When planning a trip, there are a lot of factors to be nervous about. Maybe you’re not familiar with the area, the people and even the language where you’re traveling. But by preparing for potential problems and having a plan in place for how to deal with them, you can enjoy your trip without worry.
Prepare for Communication Problems
If you travel to a place where people don’t speak the same language as you, and you don’t have a mastery of their language, it’s especially important to be prepared. Otherwise, you will have difficulty receiving help if you can’t ask for it. It helps to learn some basic phrases in advance, including the word for “help.” However, that won’t be good enough for fully explaining a problem or understanding the answer you receive. That’s why it’s smart to prepare by bringing along a language guide or dictionary, and putting a language app on your phone.
What About Money and Documents?
One of the major ways to have a safer trip is to prepare for the possibility of having no money or documents because of losing them or having them stolen. For money, plan to have both cash and credit cards. There might be times when you run out of or lose your cash, or are unable to use a credit card, so it helps to have both. Keep extra cash in your hotel room in case you run out and have difficulty getting an ATM to work or run into other problems.
Next, create backups of your documents. If you lose your passport, credit cards and other important documents such as travel insurance, you will find it easier to get new ones and to prove who you are with backup copies. Also, leave additional copies of these documents with someone at home just in case your backups are lost as well. Learn in advance the steps you will need to take if you lose your passport or other important documents required to get back home.
Be Ready for Health Concerns and Medical Emergencies
It’s disconcerting to think about what would happen if you had a medical problem while traveling, especially if you’re in another country, perhaps one without the best medical facilities. But the situation will be much worse if you’re not ready for it, left suddenly trying to figure out what to do or having a stranger decide if you become incapacitated.
Be ready for a medical problem by bringing enough necessary medication for the journey and having a plan to get more if you somehow lose the medication, knowing the right words for help and medical concerns in another language and finding good medical facilities in the areas where you’ll be traveling in advance. Another way to prepare is to set up medical transport that can get you back to your home doctors from anywhere in the world in the event you need or want to. It’s also a smart idea to have a note with the medicines you take, your allergies and people to contact in your wallet in case you’re unable to communicate.
Minimize Your Risk of Being a Victim
It’s easy to be vulnerable when you visit a place you don’t know. Certain steps make you safer, including wearing a simple look without flashy accessories or expensive brands. Also, wear a bag that’s not easy to steal, be aware and look like you have a purpose, and learn some self-defense moves.
By preparing in advance for things to go wrong on your travels, you will know what to do if the situation arises. Instead of scrambling and leaving yourself vulnerable if a problem occurs, you’ll be confident and ready to spring into action.
