4 June 2013

10 Things a Must Before Flying Away on a Journey



http://www.roundabouttravel.com.au/file.php?f=fvYX_5.teuBSO.17

Disembarking to a foreign land is never easy. In my opinion from my travel experience, the hardest thing to do is getting yourself ready before heading off towards your journey. These are ten things I reckon is essential for you!


1:. Passport

Having a passport is essential and the key before leaving your beloved country. It is basically your main form of identity outside your country and should be carried close to you wherever you go. Depending which country you’re from, allow at least two months before you leave to prepare your passport.


2:. Visa

Another thing essential before leaving on a journey out of your country is to obtain an appropriate visa before disembarking. Depending on which country you’re from, certain countries require visas to go in. Having a journey plan will help obtain whatever visa is needed before travelling. For example, you may not need a visa to enter Hong Kong, but you’ll need a visa to enter China even though both places are technically side by side and under the China. Therefore, it is important and efficient to obtain appropriate visas from your home country. This makes the process faster and easier.


3:. Air Tickets

For most travelers, the best part of disembarking on a journey is your air flight out of your country to a new far away land. That excitement of entering the airport and going to an unknown land is one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. Well, therefore one of must items is having an air ticket. Air ticket can be booked and purchased online. Make sure air tickets are bought 6 months before disembarking. This is so that the air tickets are cheaper and you’ll make sure your travel plan is actually happening. Many people plan to go on a trip but hesitate to buy the air ticket. The more you think about it, the more you’ll delay your dream travel plan. On occasions, you might be able to obtain an air ticket cheaper closer towards your travel period. But it’s a gamble cause most of the time air tickets go up, as it gets closer to your flight date. Get your air tickets as early as you can!


4:. Insurance

When disembarking on a journey, it is important to obtain travel insurance. Travel insurance maybe costly, but you may not know what bumps you might stumble across while traveling. Travel insurance is like a support package that helps you has an ease of mind if anything unfortunate happens. Travel insurance, depending on which plan, will cover basic stuff such as lost of baggage, medical, thievery, lost of gadgets such as cameras or hand phone, and many more. Research the places you’re going to get a better understanding on which travel insurance package to go for. For more information, click HERE!


5:. Driving License

Driving license is another must bring item. You’ll find this very useful when travelling. When going to a foreign country, not everywhere you want to visit will have public transport to take you there. Therefore, having your driver’s license on you will give you additional options to get there. An example situation, you’ll realize that it maybe cheaper to hire a car with a group of travelers that following a tour, having a driver’s license will open up that option.


6:. Clothes

Packing up a luggage is never easy. You might not know what to bring or pack your whole wardrobe. Understand that, the more things you pack, the more weight you’ve got to carry around. Depending on the duration, I would recommend that packing for 5 days worth of clothes is sufficient. This is because most places travelled; there will be washing machines and dryer available at hostels and backpackers lodge, or cleaning services at hotels for travelers on a higher budget. Another important note is that research about the place you’re going to bring the appropriate attire. Research things such as currency, weather, lifestyle and so on. This will then help you decide what is needed and what is not. I know I included currency; this is because for example a place like Hong Kong, shopping is fairly cheap there. Therefore, by looking at its low currency and cheap shopping, you’ll therefore pack less and shop there instead.


7:. Camera

Having a camera is important as it captures your journeys experience. A cheap digital camera is sufficient enough as it is compact and easy to carry around. However, travelers who want to capture high-resolution professional images, a DSLR will be good to have around. But this is extra weight to carry around and make sure to keep an extra eye so that it doesn’t get stolen! A regular question is what if I have a smart phone with a pretty good camera? Well, if you loose your phone, at least you still have your camera to capture the remainder of your journey.


8:. Notebook

A notebook is important as you can note down everywhere you’ve been. Make it like a journal of your own travel experience. The best thing about noting down your travel experience, you can look back and trace back your travel experience. Pair it up with images taken from your camera, make yourself a travel photo book!


9:. Smart Phone

Most travelers tend to neglect this point. Most travelers tend to purchase a cheap candy bar phone to travel. But in this modern day, having a smart phone will ease your journey in many ways. Most countries these days has some form of data plan, it can be either 3G or down to GPRS, but still connectable to our modern day Internet. On of the most important feature is the built in GPS in your phone. This helps you get around a foreign place. Another important feature will be local public transport app. This will help you know which public transport to take while you’re in a foreign country. Google translate is another useful feature in a smart phone. If you don’t speak the language, no worries, type it our in your own language and let Google Translate does its job. Travel apps are useful to know what’s the main tourist attraction of the location you’re at. Lastly, you’re constantly connected to social media, which means you’re constantly connected to your friends and family. This helps ease loneliness and having the feeling of being homesick.


10:. Recommended

Here is a list of extra recommended things to bring
·    Electrical converter
·    Tiny flashlight
·    Toiletries
·    Sunscreen/lip balm
·    Sunglasses
·    Tiny first aid kit
·    Rain jacket
·    Cheap watch with alarm clock
·    Flip flops
·    Guide book
·    Inflatable neck rest
·    Extra passport photos

No comments:

Post a Comment