Organising a solo adventure can be fun and exciting but it can also be pretty stressful at times, there’s always something you forget or leave to the last minute. All that planning will pay off though and you will have a much less hassle free trip if you prepare a bit in advance. Here are some helpful tips on the boring things that are best done before you fly.
Tell Your Bank
This is one thing not to forget beforehand, imagine arriving in a new country only to find out your card doesn’t work. If the bank is not notified they may think the card has been stolen and block it. Its easy to notify them online or in store.
Insurance
Make sure you get that insurance! I know it can be a pain but you will thank yourself for it if anything goes wrong.
Photocopy Important Documents
Make a copy of your passport, driving licence, contact information, flight schedule and a rough guide of your itinerary. Give 1 copy to a family member and keep the other copy yourself and store it in a different location to the originals. This will make it much easier to replace a passport if stolen.
Travel Accessories
Buy all those little extras in good time. Things like extra batteries for your camera, a head torch and micro-fibre towels are found cheap on eBay.ย Remember they may take a week or so to arrive. Give yourself time to buy all these things as it may take longer than you think to organise everything.
Pack in Good Time
Allow a few days before your trip to pack everything and make sure it fits. The last thing you want the night before you leave is to discover you don’t have enough room in your bag.
Download Music/ Movies
I always leave this to the last minute and it can be stressful finding new songs to download a night before a trip! Long bus journeys can be super boring so put a heap of new songs/movies onto your phone. Make sure everything is properly charged too.
Bring a Book
Technology can break or run out of juice so have a good old fashioned book just in case. It’s good to get away from the screen sometimes too!
Book the first nights Accommodation
Having the first night or few booked can take the pressure off and give you some time to adjust after a long flight. It’s also easier to arrange airport transfers if you know where you are going.
Unlock your phone
If you’re planning to use your phone abroad then make sure its unlocked before you fly and can take all sim cards. You can buy a roaming abroad package from home or buy a local sim once there to save money.
These things can be annoying to organise but hard work pays off. Dealing with these things whilst travelling will be 10 times harder. Being organised allows you to spend more time to explore a new destination.
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