Traveling soon? Check out these 5 Essential things to do before an international flight and make your life way easier my homie!
As I’m writing this I’m less than two weeks away from my next international trip to the one and only Nepal so naturally, I have started to prepare for this upcoming Himalayan adventure of wonders.
Here’s some of my top 5 recommendations for what to do before an International Flight. Enjoy my wonder friends and don’t forget to comment by adding some of your own tips!
Check out Visas and Entry Requirements of the Countries You Will be Visiting
One of the most important things I learned about travel is to never assume that you can just waltz-in visa free to any country in the world. The second most important thing? Never assume that just because you have a valid visa you won’t be denied entry to said country (yes, it has happened!!!).
Always check and double check entry requirements for all the countries you’ll be visiting in order to guarantee a smooth sailing. And yes, sometimes even the most annoying small detail can potentially ruin your entire trip.
Tip of Wonders #01: Most countries will ask you for a return/onward flight so in case you haven’t bought it yet, I recommend you to buy a flight reservation at Best Onwards. For only 7.99 USD they will issue you a valid onward ticket that is going to be valid for 48 hours so you can show immigration officers proof that you’ll be leaving by air. Pretty cool, uh?
Take a Look at the Weather Forecast
Has it ever happened to you that you book a trip to a exotic beach destination only to find out that Winter indeed exists in said island and that the water is pretty to look at but extremely cold to swim in? No? Oh well, I guess I’m one of the unlucky ones then.
In any case, I really recommend you to check out multiple weather forecast websites (including those with historical figures from past years) in order to decide what to bring (and what NOT to bring for your next adventure).
Tip of Wonders #02: Adaptability is key for any trip and in case that yours includes both cold and hot destinations, I really recommend you to take a look at my Round The World Packing List of Wonders to see what I was traveling with during my years of being a digital nomad in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
Buy a Reliable Travel Insurance
If you know me, you already know that I take pride in doing relatively extreme activities that have made my mother question my sanity more than once. Luckily, nothing major has ever happened to me in terms of injuries but the back of my head sometimes wonders: what if…?
What if I had fallen in that active blue flame volcano in Indonesia? What if I had crashed that motorcycle in Thailand? What if a drug lord stabs me in Mexico just because I’m more handsome than him and his ex girlfriend prefers me? Alright, the last one has probably happened to me once or twice. In any case, travel insurance sure is a great ally to have.
Tip of Wonders #03: When it comes to selecting the ideal travel insurance, it is always important to read the small print very carefully since most of them will only pay you back if you go to their selected doctors. Personally, I recommend Via Escapade Travel Insurance for its professionalism. Be sure to check them out and read some of the reviews!
Read the Reviews of the Airline You’ll be Flying With
Let’s be honest: air travel can be very stressful and annoying thanks to the human factor. Maybe there’s a toddler right behind you doing her best to sing Frozen’s main song. Maybe there’s an arm-rest wrestler that simply doesn’t give up. Maybe there’s an airline employee that wants to punch you because he caught you red-handed with his wife in the middle of his honeymoon and…alright, I should stop sharing.
The case is, that not all airlines have good costumer service as one of their main priorities and each time you’re flying with someone new, it is important to do research about them. Think of this as the equivalent of asking your friends if the girl you’re interested in going out with has a problematic drug lord ex boyfriend. Works every time my friends!!!
Tip of Wonders #04: Aviation Travel Blogs are very scarce and it’s kind of hard to find unbiased reviews since most of them make a living by working on projects with the same airlines they’re reviewing, however, I invite you to check out Go Travel Your Way for some honest and reliable airline reviews.
Be on your Best Mood at all Times and Remember to Always Smile
Finally, the best thing to do before an international trip is to just relax and frame yourself to be in a positive state of mind. Projecting is one of the most important neuro-linguistic programming techniques and it can definitely help you to take the stress of travel planning away.
Who cares if your flight was delayed by 20 hours and now you have to sleep in the cold hard airport floor? Who cares if your luggage is lost and now you have no winter coat to protect you from the sub zero temperatures outside the airport? Who cares if a Mexican drug lord has put a bounty on your head because you’re dating his ex girlfriend and now you have to legally change your name? Eh…alright, that last one is truly worrisome.
Tip of Wonders #05: While short flights are simply bothersome, long-haul flights have the potential of becoming an endless limbo from which there’s no escape. Luckily here’s an article about how to survive a long-haul flight including tips on how to befriend the air attendants. And please…DO NOT bring an ostrich pillow to the airplane!!! Seriously…
I hope you have enjoyed these 5 Essential Must-Do of Wonders before an International Flight. Don’t forget to subscribe in order to get more awesome updates and tips straight to your e-mail!
What are some of your best tips for planning a trip, my friends? Share your thoughts and let me know what you think!
Until next time, my friends!
