Travel broadens the mind, and there are few things more enjoyable than holidaying in a completely new country or, even better, taking a tour across a number of them. In holidays, as in life, however, things don’t always go as smoothly as you might have hoped, so it pays to be well prepared for all eventualities. There are some essential items for your international holiday that go without saying, such as your passport of course, but here are three other items that could prove to be just as useful.
1. An Alternative Source of Money
We live in a plastic society, where people increasingly pay for items on their debit card and where a quick flash of a contactless card can pay for an item in seconds. It’s very convenient, but rather less convenient if your card is lost or stolen while on vacation. For that reason, you should always take some local currency with you when you go on holiday, and it makes sense to carry it in a separate location to your cards. Taking currency with you, rather than drawing it from local cash machines or changing currencies at the airport, also ensures that you’ll receive a much better exchange rate than you could otherwise expect.
2. Comprehensive Travel Insurance
It’s not worth taking a risk or cutting corners when it comes to travel insurance for your international holiday, as the correct policy provides peace of mind as well as covering you against almost any eventuality. It’s important to know what to look for when selecting your international travel insurance, and the cheapest policy isn’t always the best option. Insurance that covers your medical costs, and the cost of medical evacuation if necessary, should be a primary concern, but also look out for a policy that covers you against eventualities such as your flight being delayed, or your baggage being delayed or lost in transit.
3. A Mobile Translator
International holidays are so much better when you can communicate with the locals and be understood, and they appreciate that too. We can’t all be natural linguists, but we can take advantage of modern technology. There are now a number of reliable and high quality mobile phone apps that can translate a phrase for you and show you how to pronounce it, so that wherever you are you can make yourself understood. Speaking of mobile phones, international holidays can quickly exhaust their batteries because of all the pictures and videos you’ll be shooting; for that reason, it’s advisable to take a plug-in power pack that can give you a little extra juice when you need it most.
An extra source of money, preferably in the form of cash or traveler’s checks, a top-quality translator app along with an external power source for your phone, and comprehensive international travel insurance can prevent a holiday problem from turning into something far worse. That means you can relax and enjoy your tour or holiday to the full, safe in the knowledge that your prior preparation is enabling you to have a perfect vacation.