What to do before you travel. Make your trip a relaxing experience

Travelling can be an exciting & stressful time. Take all of the stress out of traveling by preparing beforehand! Here’s what to do before you travel.

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Vacation season is here, and for many, that also means travel season! Time to put that travel bucket list to good use. Preparing to travel, wether for leisure or work, can be an exciting experience! There are so many little & big things to plan, prepare and do before travelling.

Planning is an essential step to any successful travel experience. Travelling, especially for leisure is meant to be an relaxing and exciting experience. Albeit it may get a little but overwhelming at times, you don’t want to end up forgetting anything important.

Planning can help relieve stress and overwhelm. I have put together a handy dandy travel guide to help you prepare for your exciting adventures. These travel tips are especially important if you plan on travelling internationally.

Here’s what to do before you travel

“The best thing about a vacation is planning it”
– Andy Rooney

Research the perfect destination

Planning to travel can be one of the most exciting parts of the trip. This is the part where your vision starts to seem like more of a reality. Even if you are travelling for work or business purposes, planning can help alleviate your travel stresses to make for a more relaxing trip.
When travelling for leisure, you get to have a bit more fun! Spend some time researching your ideal destination.

What are your priorities and must haves for the perfect trip? Are warm, white sandy beaches a definite must have? Or is sightseeing a more important part of the adventure? Will you be travelling with kids? If so, resorts and destinations with kid-friendly amenities and attractions might be at the top of the list. Start to narrow down your destination choices, making sure to keep your travel destinations within your budget.

A tip to help secure a cheaper vacation; book your flights & hotel reservations early. I recommend that you start planning & booking your travel itinerary 6-12 months in advance. Generally, the longer the timeframe, the better chance you have of finding cheaper deals and discounts.

If scouring the hotel websites for months is not really your thing, you can always hire a travel agent to do all the work for you!

Check your passports / visas / travel documents

No one wants to get to the airport only to find out that their passport is expired. Before travelling, always check to make sure your passport is not expired or expiring soon. Some countries may not let you into the country with a soon to expire passport as well.
Some countries, like Europe, require your passport to have at least 6 months before the expiry date. It’s good practice to keep your passport & other important documents up to date, even if you rarely use them.

Do your research & verify if your destination country requires a visa to enter the country. If they do, apply to get one as soon as possible. Do not delay, as a visa may take some time to acquire.

Lastly, make photocopies of your passport and keep them in various locations in your luggage, just in case.

If you are travelling domestically, you do not need to worry as much, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for anything!

Get all of the essentials ready

As the date nears for your flight, take the time to make sure that you are 100% ready to travel, and all of the essentials are packed. Before you embark on your adventure, change your money currency, pack your bags, and prepare for a relaxing flight.

Change money currency

It’s very helpful, and financially savvy to change your travel spending money to the destination currency before you travel. This can really help if you tend to be a bit of an over-spender when travelling. (This used to be me, spending all of my money on souvenirs.)

Create a budget for how much you’d like to spend on the various aspects of your trip food, transportation, leisure) and only withdraw the money that you have budgeted.

Visit a local bank or foreign exchange store to make the switch.

Pack your bags

Here’s where we get to the fun part of planning, packing your bags! Pack enough clothes for every day of your trip, plus 2-3 extra outfits. I also recommend packing a spare outfit in your carry-on for, just in case. When packing your bags, verify your flights baggage information regarding how much suitcases you are allowed and their sizes & weights.

Don’t forget to pack medicines such as pain medicines, allergy medicines, and medicine for upset stomachs and coughs & colds. It’s never fun to be feeling sick and unwell while travelling. When travelling with medicines, make sure to keep them in their original packaging, and keep all medicines over 100ml in your checked luggage.

Reminder: All liquids over 100ml must be packed in your checked luggage. A tip for packing liquids is to pack them all together in a clear plastic spill proof bag.

Prepare for your flight

As your departure date draws near, do one last check of your passport and other essential travel documents. It’s helpful to put them all in a handy, easily accessible place. When travelling, I use the Day Tip Money Belt – Passport holder from Amazon to easily hold my passport, boarding passes and information about my flight and seats.

Charge your electronics! Fully charge all of the electronics that you plan on bringing with you on your journey.
In order to not forget any electronics and their charging cords, I recommend charging them all in one location. So when it’s time to go, the electronics and their cables are all in one place, ready to go!

Pack your carry-on with your favourite travel essentials, like water bottles, neck pillows, and blankets. Bring books, and download movies and other entertainment, to ensure it’s an enjoyable relaxing trip.

Happy travels!

Travelling is always less stressful and overwhelming when you have planned for success.
How do you prepare for your travels? Are there any essential travel items that you must have when travelling?

Also, if you have any helpful travel tips and tricks to share, be sure to leave them down below in the comment section!

Have a safe trip!