Before You Go

Get travel insurance. This is a great idea for all international travel and covers things from cancelled tours and unexpected doctors’ visits to things you would hope you would never have to worry about like medical evacuation costs and costs of handling your remains. Morbid, I know, but travel insurance gives you peace of mind about everything and even premium plans are cheap. Just be sure to print out your ID card, declaration of insurance letter, and list of in-network hospitals and doctors!

Find your seat. Before you book flights, check for good/bad seats at Seat Guru. This is a cool site that shows you all the optimal seats with extra legroom and which seats to avoid.

Pack a carry-on. Don’t depend on your checked bag to always arrive, so always pack a carry-on with a change of clothes, pajamas, some toiletries, your camera, and whatever else you need to still enjoy your trip in case your checked bag gets lost/delayed (for example, a coat or swimsuit depending on the weather at your destination). Also, take pictures of all your luggage in case anything gets lost/damaged in transit!

Make a copy of your passport to take with you. This will help if you lose it or if it gets stolen and you need to file a report/get back into your home country. Make sure that your picture and all identifying information are clearly legible.

Withdraw cash. Do this before you leave to avoid high bank fees at ATMs in touristy areas and get a lot of small bills. A lot of places work on a cash only basis and some tour operators or small ferry companies do not give change, so small bills help in these situations. You’ll also want these smaller bills for tips, too, if needed.

Bring an empty water bottle. Drinks are extremely overpriced at vacation destinations, so be sure to pack an empty bottle that you can take through airport security and just refill as you need it. If you are going to a place where all water needs to be filtered, consider investing in a self-filtering water bottle–you want to stay hydrated.

Put together a small first-aid kit. Be sure that you pack some band-aids, aspirin, anti-bacterial ointment, eye drops, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide (for help in disinfecting cuts and preventing swimmer’s ear), and any medication that you take (and take extra in case you get delayed coming back home–a lot of pharmacies will work with your insurance to do a vacation override if you need to get an extra refill before leaving).

Write down addresses. Addresses of where you will stay, where you need to meet tour companies, and so on. This will help in getting there and if you need to ask for directions.

Be wary of review sites. I am referring to giant review sites like TripAdvisor. Sites like those tend to regularly delete some of their more negative ratings (which I find frustrating), so take what you read there with a grain of salt. I read TripAdvisor a lot (and link to them here because the existing reviews are still helpful), but read across several forums and message boards. Better yet, join some groups on social media comprised of people who frequent your destination–you will get the most honest feedback that way.

Ease your worries. Take pictures of anything that would worry you right before you go. The stove turned off. The closed garage door. The locked front door. This will help save you stress when you get to the airport and think, did I remember to turn off the oven? You will have a picture to ease your worries!

As You Travel

Get up early. You can sleep when you get home. The best pictures are taken before the crowds show up, so don’t be afraid to use those early morning hours!

Charge devices often. If you are at a place where you see an open power outlet, and you aren’t pressed for time, use that opportunity to charge up your electronics. You never want to be in a situation where you want to make a call/take a picture/use the internet, and your battery is dead.

Look for free wifi. If you put your phone on airplane mode, you can use wifi without incurring any charges from your cell carrier. Many restaurants, cafes, and even some gift shops will have free wifi–they will usually have the password printed near the front register.

Back up your files. Upload them on a storage device, email them to yourself, do something, because pictures are irreplaceable, and stuff happens on vacation. Phones and cameras are all too easily lost or stolen.

Relax. All too often, we want to rush around and see as much as possible, but remember that you want to enjoy your vacation, too. Sit at a cafe, sip a drink, enjoy a longer meal. Some of my favorite memories of vacation are when I did these things.