THE ULTIMATE GUIDE ON WHAT TO DO BEFORE TRAVELING
- May 1, 2023
- 6 min read
Updated: May 10, 2023
Hello everyone! i recently went to beautiful Cabo San Lucas (click here to see what i wore in cabo) and i thought since i just traveled, i would share the things i do before i travel! i’ve divided my tips up into five categories as there are quite a few. hope you enjoy!
I. HEALTH
1. bring your medications. it’s really important to bring enough medication for the length of your trip – especially if you have more serious health conditions such as asthma or heart conditions.
2. go to the doctor’s office. this is really important for two reasons. firstly, it’s always a good idea to have a check-up, especially if you’re traveling to do something more adventurous that could affect your health. secondly, you want to make sure you take any vaccinations to help protect yourself from any foreign diseases or illnesses.
3. have an emergency contact. especially if you’re traveling alone! check in with someone close to you and let them know how you’re doing regularly.
4. prepare for where you are going. this includes being aware of what dangers there are in that place and learning some basics in their native language. safety first!
5. make sure you have travel insurance. before going out to purchase some, ensure you aren’t already covered through your work or your credit card. this also gives you peace of mind in case anything happens.
6. bring some healthy snacks for the plane. i’m personally not a huge fan of plane food, as i find it’s usually not that high quality and it’s also often not that healthy. so instead, i pack a few good treats that i know are delicious and nutritious! click here for a great recipe perfect for snacking when you’re on the road or in the air!
7. bring a reusable water bottle. stay hydrated – so important for your health! it’s also great for the environment not to use plastic water bottles. here are some water bottles i love:
II. DOCUMENTS
8. make sure you know where your passport is. don’t wait until the last minute to look for your passport. have a designated place for your passport – i put mine in my travel wallet in my luggage bag so i know where it is at all times.
9. make sure your passport isn’t expiring soon. as a general rule, passports should have at least six months of validity when traveling internationally. most countries will not permit a traveler to enter their country unless the passport expires at least six months after the final day of travel. if your passport is expiring soon or has already expired, renew it immediately and well before your departure date!
10. check to see if you need a visa. some countries require travelers visas – if you do need one, make sure to apply for one well in advance as it can take some time to obtain.
11. apply for a nexus pass. some countries may not offer this and some may use a different name, but basically it’s a fast-track pass through security. check the requirements if you don’t have one and would like to apply, and if you do have one, make sure its not expired - if it is, renew it asap!
12. be sure to know the address of where you’re staying. you’ll need to fill out a customs form if traveling internationally and the forms normally ask for the address of where you’re staying so be prepared – and also have a pen!
13. update your address. make sure you’re address on your luggage bag and any documentation is up to date.
III. MONEY
14. phone your bank. if you are going to be bringing your credit card, let your bank know so they don’t flag any transactions as fraudulent. it can be quite embarrassing when your credit card gets declined!
15. be careful with your credit card and have money on hand. it is always better to use the currency of the country you’re visiting, so plan ahead and go to an exchange company that offers good exchange rates. and if needed, have your credit card on hand if you absolutely need to.
16. phone your cell phone company. roaming charges can be very expensive, so see if your mobility company has a flat-rate roaming plan you can use while you’re away. i would ask for this even if you don’t plan on using your cell just in case you need it for emergencies.
17. turn off your electricity at home. a huge money saver, and good for the environment!
18. don’t bring liquids over the limit in your carry on. make sure to check what the restrictions are with how much liquid you can bring onto the plane. it really sucks when security has to confiscate your belongings!
19. invest in a bag scale. they’re usually pretty inexpensive and can save you money and stress in the future! click here for the one i purchased on Amazon.
20. leave a few pounds below the limit and have a little bit of extra space in your bag. even if you don’t plan on purchasing anything, it’s a good idea to leave a little extra room in your bag if you find something you absolutely love and want to take home.
21. be aware of how much money you can spend on items you can claim duty-free. you should be aware of these rules – otherwise you may have to pay duty on items that you purchased.
IV. ORGANIZATION/STRESS RELIEF
22. use a checklist. this is great to bring so you know exactly what you have with you and you know exactly what you need to pack up so you don’t forget anything. click here for the checklist i use!
23. create an itinerary. plan on days for activities you want to do, and leave a little room to be spontaneous! i use travefy to create my itineraries!
24. make sure to have someone you trust to take care of your pets and plants. plan well in advance so you don’t need to spend money on daycare for your pets which can get quite costly. and don’t forget about your plants!
25. turn on your out-of-office emails. i actually like to go through my emails every day to make sure i have a 0 inbox, so that i am not bombarded with emails when i get back to work. this may not work for everyone, but it works great for me!
26. pack early and pack lightly. this is my minimalism coming out. i pack by outfit, so i know exactly what i’m wearing for each day and each activity. this way, i don’t overpack and i maintain my minimalist ways – plus i don’t have to check a bag which saves me time and no worries about lost luggage!
27. invest in packing cubes. i love having an organized bag instead of just throwing everything in and not knowing where anything is. makes my packing and unpacking experience very enjoyable! click here for the packing cubes i use!
28. check the weather forecast. weather forecasts are not always reliable, but just get an idea of what the weather is going to be like, because weather is a large determining factor on what people wear – hence what you need to pack!
29. check in to your flight in advance. this relieves a lot of stress on travel day, and you can often just download your boarding pass so you just need your phone when going through security and gates!
30. make sure you have all your entertainment before boarding the plane. it’s quite painful to have to sit on a plane with nothing to do for hours. so make sure you have things to do to keep you occupied. netflix now offers downloads, so i would definitely take advantage of that when you’re in the air. if you have a kindle, be sure to have all your books ready for reading. if you’re the type that likes to be more productive like me, bring some work on the plane that you don’t need wifi for. some planes now offer wifi, but i often find the wifi unreliable or very weak on planes, so i wouldn’t recommend relying on the wifi in the air.
31. check the in-flight complimentary entertainment. some planes don’t have screens for passengers, but do offer complimentary service on people’s laptops and phones. check to see what kind of entertainment there is before boarding the plane as you may need to download an app in order to use this service.
32. invest in comfort. check for any deals in business class or first class. if that’s out of your budget, see if the emergency rows are available which have extra legroom. i’m pretty tall so to me, it’s worth investing in comfort so i enjoy my flight!
IV. ELECTRONICS
33. back up your computer. if you plan on bringing your computer, make sure to back it up before you leave! nothing worse than having a damaged, stolen or lost laptop and you lose all of your data. it’s also a good general rule of thumb to turn on the ‘find my phone’ or ‘find my mac’ or whatever, in case you misplace it and need to know where it is.
34. invest in a good universal adapter. if you’re going to another country, check to see what kind of plugs they use and purchase an adapter ahead of time, because adapters at airports are expensive!
35. charge your electronics before you board the plane and have a portable charger in case the plane doesn’t offer plug-in service.
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