8 Things to Keep in Mind While Traveling to a Foreign Country
When traveling abroad, there are quite a lot of things to take care of, ranging from carrying all the important things to keeping all paperwork safe. For first time travelers, things are bound to get a little confusing. Here is a quick checklist to help you ensure that you have everything in place, before you set off for you journey.
1. Keep your papers safe
From tickets to passports, to your travel insurance and medical insurance papers, everything needs to be kept safely. You need to keep photocopies of everything. Ideally, keep one set of photocopies in each of the bags, so that even if half your luggage is lost, you still have the photocopies in the other bags to help you. Also, one set of photocopies should remain back at your home, or with a family friend or relative, so that if you get into any trouble, they are able to refer to those documents quickly for any help.
2. Be your own doctor
Don’t forget to carry your emergency medicines, and other kinds of supplies, which you may not be able to find at the place you’re visiting. The more prepared you are for worst-case scenarios, the better it is. For kids especially, it is recommended to carry their specific brands of things in bulk, because they might not be able to adjust to what’s available locally at the place you are going.
3. Do some research on culture and laws
Before visiting a foreign country, it is advisable to do some research on the local culture and laws. This will only help to make your travel better. For instance, Dubai doesn’t allow women to wear short clothes, and in Thailand, you can’t enter temples with short clothes. Similarly, there is a fine for spitting in Singapore. You must know all these things beforehand, so that you can respect the rules and traditions of the place you are visiting, without hurting anyone’s sentiments there, or getting into any kind of trouble.
4. Plan a rough itinerary beforehand
It is always a good idea to make a rough list of the places you want to see, and the things you want to do, once you reach your destination. You must research a little beforehand to see if there are some special events happening around the time you are visiting. These could include shows, concerts, festivals, fairs, etc. You can book tickets for them beforehand, and can save yourself from the trouble of last minute buying. Plus, you might be able to get some discounts while buying tickets in advance.
