The easiest thing to remember about going on vacation is booking a hotel and your flight.
You know that you need to pack your case and get your maps out for the car if you plan to hire one. There are so many exciting things to remember about counting down until your vacation.
You’ll be booking an appointment to get your hair done and your nails painted. You’ll be ticking the days off your calendar for your pre-vacation shopping trip for new swimwear, and you’ll be doing it all knowing that you are heading somewhere exciting.
Unfortunately, there are several things that you need to remember about going on vacation that aren’t so exciting as hair appointments and buying a new camera.
You’ll have to consider more serious items like buying insect bite first aid kits – especially if you are going somewhere tropical. You have to think about sunscreen and mosquito bracelets, hair nets and the etiquette of the place you plan to visit.
There’s a lot to think about, and below, we’ve put together a list of the most important things that you need to know once you’ve booked your flight and hotel:
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Visa.
Will you need a visa for the country in which you place to stay? If you are heading abroad, you should do your research, as each country around the world has different exit and entry requirements.
Without the right visa, you could be refused entry at the gate for your flight. This is the last thing that you want to happen when you’ve spent months looking forward to your vacation.
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Passport.
Have you booked your vacation already? Did you check to make sure that you have enough months – and enough space – in your passport?
Most people don’t realize that they need to have six months left on their passport validity to be able to enter the new country. They also don’t know that they need to have the right amount of space in their passport to enter the country, too.
If you do get through to the plane, you could be refused and put back on a new plane once you land – how awful would that be? Don’t book your vacation until you are sure that you are correct with the passport requirements.
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Embassy.
Wherever you go in the world, you need to make sure that you know the contact details of the embassy of your own country of citizenship.
Anything could go wrong in a foreign place, and this way, you can ensure that you have backup.
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Language.
Most places around the world with a tourism interest have English speaking hotels and restaurant staff.
However, you need to remember your manners! It’ll help to be able to say some choice phrases in the host language, such as greetings and polite thank you’s and please. All of these will get you a long way if you need to ask for help from a local.
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Local Police.
Speaking of asking for help, whatever number you call in your home country for the local authorities, you need to know the equivalent in the new country in which you plan to vacation.
Do your research – you’ll need it!
