Excited to have a holiday abroad coming up? Counting down the days until you go away, especially after the pandemic?
To help make sure you’re fully prepared, here’s 5 things you’ll need for every trip you take.
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1. Travel Insurance
Insurance is the first thing you’ll need for every trip. Please, please, please, whatever you do make sure you have travel insurance for every holiday.
You will never be able to predict if something serious will happen when you are travelling. Overall it’s far cheaper to have an insurance policy and not need it. Travel insurance will cover you for a range of things, from replacing a lost mobile phone, to arranging return flights if you cannot make it home as planned.
There are so many different companies offering travel insurance, and cover can be for a single trip or as an annual policy covering several trips each year. It will all depend on how often you travel as to which is the best option for you. My recommendation is to purchase an annual policy if you travel more than once a year.
Optional extras can be added to your policy, such as hazardous activities or sports, or cruise cover. Depending on what you plan to do during your trip, you may benefit from the additional cover for your trip.
I know first-hand how wrong things can go when travelling, and how vital it is to have travel insurance. My partner and I were travelling in Thailand in 2014 when he caught dengue fever at the end of our two month trip, and had to spend 3 weeks in a private hospital. His treatment included kidney dialysis for 10 days, two blood transfusions and several chest x-rays, costing a whopping £30,000!!!! Our single trip backpacker insurance policy was £27.15 with a £200 excess. The insurance policy was far more affordable than the hospital bill…
Now this is a very extreme scenario, but honestly, I cannot stress how important it is to have travel insurance for every trip you take. Make sure you purchase this as soon as you book your holiday, unless you have an annual policy in place. And, always remember to bring a copy of your policy with you when you travel.
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2. Passport
Your passport is the second thing you’ll need for every trip. It’s vital for any holiday abroad, as you will generally require this when travelling worldwide to allow you entry into any country.
Please make sure you know when your passport is due to expire. One reason is so you can renew it with plenty of time to spare. A second reason is some countries require you to have at least 6 months validity for entry to the country (particularly for UK passports). Check the travel advice for your destination as it will vary by country and for different nationalities.
If you travel as frequently as possible, like me, it’s worth knowing if you will require a visa to enter the country you are visiting. For some countries the visa will take a whole passport page, so you need to have plenty of pages available. Many other countries will just stamp a page anywhere in your passport. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE getting a stamp in my passport and have even asked for the officer at Passport Control to give me a stamp when it’s not required. It’s worked 50% of the time.
Keep your passport in a safe place so it’s easy to find is best practice, ready for every trip. Also put your passport in an easy to access place within your hand luggage, for a smooth transition through passport control.
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3. Money – cards and cash
Money is the third item you’ll need for every trip. Unless you’ve managed to get an all-expenses paid holiday (in which case good for you!) – my advice is to bring various options with you. Have a couple of cards available which don’t charge you for foreign transactions. Keep them separate from each other if possible so you’ll have a backup just in case anything unfortunate happens.
Cash is very useful to have available, particularly on arrival. You can use a currency exchange facility to obtain foreign currency in advance, or use a debit card (that does not apply a withdrawal charge) when you arrive to get cash from an ATM. I have found in most cases taking cash out from an ATM at the airport is the easiest option. Doing this will avoid using a service that either charges a commission or doesn’t give the best conversion rate.
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I personally take two debit cards (with no withdrawal charges), and three credit cards that have a 0% transaction fee. I use the credit cards for all purchases, and the debit cards if I need cash.
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4. Documents and Tickets
Confirmation documents and tickets are the next items you’ll need for every trip. Whether you prefer the security of paper tickets, or are comfortable using modern technology, there are some tickets and important documents you’ll need to have with you for every trip.
Here is a list of some key documents to bring with you for every trip:
A. Flight tickets and/or boarding pass
To be able to get on the plane and jet away, your flight tickets/boarding pass (if you’ve been able to check-in ahead of time) are vital items to bring with you. They will be needed at the airport so make sure these are easy to reach in your hand luggage. I’ve used various airline apps to have an electronic boarding pass. If you’re comfortable with technology these are very reliable, and whilst I’ve have had no issues not having a physical boarding pass, I will usually have a print out available.
B. Hotel/hostel confirmations
These won’t apply if you are staying with friends or family at your destination, but I always print off my hotel confirmations. I tend to use Booking.com or Hotels.com for my accommodation reservations. Both of these sites have very good apps, however I like to have the full details printed and easily available.
I’ve found it helpful to show taxi drivers where I’m staying, as I’d rather not hand them my phone to see the details. It’s also been useful to provide to the receptionist to confirm a reservation.
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C. Insurance policy
As travel insurance is vital to have for every trip, make sure you have a copy of your policy available. You can either bring the certificate with you or have an electronic copy, as many companies email all the documents to you. In whatever format you choose, bring a copy with you.
D. Trip itinerary
I am a person who loves to plan my trips! I enjoy researching a destination and working out what my holiday will look like in advance. This way I make the most of my time away and getting to enjoy activities I’ve spent months planning is a great feeling. Having the itinerary printed off means I can change things around easily if needed.
5. Clothes
Unless you’re going to a nudist camp (and there’s nothing wrong with that) you’ll need to take clothes with you for every trip. Choosing outfits to make you feel awesome is one of the benefits of a holiday. You have an excuse to dress up every day if you want to.
The clothes you take with you will depend on whether you prefer to travel light and take one bag or fill a few cases to have plenty of options. It will also vary based on whether you’re going on a beach holiday, or a trip to a winter wonderland. For any holiday taking the right clothes for your destination is tip number 5.
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Bonus item – a sense of adventure!
Make sure you bring a sense of adventure for every trip – it will help! Despite careful planning and oodles of research, no trip will ever go completely smoothly. There will always be something that doesn’t go quite right or could have been better. It’s all part of the travel experience.
I’ve often found the parts that go awry, end up giving you great stories to tell. While it might be horrible at the time, at some point you’ll be able to look back and hopefully see the funny side. Or learn something from it for your next trip.
If you can go with the flow during your trip, you’ll always have a blast.
Do you have any other items you need for every trip? Have I forgotten anything important? Let me know in the comments.
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