Travel tips
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Planning and traveling for vacations and holidays can be very stressful even before you and your family/friends leave home. Therefore preparations must be carried out diligently, failure to which you might forget to pack some necessary items that you may require during the vacation such cameras, first aid or travel documents. You also want to factor in weather conditions in your planned area of tour or be ill-equipped to deal with any emergencies which occur.
This guide is supposed to help you plan efficiently thus making your trip enjoyable and adventurous …
i. Travel documents and identification documents.
These documents are very vital and they should be the first times in your checklist. Ensure that they are in order and valid. Also don’t forget your identification documents because these two documents go hand-in-hand. Ensure that you pack them in a place where they are easily accessible and may not be easily mutilated or defaced while traveling.
ii. Always do thorough research of the location that you plan to holiday.
Get maps, read guidebooks and also visit websites/blogs on the area and get information of what you expect to find in that place. This will help you know what to pack, the weather conditions of the place at that period of travel, know the calendar dates when some events that you might love to attend open and close and all other vital information and regulations of the area such as maritime time.
You also need to research and book hotels, cottages and accommodation. You don’t want to get frustrated at the end of adventurous and hectic day, tired but with no place to rest because all hotels have been booked and you have no place to spend the night.
Research also gives you an opportunity to plan for any emergency situations which may arise. Don’t get caught with your pants down. Carry all items for emergency such as spotlights and torches or survival knives. Also you need to pack a first aid kit to enable you cater for small emergency situation such as bruises and cuts.
Cells phones and other means of communications and alerting other people or security in-case of emergencies are a must.
iii. Plan your means of transportation
Book flights, trains or cabs prior to your traveling. This gives you the advantage of focusing on other items while you are confidence your means of traveling is guaranteed and taken care of. Also you need to check for any travel warnings or advisory to the place of travel. You should not travel to a region where your country’s office of consular considers insecure or risky.
iv. Understand the currency used.
Different countries use various currencies. You should check on the currency used in the area of travel and the means of payments accepted by hotels and other businesses around which provide good or service that you may require. Then make proper arrangements to convert your currency to the regions accepted currencies.
If you plan to use credit card, ensure that hotels booked or others services that you intend to purchase accepted credit cards. It is always advisable to carry some cash with you. Don’t forget to have your credit card activated for international transactions by the card provider if you plan on visiting a foreign country.
v. Always make sure that family or friends know where you are heading
Always let your family and / or friends back at home know when you get there and when you are expected back. This will help them with vital information incase anything nasty happens.
vi. When you get to the place of vacation, always remember the old adage, ‘When you get to Rome, do as Romans do.”
This means that you must be polite and courteous to the people you meet in the area and be friendly to them. Don’t criticize their ways of living in a manner to provoke them. Be a part of them and have your share of adventure with them.
