travel abroad

Traveling to a different country is always fun, but it can be overwhelming if you aren’t prepared. There are so many little things that you should be aware of before traveling out of the country. Here is a list a few things that I think are important to know/ think about before traveling outside of the United States.

1.     Research the culture. What can you wear? What is allowed? What is not allowed? There are some countries that frown upon women not being covered at all times, such as Dubai. I’m not saying it’s against the law to have on a belly shirt, but in a city where everyone is covered, it can come off a bit disrespectful.

2.     Prepared for any weather. Is it a rainy city? Is it warm during the day and cold at night? Make sure you pack clothes that will work in all weather conditions, because you never know when you may need a jacket or an umbrella. Be aware of hurricane season and be prepared for it. I typically never want to travel to the Caribbean during the month of September, because of my fear of hurricanes. So many natural disasters happen during hurricane season, so I avoid traveling to certain areas during that time period.

3.     Do you need a visa? I know you have your passport, but certain countries require more than just your passport to visit their country. When traveling to a country that requires you to have a visa, make sure you plan ahead. Some countries require you to apply for a visa 12 days in advance, while others require 30 to 90 days. This all depends on the country. So plan ahead and make sure you have all the proper documents to apply for your visa.

Quick Tips to Make Holiday Travel Easier

 

4.     Check for different alerts and basic information website about where you are traveling. This site will come in handy when it comes to figuring out if you need a visa or what’s going on in that country at the time. Here is an example of Cuba. The site shows you the current travel advisory, health alerts, security alerts, currency restrictions, and that Cuba requires a Visa.

5.     Make sure your money is right. Check to see if this country takes American Dollars, if not be aware of the exchange rate for money. Do your research and find where is the best place to exchange your money at a good rate.

6.     Health and travel insurance. We pray that you don’t get sick out of the country, but in case you do, insurance may be helpful. You don’t want to get somewhere and get a crazy out of pocket fee to get some instant relief.

 

Here are a few tips that I think are a bit helpful for people who haven’t traveled out of the country. I think it’s best that you do your due diligence and research the countries before traveling to them.

Do you have travel tips? Share them with me in the comments below!

 

 

Jasmine C
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