Taking a long trip involves a lot of commitment and the last thing you want is to realize mid-trip that something is missing or that you have forgot a very important task before departing. In order to enjoy your vacation to the fullest or to have as less of a stressful business trip as possible, you need to ask yourself these questions as they will help you get everything ready.
Are you health insured?
Your health is important wherever you go and just because you change time zones doesn’t mean that you are granted immunity. In fact, it means that you are even more exposed than usual to disease and getting sick. In these conditions, it helps a lot to take the medical precautions which will ensure that you won’t experience a disease infested trip. Make sure you get your islect overseas visitor health cover and that you consult your doctor about the various medicine or shots you need to take before leaving the country. Your immune system might have a really hard time dealing with foreign threats if not properly “trained” beforehand.
Are your pets secured?
If you have pets, take time even weeks in advance of your trip to make sure that they will be safe and secure while you’re not at home. Make sure there will be a pet sitter available and that you make arrangements a good chunk of time prior to departing so that you don’t end up desperately looking for someone last minute. Your pets deserve better than that. If you are taking your pets with you, make sure that they are also given any shots if needed, and that they travel comfortably, and not in way too small travel cages or harnesses.
Does anyone know you are leaving?
It’s not just your destination you have to worry about, but also what you are leaving behind. You might just return to find a broken into house waiting for you, which is obviously not pleasant. Make sure to tell some people about the fact that you’re leaving, but not just any people. Ask someone that you fully trust like a relative or a really good friend to check in once in a while. This will make it seem like someone is still home and will discourage robbers from trying something.
Do you know the language?
If you are traveling to another country, it is very important that you know at least some conversational phrases. You don’t need to fluently speak the local language in order to make a huge difference. If you can’t say anything at all however, you will have a very difficult time getting around, especially if something goes wrong and you get separated from your guide or from your itinerary. Learn some basic things like “ how much does this cost?” or “where is the police station?” in case you get into trouble.
Being prepared for a trip might seem like unworthy, tedious work when you’re still at home, but as soon as you get off that plane, you will start feeling the benefits of having invested that time into something useful.
Robert Alleson