Traveling is fun, and mostly it's all fun and games, and nothing to worry about. But problems can always arise from the most unexpected things. Because of that, whenever you go traveling, make sure you have the basics covered, just in case.
While it's not a huge disaster if your bag breaks a bit, I have found that it's always a good idea to have a needle and thread with you at all times. While I'm personally usually too lazy to fix small holes in my travel bags, it's good to have them with you should there actually be something you need to fix. It's especially useful if you're on a backpacking trip. You should also have some band-aid with you, just in case. Same goes for head ache and stomach pills. You probably won't need them, but it's good to have them with you should you actually feel the need. Especially as they don't really take any room in your bag anyway.
Again something that we all hope we'll never need, but if you end up with a health problem, or your luggage happens to get lost somehow, it's good to have the insurance for it all. I once arrived in Paris only to find my backpack totally crushed - it turned out an airport truck had run over it. While I didn't have insurance at that point, I was lucky enough to get the money from the airline after the trip had ended. But you might not be as luck every time.
These are both just small things that can cause discomfort during your trip. But you might also end up in a place during a Volcano eruption, or flood, or simply getting injured, you can learn more about what to do then at the website of Your Legal Friend.
There are also some smart things you can do that might come handy during your trips. These days all airlines have different carry-on allowances and if you're traveling only with a carry-on, you might end up with a problem. Your carry-on is too big or a few kilograms too heavy. While often the airlines don't care about the minor differences, or they are so minor that you can just put some extra clothes on you, I have been to airports where all airlines seem to nitpicking. In these situations it's always a good idea to have clothes that you don't care if you lost. When I go traveling I usually take with me a number of things that are totally wearable, but getting old already, and as such, I wouldn't mind throwing them away if there's a problem with my bag size or weight. I've actually done it a few times. Why pay 25 or more for extra kilograms if the clothes/shoes aren't even worth that much.
Depending on where you are from, and where you are going, you should check your bank's debit/credit withdrawal as well as payment fees. Just an example - I have a card from three different banks. One of them charges something like 50c plus 1.75% of the ATM withdrawal amount, the other one 50c plus 2.5%, and the third one 1 euro flat. Guess which card am I using when I'm abroad? You should also be aware of different ATMs. For example when withdrawing money using an Euronet ATM, Euronet takes its own cut on top of your bank's fees. And this additional cost might be anywhere from 45c to 15% of your total withdrawal amount, depending on the country. You can read a bit more about it here, especially the comments section there. Other similar companies you should avoid if possible are Travelex, YourCash, Cardpoint, and Cashzone.
Your bag
While it's not a huge disaster if your bag breaks a bit, I have found that it's always a good idea to have a needle and thread with you at all times. While I'm personally usually too lazy to fix small holes in my travel bags, it's good to have them with you should there actually be something you need to fix. It's especially useful if you're on a backpacking trip. You should also have some band-aid with you, just in case. Same goes for head ache and stomach pills. You probably won't need them, but it's good to have them with you should you actually feel the need. Especially as they don't really take any room in your bag anyway.
Travel insurance
Again something that we all hope we'll never need, but if you end up with a health problem, or your luggage happens to get lost somehow, it's good to have the insurance for it all. I once arrived in Paris only to find my backpack totally crushed - it turned out an airport truck had run over it. While I didn't have insurance at that point, I was lucky enough to get the money from the airline after the trip had ended. But you might not be as luck every time.
These are both just small things that can cause discomfort during your trip. But you might also end up in a place during a Volcano eruption, or flood, or simply getting injured, you can learn more about what to do then at the website of Your Legal Friend.
The carry-on problem
There are also some smart things you can do that might come handy during your trips. These days all airlines have different carry-on allowances and if you're traveling only with a carry-on, you might end up with a problem. Your carry-on is too big or a few kilograms too heavy. While often the airlines don't care about the minor differences, or they are so minor that you can just put some extra clothes on you, I have been to airports where all airlines seem to nitpicking. In these situations it's always a good idea to have clothes that you don't care if you lost. When I go traveling I usually take with me a number of things that are totally wearable, but getting old already, and as such, I wouldn't mind throwing them away if there's a problem with my bag size or weight. I've actually done it a few times. Why pay 25 or more for extra kilograms if the clothes/shoes aren't even worth that much.
The card problem
Depending on where you are from, and where you are going, you should check your bank's debit/credit withdrawal as well as payment fees. Just an example - I have a card from three different banks. One of them charges something like 50c plus 1.75% of the ATM withdrawal amount, the other one 50c plus 2.5%, and the third one 1 euro flat. Guess which card am I using when I'm abroad? You should also be aware of different ATMs. For example when withdrawing money using an Euronet ATM, Euronet takes its own cut on top of your bank's fees. And this additional cost might be anywhere from 45c to 15% of your total withdrawal amount, depending on the country. You can read a bit more about it here, especially the comments section there. Other similar companies you should avoid if possible are Travelex, YourCash, Cardpoint, and Cashzone.
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