You’re likely reading this because you plan to travel the world soon, either as part of your gap year or to fulfill one of your life’s goals. Plus, you’re hoping to do so on a long-term basis and perhaps work or volunteer as you travel to support yourself.
It’s undoubtedly an exciting time in your life, and you’re looking forward to the day when you can head to the airport and start your adventures. You’ve probably got several things to do before you travel and doubtless have a ton of preparation to do.
However, have you remembered all of the loose ends you need to tie up first before you leave the country? If you haven’t, or you’re worried you might have forgotten a few things, keep in mind the following points:
Table of Contents
1. Make Sure All Your Papers Are in Order
Firstly, you must ensure you’ve got a valid passport before you travel. Otherwise, you’re not going anywhere! It’s crucial you renew your passport several weeks or, ideally, months in advance of your travels.
Also, ensure you’ve got the correct entry visas for each country you wish to visit. Be sure to do plenty of online research, so you know which visas to get, how much they cost, and how to apply for them.
You may also need to apply for work permits if you’re going to do some temporary work (paid or voluntary).
2. Have a Forwarding Address
If you don’t live at home with your parents, you’re unlikely to have a correspondence address. You could always ask a relative or friend if you could use their address. But, what happens if there isn’t anyone you can ask or no one is willing to let you use their address?
In those cases, did you know you can use virtual office address services? For a small monthly fee, you can have a correspondence address. Plus, such services may even scan your mail and email it to you. It can be handy if you’re expecting some important mail.
3. Put All Your Belongings Into Storage
Are you vacating your accommodation, but have lots of belongings that you can’t take with you on your travels? The ideal solution is to have a relative or friend take care of those items for you.
However, if that’s not possible, you’ll need to put all your belongings into storage before you leave. That way, when you eventually return, you can find somewhere new to live and take your belongings out of storage.
4. Make Your Money Easy to Access
As you travel to different countries and regions, you’ll need money to pay for stuff. You shouldn’t find it too challenging to locate an ATM, but you might get stuck if only certain cards get accepted by ATMs or in specific countries.
That’s why you should research a debit card that makes it quick and easy to withdraw cash or pay for items. Visa and Mastercard are the two most recognized card brands globally, so with that in mind, look for travel cards that use either of those transaction networks.
5. Have Someone Look After Your Pets
If you have pets, you’re likely going to leave them behind while you travel. You’ll need to decide whether to have someone look after them for you on a long-term basis or if it’s best to get them rehomed with new forever homes.
It can be pretty heart-wrenching to have to give your pets away. Finding a relative or friend willing to take them on for you should be your primary choice. Just don’t assume people will automatically take on your pets!
6. Get a Medical Check-Up
You want to make sure that you’re in excellent health before you get on any plane. After all, you don’t want to get seriously ill in a foreign country due to an undiagnosed medical condition.
With that in mind, you should get a complete medical check-up before you travel. Also, you may need to get vaccinations before venturing to certain countries. Plus, due to COVID-19, you may need to prove you’ve been vaccinated against it before you fly into certain places.
7. Arrange Travel Insurance
Last but not least, be sure to arrange travel insurance before you venture to pastures new. Doing so will ensure you can receive the best possible medical care abroad without worrying about how you’re going to pay for any medical fees like hospital treatments and medication.
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