Vacations are an exciting time for everyone involved. One of the most anticipated parts of the year for just about anyone, the time to finally relax and unwind. A break away from daily routine and rush hour traffic. Everyone needs it to keep their sanity and continue functioning in everyday life, but don’t let your weariness get the best of you just as you are about to leave. Many people are often so eager to start their vacations, that the excitement and tiredness combined get to their head and they don’t think straight when preparing, making some glaring oversights and basic mistakes. Before it’s too late, let’s jog your memory by going through some things you should always do before going on holiday.
Paperwork
If you booked your vacation way in advance or have not booked them at all yet, you have time to check a few things which may be crucial to your successful traveling, namely, a valid passport and ticket. It’s always good to check if you know exactly where your passport is, those last moment packing sessions at 4AM just to catch that early flight doesn’t always go as smoothly as imagined. What if in the moment, you just can’t find your passport? It’s happened to the best of us, humans are sometimes a bit unorganized by nature. Even if you’re not the misplacing kind, make sure your passport is valid. It might seem obvious but passports do eventually expire and if you are not careful you might just find yourself with more of a paperweight than a travel document. While you’re at it, make sure you have your tickets and that they are printed in advance. If you can, check in online, it will save you a lot of hassle at the airport and even possibly a sizable fee. With most companies, checking in online is possible 24 hours before the actual flight, giving you a reasonable amount of time to do so.
Alert your bank before you leave
Many have been met with the depressing message of their cash withdrawal being denied by the bank the moment they go abroad. Not the best position to be in, especially in a foreign country when you just landed and want to take a taxi from the airport. A few days before you leave, make sure to let your bank know you are leaving as well as the dates when. They need to be aware of such events in order to know that the seemingly suspicious overseas activity on your debit or credit card is not theft but actually you on holiday. Some banks now allow you to alert them via smartphone app or online banking, making the whole process much smoother and possible to carry out in under a minute.
Travel Insurance?
Travel insurance usually seems like a pretty smart thing to do, but is it always worth it? If you have changeovers in your flight plan, then travel insurance might be a great idea. You never know if a flight is going to be longer, resulting in you then being late to your next flight. Unless you had insurance, that ship has sailed. However, if you do not have any changeovers, and maybe you’re flying to the alps for a snowboarding or skiing holiday, a personal injury lawyer just might be better suited for the occasion. Rather than paying insurance for an event that might not ever happen, making use of professional personal injury attorneys might just make a bit more sense. If nothing happens, great, you finish your holiday richer than you would have if you went and got insurance. However, if something did happen, you can just call up a personal injury attorney and see if you can get some sort of compensation from your accident. With most companies now proudly sporting the “no win no fee” policy, your money is safe from fruitlessly being spent on bureaucrats.
Booking tickets
Unless you have some money to spare and are either incredibly spontaneous or disorganized, booking tickets a few months in advance is highly recommended. Not only will you get the seats you want on the plane, but you will probably save around half the price of the tickets alone. Plane companies know they can charge ridiculous amounts for last second flights because nine out of ten times, someone who’s desperate enough will pop up, making them some extra revenue for practically no extra effort. Now while that is indeed understandable, you can always make sure that you don’t end up being that person if you can help it. Spending less on your tickets means more reckless spending when you are already abroad! Most people would probably agree that’s the preferable scenario.
Image courtesy of Pexels.
Be the first to comment