Travel is exciting. Visiting new places, experiencing different cultures and new people can be life-changing experience. Regardless of whether you’re on holiday or just to explore new places, you should ensure that this experience is always enjoyable. From packing your baggage just right, to researching for seniors travel insurance, there are a few precautions needed to get the most out of your trip.
We’ve assembled this 3 point checklist to help you get ready to plan your well deserved trip abroad.
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Make Financial Preparations
Money is essential when travelling. It pays for services, food, lodging and everything you need while you’re abroad. Without money you aren’t going to get very far at all. So, first things first, pay all your upcoming bills. You don’t want to find yourself without money when you’re overseas because a bill just drained your account or credit card. What could be worse than an overdraft nightmare when you’re half a world away?
Next, you should take a look at the monetary conversion rates in the country you’re going to be traveling to. Understanding the conversion rate is important to understanding whether the items you want to buy or the services you want to pay for while abroad are bargains, or not so reasonably priced. Also, keep in mind that if you want to exchange some your currency for local tender, conversion centers at airports are huge rip-offs. Just use a traditional ATM or bank to change your dollars into local currency.
It’s also important to ensure that your credit card works in the country you’re visiting. Most European banks, for example, do not accept magnetic-strip cards anymore, choosing instead to utilize chip-and-PIN technology. Call your bank before traveling and let them know that you are planning on accessing your funds from abroad. Some institutes might think that a fraud is occurring when a transaction suddenly appears in Hong Kong when you’re from New York, and may block your credit card as a security measure.
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Compare Your Options
Before you book flight or accomodations, it is important to compare rates between airlines to find the best one. Often times, you can save on your airfare or by booking your trip several months in advance. You can also save on flights by flying in the middle of the week as opposed to flying during high volume travel times. Wednesdays for example are are usually a low volume day for air travel, and planning to fly during these less busy times could potentially save you hundreds on your plane tickets.
You can also save money by booking your stay online with sites like expedia and trivago. Sites like these allow you to compare rates for accommodations to find the price that best fits your travel budget. Considering factors like, price, how much time you intend to spend in your room as opposed to visiting local attractions, and how long you intend to stay can help you find the right hotel for your stay. You don’t want to travel half a world away only spend your entire travel budget on accommodations.
By taking the time to book in advance you can potentially save yourself thousands of dollars, depending on the length of your stay. But keep in mind that resorts and hotels aren’t your only options when travelling abroad. You might consider a bed & breakfast, or even an apartment or townhome if you are planning on spending an extended period of time at your destination.
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Get Travel insurance
To some, travel insurance can seem like just one more expense, and many travelers ask the question why buy travel insurance and why get travel insurance? Well there are a few important reasons why it’s a good idea to buy travel insurance. For instance, if for some reason you should have to cancel your trip due to an unforeseen occurrence like a natural disaster, you can purchase insurance to reimburse you for the cost of your airfare and hotel accommodations.
Missed connection coverage is another way to safeguard your vacation against potentially disastrous events. Say your flight is late, and you miss your connecting flight and in turn miss your cruise ship’s departure, with missed connection coverage you will be able to catch a connecting flight to the next port of travel for your cruise, and catch up with all the fun.
Travel insurance can also be a huge help if you get hurt or injured while abroad, or if your luggage gets lost, stolen or damaged. If you are planning a trip abroad, this is one expense that you do not want to spare. By purchasing travel insurance, you can protect yourself against any possible outcomes that are less than desirable, and ensure that you won’t find yourself “Shanghai’ed” in some far off land.
Final Thoughts
Travel can be an exceptionally rich and rewarding experience for people of every age, but for seniors and retirees, it can be a once in a lifetime experience that they will remember fondly for the rest of their days. It’s important to take proper precautions and care when planning your vacation and with these tips you will be able to get the most out of your travel experience.
What are your favorite travel destinations? Leave us a comment and share your best vacation experience in the section below.