So, you have finally set off on your long-planned vacation. Airline tickets were purchased long ago, a cozy room in a comfortable hotel at a foreign seaside resort awaits you, all that remains is to check the weather website and make sure that even nature guarantees you a cloudless beach holiday. However, these are far from all the nuances that a novice traveler needs to pay attention to.
What else should you take care of before departure and what should you remember during the trip? Here is what experts in the tourism market advise.
1. Make copies of all documents: internal and foreign passport, driver's license, identification code. Keep copies separate from originals during the trip, so that if lost or stolen, you at least have copies of identity documents.
2. Write down the addresses and phone numbers of your country's embassies in the cities you plan to visit. In case of various problems and situations, you can always contact the embassy of your home country.
3. Keep money both in cash and on a card. Cash should not be kept in one place; it is better to distribute it among different pockets of your bag and suitcase, maybe even clothing. Thus, if one part of the amount is lost or stolen, you will always have money hidden in other places.
4. Put together a personal first aid kit, taking into account your chronic diseases or predispositions to illnesses, and your reaction to various medications. However, pay attention to customs rules – some medications may be prohibited from transport.
5. Write down the addresses of at least a couple of hotels in the city you plan to visit, in case there are problems with pre-booked accommodation.
6. Be sure to inform your relatives and close friends about your route and planned places to visit before departure.
7. Create your account on the CouchSurfing website. This will help you always find accommodation, or a local resident who can show you the city, or provide some kind of assistance.
8. Think about what food you will take on the road. It should not be heavy on the stomach, or cause poisoning or upset, or trigger allergies.
9. When you travel with a group of unfamiliar tourists, try to establish contact with a few people in the group from the start, and if you suddenly get lost or are late for a certain meeting time and place, these people will report your absence.
10. It is better to avoid holiday dates – this will not only lead to frayed nerves due to roads congested with cars, customs with buses, and cities with people, but also cost you much more than at other times.
11. When you pack your suitcase, open it and take out at least a couple of items! In almost 100% of cases, people do not wear every single item they took on the trip, and it is just unnecessary extra weight. You will see – you will get along perfectly without an extra T-shirt or another pair of jeans. When packing items in a suitcase, it is better to roll them than fold them – this way you save more space and clothes wrinkle less.
12. Personal hygiene items are best taken in small tubes and bottles – this will significantly reduce the weight of the suitcase.
13. Be sure to read information about the country you plan to visit. Choose from a guidebook which sights in the cities along your route are worth visiting.
14. Learn at least a few phrases in the language of the country you plan to visit. This will help you endear yourself to the locals, since local residents sometimes have a biased attitude towards tourists.
15. Always be vigilant on the streets and in public transport – tourists always attract criminals.
16. If you are traveling with a group of friends or colleagues, or family, still try to find time to walk alone, to be alone, because travel is a vacation, an opportunity to be by yourself, to find inner harmony.
And remember – a quality and comfortable holiday depends on the traveler themselves. Have a nice holiday!