I’m going on my first overseas trip with my girlfriend since we started dating. I worked hard all last year to earn and save money for this trip. It will be our first international trip ever, and I want to make it perfect, memorable, and the best trip of our lives.
I’ve read countless articles online to ensure everything is perfect. It felt overwhelming to the point that my head started to hurt. Fortunately, I found an article that provided a detailed guideline, and it seemed like the perfect guide. My girlfriend and I have been following it, and it has been very helpful so far.
However, I decided to come to this community to seek additional guidance, advice, and tips from you all, just in case the article missed something important. My girlfriend and I would greatly appreciate any travel tips, advice, and guidance you have, as this is our first trip abroad together.
Create a checklist of things to pack, bring or prepare. Helps to know you definitely packed 3 sets of clothes and have your passport ready.
Keep all your paperwork in a file easily accessible. Try to print stuff if you can because that doesn’t run out of battery.
If you’re the type to fret over prices, have a currency exchange rate ready so you know how much things will cost in your currency. Just a good mental shorthand reference. Have it be what you exchanged it for at the time not whatever the current rate is.
We haven’t created our own checklist, but we got a free one from the article that we’re following. It has mentioned everything that we need, I guess.
You’ll want one of your own. Medications, personal items you want to have. Not general line items like clothes and meds. Specifying is important. Write down stuff like 1 week of anti allergies meds, 2 pairs of pants, 6 t-shirts etc. You would think that there’s no way you would forget something important. Then you remember on the way to the airport and it’ll ruin the start of your trip.
Calculate based on how long you intend to be overseas to see how many clothes and meds you need. If you have an essential medicine like insulin pack extra in case delays happen. Have emergency medicine like for fever and diarrhoea just in case.
Portable charger and also your own wired chargers. Check what kind of power points the country will use and buy an adaptor if needed.
Buy travel insurance. If you have a delay you will need it. Check what the insurance covers as well to ensure it meets your needs. You mainly want something to cover last minute cancellations and flight delays that could force you to spend more than you intended. But also stuff like medical repatriation, lost luggage etc.
Get the details of the nearest embassy for your country. Write the contact details down so in an emergency you can get in touch.
Anyway, don’t stress. 99% of the time all this won’t be needed but for that 1% the extra effort you put in to have this ready will help you handle things better.