Anyone who has been on vacation before knows the main elements that go into planning. You need a destination, hotel, transportation (plane, train, or bus tickets or car rental), and of course, some idea of what you’ll do once you arrive. While all of these elements are necessary for a great escape, there are some things travelers should research ahead of time. Forgetting to do so could ruin your entire vacation.
Travel Bans
With the increase of war in foreign countries and health outbreaks, travel bans are being placed on certain destinations. What this means is that individuals from the US are prohibited from traveling to a particular location. If you book an international trip without checking into that first, you could end up wasting a lot of money and being turned away before your trip even gets started.
Travel Warnings
Just as serious as travel bans are travel warnings. If there are reports of wars, natural disasters, health outbreaks, increased crime, or other health and safety risks in a particular region, the federal government will provide a warning to travelers. While a warning doesn’t mean you cannot go on your trip, it does mean that there is an increased risk of something going wrong.
Airport Security Rules
Before you start packing your bags for your trip be sure that you’re not bringing something along that could have you stuck at airport security. Due to increased terrorist attacks, the federal government has strengthened its regulations on what travelers can and cannot bring onboard. While something may seem harmless to you, if found, it could get you in some trouble.
Local Laws
Beyond the airport security regulations you also want to consider where you’re traveling to and any laws they may have there. For instance, if you enjoy smoking a cigar, vaping, or sipping on your favorite bottle of champagne, you may want to first look to see if where you’re traveling to has bans on drinking on the premises or vaping regulations. It would seriously be a pain if you spend all that money and can’t even indulge.
Weather
On a lighter note, you’d be surprised to learn how many people plan a vacation without checking the weather. Imagine thinking you’re going to be on a tropical island basking in the sun only to learn once you arrive that you’re right in the middle of hurricane season? Today’s weather reports are very accurate giving you updates in real-time and really close predictions for future plans.
Passports
If you’re traveling internationally, you’ll need a passport to get through airport security. If you don’t have one, it is imperative to apply for one well in advance. It can take weeks to retrieve a passport and that’s if there aren’t any hiccups along the way. The same is true if your passport is lost or out of date. Have this corrected before departing.
Health Insurance, Credit Cards, and Cell Coverage
Last on the list of things to research before you travel are your health insurance, credit card, and cell phone coverage. You don’t want to get out of town to find out that you don’t have health coverage, your credit cards don’t work, or your phone plan sucks. Do your homework beforehand making sure that you have identified a doctor and hospital in your health insurance provider network where you’re traveling to. You should also contact your credit card company to let them know you’re traveling and make sure your cards will work. Lastly, check with your mobile provider to ensure you have solid coverage. If not, make backup plans for communicating.
The very idea of getting away is so exciting it can cause you to forget some details. Be that as it may, if you haven’t done research on the things discussed above, your trip could be a disaster. Don’t end up unable to travel, stuck at an airport, stuck in due to bad weather, or without proper health or cell phone coverage. Taking these steps ahead of time will ensure that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your vacation.
