Traveling is truly an amazing experience. The world is a massive place, there’s so much that we haven’t seen and so much that we probably won’t ever get a chance to see, so it’s a big deal when an opportunity for visiting another country presents itself. You can get an incredible change of perspective by traveling the world, learning about different customs and traditions, and it all sums up to a special kind of personal growth.

However, traveling can be quite a stressful experience if you’re not adequately prepared. There are a lot of things to think about and a lot to do even before you take off. To make this tedious process a bit easier for you, we’re going to offer you some handy advice that might come in useful the next time you go on a trip.

1. Scan/Copy Your Passport

Losing a passport in a foreign country is a real hassle and you have to go through a lot of trouble to get a new one. This process can be much easier if you have an on-hand, paper copy of your passport and ID card to show to personnel at your embassy. It’s just good sense, and it costs next to nothing so there’s no excuse not to do it.

 

2. Mind The Voltage

The voltage supply of the main power lines is not the same everywhere around the world; in Europe it’s 220V, while in China and the U.S. it’s only 110V. This means that if you don’t have a voltage adapter and all of your appliances are made for the 110V supply, they’re going to be useless if the power lines are running at 220V. Make sure you get a voltage adapter to prevent this from happening, it’s a very common mistake that a lot of people make just because they’re uninformed.

 

3. Get A VPN

If you’re going to be using the Internet for any purpose while traveling abroad, do some research about whether there’s any geo-blocking or Internet censorship active where you’re going. More and more countries are implementing some sort of online censorship, although fortunately it’s mostly happening in the East, for now. So if you plan to travel to a country where this is actually an issue, you’re probably going to need a VPN in order to access certain websites on the Internet.

4. Get Some Cash

You shouldn’t depend on credit cards a hundred percent when you’re abroad. A lot of times it simply won’t be convenient to pay for something with a credit card (say, at a food cart), not to mention that most credit card companies charge additional fees for using your card abroad. It’s therefore cheaper and more convenient to have some cash with you.

Also, be sure not to keep all of your money in one place. There’s always a chance that something will happen to your wallet, and if that’s where you keep all of your cash, you’re going to have a nasty experience if it’s lost or stolen. Stash some cash in your suitcase or in a separate pocket with a zipper, and you’ll be fine.

 

5. Prepare Medicine

There’s nothing more annoying than catching a cold or a stomach virus while traveling. It can really ruin your whole experience so just make sure that you’ve packed some medical essentials that you might need. This includes painkillers, antibiotics, band-aids, stomach medicine, and so on. Nothing too fancy, just the basic stuff that you can find in any pharmacy. There’s also a possibility that eating some spicy foreign food that your body is not used to will upset your stomach, so take this into consideration when eating at restaurants abroad.

 

6. Bring An Umbrella

We can’t stress how important this is. Even if it’s just a cheap one, and even if the forecast says that it’s going to be sunny all week long, surprise showers happen and they happen at the most inopportune times. The main reason why people tend to not bring them is because of size limitations on luggage, so if that’s an issue for you, just get a small purse umbrella that you can fit into your backpack.

 

7. Charge Your Phone, Save Your Battery

You’d think this one would be obvious, but sadly it’s what many people tend to forget. Your phone is an amazing tool, it can be loaded with translation apps, offline maps, travel guides and lots of other cool stuff that can help you out on your trip, so make sure that it still has some charge left before you get to a hotel. If you have a spare battery, bring it with you. You’re going to be using your phone a lot, so don’t let it go empty when you need it the most.

 

 

Adam Ferraresi is 23 years old, but he first became interested in writing when he was in high school. Today he’s a successful web developer living in Dallas, Texas, and one of the most trusted writers at wefollowtech.com. In his free time, he’s an avid mountain climber and enjoys playing basketball with his friends.