My list of tips before boarding any plane / taking any trip.
How-to travel like a PRO!
Pack light: When traveling you always want to pack as light as you can for many reasons. Avoiding having to lug heavy luggage around will save you time, energy, and stress. You also want to pack light because more than likely you will buy things like souvenirs, new clothes, bags, gifts, etc… and that extra space will come in handy. Packing light also helps you avoid losing things because theres less things for you to remember to grab when going from place to place when it is time to go.
Purchase tickets in advance: Purchase your tickets at least 3 to 4 months in advance to get the best rate! Who wants to save money? I do! Prices for traveling is always cheaper when you book fights mouths out in advance. This helps the airline plan trips in advance, and create work schedules for their crew & you get to choose the best seating arrangement for yourself. Booking early also avoids you being placed on a stand by list or running into over booked flights. For example you ever had to spend a night at a airport because a flight was over book? One of the reason is last minutes travels, so now the airlines has to call more pilots in to work, because they have more passages than expected. Save your self the hassle and buy early.
Tag your check-in bag as fragile: If you have to check-in a bag mark it as “fragile”. Now your bag will be handled with more care even if there are no fragile items in the luggage. This will help your bag and items get treated with a deluxe-like service for free! Your baggage will more than likely get put on top of the other luggage just because it has that label on it. This means fewer scratches or dings to the outside of the luggage due to workers carrying the luggage to and from one cargo truck to another.
Use credit cards rather than your debit cards or cash: You should use an actual credit card when going out of town. Try to avoid using your everyday bank card or cash. Your everyday debit bank card is probably linked to your everyday bills. If this card information was to get stolen it would be a huge hassle to change all of your direct deposit accounts for your bills and so on. So, try to practice using credit cards more Via the BBA to avoid identity thieve. Credit card companies such as American Express, Discover, USAA, Capital One, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and so on are the types of cards you should be using (loaned money). This is safe because it is not your actual money in your bank account. It is money that is protected by the company you have the card with (essentially loaned money from an institution). So, if your card information happens to get stolen it does not directly affect you! You will still need to report it right away. It’s likely the money will be put back onto the credit card and the account with that stolen number will be shut off. More than likely you would be issued another card between 5-7 business days; this card would be shipped to the address the company has on file for you. Meanwhile, a case will be created on your behave to research & recover the unauthorized transaction. Save yourself the hassle and just use a credit card.
Notify your bank prior to leaving: Simply call the number on the back of your card and talk to a live person. Let them know you will be traveling (in whatever city or county). They will document the information. This will help the credit card company know not to flag/block your purchases because they have notes stating you are in this country right now and it is ok to authorize the transaction.
Email a copy of your important documents to yourself: This includes a copy of your ID, visa, passport, boarding pass, health-related documents (if applicable), etc… You should do this just in case you lose your physical copies. Now you have backups.
Pack more basics: You can get a lot of different outfits out of basics. Basics to me = fewer clothes, more outfit options, and more space in your luggage! Also, try and get quick dry clothes a.k.a clothes that do not require ironing. Cloths that are not quick dry or need to be ironed usually require a hanger or they take up a lot of space in your luggage. Let’s try to avoid that “).
Small luggage is best: small luggage equals no check-in fee. How many items are you allowed to take on the plane? You are allowed one small piece of luggage and a carry-on without having to check- in luggage. The small luggage needs to be 9 x 14 inches x 22 inches or be able to fit in the overhead bin. Your carry-on would need to be small enough to fit underneath your seat or in front of you depending on the airlines you are flying with. This is how you board a plane without having to pay extra luggage fees. You can find small compliance-size luggage at any department store. Just ask for small to medium size luggage that can fit in a plane’s overhead bin easily.
All essentials and must-haves go in your carry-on: This includes; your boarding pass, passport, wallet, electronics, face mask, eye mask, lip gloss, blanket, neck pillow, ear plugs, portable charger, etc…
Get an app that converts currency: If you are traveling out of your home country you should download a currency converter app to assist in purchases when you are out of your home country. Popular apps include GlobeConvert Currency, Currency & My Currency Converter
Do your research on the area: This is for the people traveling out of their home country. DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE. Do your research on the country you are visiting so you are as up to date on the procedures and customs regarding the country you are visiting. Act as if you know the area. At this point, you’re not a tourist! You live there, you are visiting family! Do whatever you have to do to make it seem like you are not a tourist and avoid being a target. This way you avoid getting ripped off or encountering price gouging.
Lastly, Don’t forget your journal: Pictures are priceless, but I have learned over the years that so are moments in time. Being able to take your self back to a great time in your life with words you wrote is something you will want to experience, trust me. When you have a moment back at your hotel or villa, journal how you feel, what you see and smell, the people you have met and where you are holistically. You will be surprised when you go back and read it years later the memories and feelings that come pouring in. You don’t have to do anything crazy to have great memories, what ever you feel like journaling is going to be worth remembering. Just write your story girly.
Know lets travel!!!
Xxoo Lulla
This blog post was about traveling like a Pro.
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