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Preparing for My Trip Overseas: Helpful Tips You Can Use

Preparing for My Trip Overseas: Helpful Tips You Can Use Featured Image

I recently returned from a trip home to Vietnam to celebrate the Lunar New Year with my family. Here’s a list of all I did to help prepare for my long trip home:

  • Planned the budget. We saved $100 every week in the months before our trip. It felt so much better than taking a huge chunk out of our account all at once.
  • Purchased our tickets as soon as possible. Since we decided to go to Vietnam for the Lunar New Year, one of the busiest travel seasons, we booked our tickets 5 months in advance. If you are tall/big and cannot afford a Business/First class ticket, make sure to upgrade your seat to Economy Plus for extra leg room. Trust me, you will feel so much better, especially on a long flight.
  • Purchased travel insurance as soon as we got our tickets to protect our investment. When you plan for a trip that far ahead, you can’t know what unexpected things might happen. You or your companion may develop a health condition that bars you from traveling. Someone in your family may pass away, a natural disaster may affect your home or destination, your flights may be delayed or cancelled, your luggage may be lost, and on and on. My husband and I purchased a RoundTrip Trip Insurance policy.
  • Made hotel arrangements. We planned on staying with my family most of the time, but two nights we needed a hotel room because the airport is too far from my family’s house.
  • Researched a place for our puppy, Bamboo to stay while we were overseas. We looked into doggy day care and pet resorts, but decided to board Bamboo at her vet as she would get the best care if something happened to her
  • Checked for the types of vaccinations we would need and made appointment with nearby Clinic (we went to our local Walgreens Clinic)
  • Checked the weather to bring appropriate clothes
  • Made the list of all we need to take with such as toiletries and cash since many places in Vietnam do not take credit cards
  • Called our bank and let them know our travel dates so our credit card would not be locked when we tried to use it overseas
  • Printed our insurance cards, which has all the emergency contact information in case we need help
  • Made copies of passports. Most of the hotels would want to hold your passport as a form of ID. It is better to hand them your copy and keep yours somewhere safe. You never know when and where else you would need these copies.
  • Printed copies of our plane tickets and put in our checked luggage in case the luggage got lost
  • Packed our bags a couple days in advance to make sure the luggage wasn’t over the weight limit and also to make sure we would not forget anything
  • Talked to our neighbor we trust about the trip and asked them to keep an eye on the house as well as take all the flyers hanging on the front door whenever they get a chance. We also gave them the key to our gate in case they needed to get to the backyard for some reason
  • Set timers for lights both outside and inside the house
  • Locked all our windows and garage door
  • Turned off or unplugged electronics including ceiling fans, air conditioner, heater and and television
  • Arranged pick-up with a cab to take us to the airport and asked for his card so we could call him on the way back
  • Put a hold on our mail and had it delivered the day after we got back
  • Cleaned out all our trash cans, cleaned out the refrigerator and ran the garbage disposal
  • Charged the camera and phones the night before

There was a lot of planning my husband and I had to do, but in the end, because we were prepared, we had a lot of fun on our trip and were able to relax. What are some of your best travel tips?

Happy New Year!
—Grace

Categories: Asia, Travel