  • Have as many conversations as possible in the new language with the locals and later write down bits of the conversation that you remember.

Credits
Vaccines.gov – Travelling Out of the Country?
Communiqua – Language Training
Travel Zoo – 20 Tips Before Traveling Internationally

 

James Jacobs