How To Prepare So Your Trip Goes Smoothly
5 min readMay 6, 2023
This post goes hand in hand with my last post about how to plan for a trip to a place you’ve never been before. See that post first! This is like step #2.
In this post I will tell you all the things you may want to do or think about before leaving for your adventure!
I wish I had a list like this for my previous trips. Would have saved me a lot of fucking around 😜
Here’s some tips I have for you on how to best prepare yourself for a trip before you actually leave home so your trip goes as smooth as possible!
- Download google translate and actually download the language you need so you have it offline too in case you don’t have data or wifi. This saved my ass a few times in Tulum. Most of the cab drivers speak virtually no English, so being able to give directions quickly so they don’t miss your turn is a MUST.
- Download a currency converter app. I use the XE Currency App. This makes it SO much easier to quickly convert amounts without having to know the calculations. Whenever I see someone pull out their calculator to do a conversion I’m like… girl… you’re on vacation please stop doing math. Just get the app.
- Get AirTags for your luggage. MAJOR necessity. One time when I flew into Cabo the airline didn’t put my luggage on the flight so it ended up being delayed, but this was before I had AirTags and I thought I was going to lose it for good. Never again.
- Get Travel insurance. I usually use Pacific Bluecross. We should of course assume we’re always going to be safe and healthy but you never know. Better to be covered!
- Look into vaccinations for the area you’re going to and get any you may want. This obviously depends where you’re going. Staying up to date on your Hepatitis shots is a good idea as well as tetanus. I had to get a few before going to Bali, and also had to get a few before going to Ghana for a volunteer trip in high school. Do your research on the area or just call a vax clinic!
- Get a back up bank card/credit card in case an ATM eats one or you lose a card. Store these separately from your other cards. Go into your bank and ask for one, should be super easy! I’ve heard enough stories about ATMs eating peoples cards, I won’t be risking it by only taking one debit card and that’s it. I usually travel with 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards just in case.
- Take photos of your passport, ID, and credit card. Might help if you lose one of these things. I always have photos of these things in my phone mostly because I’m lazy and when I’m booking a flight I can lay in bed like a shrimp and have access to all my information without getting up lol. It’s a good idea to have at least your health # in your phone.
- Have a copy of your government COVID vax sheet saved to your phone just in case if you’re vaxxed. You never know when you’ll need it. Better to just have it. In Canada, we don’t really need this anymore but I think some airlines may still ask you to show it. Annoying, I know.
- Take a photo of your luggage in case it gets lost. Even if you have an AirTag in it. This saved me when my home airport lost my bag on arrival. Even though I had an AirTag in it, they still made me come back the next day. I showed them a photo of my suitcase and they found it right away when I went back.
- Make your luggage noticeable. Either buy luggage in an obscure colour or put something on it to make it stand out from all the other black suitcases.
- Plan how you’re getting from your house to the airport, and then from the airport you’re landing at to the place you’re staying. Be mindful of the time of day you’re travelling at and I’ve said this already but I’ll continue to say it… Plan to land at your destination during the day. It’s better to leave home in the middle of the night to get to your airport than to land somewhere you’ve never been in the middle of the night. If it’s possible, land during the day.
- Make a list of anything you need to buy before your trip, and then buy those items with time to spare, especially if you’re ordering online. For this trip I’m currently planning and leaving for in less than 2 weeks I needed some things from amazon like travel sized containers for skincare, some more packing cubes, and a bunch of basic drug store stuff like deodorant, wipes etc.
Should I just make a whole packing list? Probably.
- Brush up on some travel safety tips before leaving just to have them fresh in your mind to make your trip go as smoothly as possible. I will be making a post on safety tips soon!
If I think of anything I’ve forgotten I will add it! Like I said, I am currently going through this process and preparing for my own trip so I’m sure I will think of more.
