Getting ready to go on a trip can lead to lots of pre-travel jitters. Even after years of planning, packing, and flying, I still get stressed out before almost every international trip I take.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re going on an all-inclusive resort vacation or a month-long trip to Asia. There’s always some level of stress leading up to a trip. This is my tried and tested pre-travel checklist that helps put my mind at ease and prepare me for a stress-free vacation.
1. Book Flights and Accommodations
Image via Flickr by mattbrink
The biggest thing that I like to get out of the way first is making sure I have my flights and my hotels all booked. This ensures that the largest expenses have already been accounted for in my budget, and it means I can kind of relax about everything else. As long as I have a flight and a place to stay, the rest of the trip will seem easy.
2. Get Travel Protection
Purchasing a travel protection membership is an important step to take before leaving for a trip. While I’ve been lucky enough to never have to use it, I always get travel protection before a long international trip.
If you’re hospitalized more than 150 miles from home, whether your travels take you across the country or across the world, MedjetAssist travel protection will arrange for medical transportation to the hospital of your choice in your home country.
3. Book Popular Tours
Another thing I do before heading off on my travels is to make sure any popular tours, such as visiting Chichen Itza in Mexico or hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, are all pre-booked. There’s nothing worse than showing up to your destination after months of planning only to realize the dream tour that you wanted to attend is totally booked out.
4. Plan a Loose Itinerary
I like to search different blogs and travel websites such as Lonely Planet to find different restaurants, cafes, and off-the-beaten-path places. I usually make a loose itinerary on my phone to include these spots throughout my trip so that I don’t miss out on the things that I really want to enjoy. I try not to stay too rigid with my plans, though. You never know what gems you might find once you arrive.
5. Save All Important Documents
The last thing I do a day or two before my trip is to save all of my important documents onto my cellphone. I always have a copy of my license and my passport saved on my phone. I make sure I have all of my flight details at my fingertips so I don’t have to stress about it the morning of my flight or wonder where my return flight information is at the end of my vacation.
These are just simple things that you can easily do before you leave for your trip, but they make a huge difference to your stress levels. Do these easy tasks leading up to your vacation, and you’re sure to have a wonderfully stress-free trip.