Regardless of what type of trip you’re on, there are simple steps to make your travel stress-free. Especially for adventurous travelers who have to be ready for any situation, these practical tips guarantee less problems and more fun along the journey. 1) Check your passport and documents in advance. We normally take out our passports from the cabinet only prior to a flight. And then comes an unexpected problem and we end up missing the flight. For example, some people are already in the airport when they find out that their passport is not valid for at least six months from the departure date, a reason to be denied of check-in. (For more on this, read: Passport 101: Five things about your passport you need to check to avoid losing your flight.) It is also important to back up key documents. Bring a digital and photocopy of your passport, visa, health insurance card, and have an extra copy of important numbers in case of emergency. 2) Download information prior to your trip. Since internet connection is not always available while traveling, you can screen-capture relevant pages such as general travel guides, train lines and timetables, and landmark locations in your map. Doing your homework also allows you to discover more things about your travel destination that may be of interest to you but is not of common knowledge, and have time to squeeze it in your itinerary. Mark spots of interest in your smart phone map or tablet. 3) Pack a big scarf or a sarong. It is probably one of the best accessories to travel with as it is useful in all destinations and weather conditions. Aside from its usual function in the beach, my sarong has served as a shawl or blanket for the cold, as protection from the rain or sun and dust while traveling in a non-air-conditioned bus or on a motorbike, as an alternative for that bulky towel, as a mat for lying down in the park, or as a makeshift skirt, dress or bag. Wherever the road takes you, this multi-functional piece is always reliable. 4) Carry your own universal plug adapter. This is a must for frequent travelers as countries have their own standard plug. To be on the safe side, always have one in your travel bag and do not wait to get to your destination before buying one. You might need it to charge your gadgets while you are in that eight-hour layover, but you can't because the plug is different. 5) Take an extra bag. Pack one (e.g., a durable but foldable lightweight bag) just in case you have more things to take back from your trip after doing your shopping or buying pasalubong. It is advisable to have one that is bigger than your handbag so that you can put the latter inside it. An extra bag and some skills in packing can save you from paying extra when you want to maximize the allowed baggage weight. You can also use it in lieu of that heavy handbag when hitting the beach, etc. 6) Explore the off-beaten path. Check in advance in Google Earth if there are spots that you find interesting and see if there are roads to get there. You get to discover that hidden beach, small community, or great view when you explore areas that are not in the usual itinerary offered by tour operators, blogs or travel guide books. Rent a motorcycle or car, take a map and explore by yourself. If you do not know how to drive, you can walk around or go for a run to check out those less-trodden paths. Search for information and ask around if it is a safe zone. 7) Learn a bit of the local language. Knowing the basics like how to say hello, thank you, asking "how much?" and words related with directions (e.g., left, right, way out, to be bus or train station) is not only useful but it also allows you to give a good and warm impression and interact even a bit with the locals. As a result, you also get to add something to your general knowledge bank from each of your travels. 8) Exchange currency in advance for international travel by land or sea. There are money changers in airports, but if you are traveling by land or sea and your arrival time is at the wee hours of the day, money changers in the area may not be open 24/7. Have some of the new currency ready, e.g., enough to take the train, bus or taxi to your hotel or lodge. 9) Bring an empty water bottle. Hydrating while traveling is important. It is not allowed to bring water beyond security controls but you can take an empty bottle with you. Some airports (e.g., Seoul, Shanghai) have water fountains where you can fill it especially your long layovers. Water is also either unsafe to drink or expensive in some countries so it is advisable to carry even just a small one with you. 10) Prepare small snacks. While water is not allowed in your hand bag pass controls, but snacks are. Prices shoot up as you enter the gate and plane, and especially for those traveling with a lost-cost airline, having small snacks with you can help (chip, chocolate bars). Also, when you are in middle of the sea, road, a jungle, a long train or bus ride, etc., or during emergencies like getting stranded, this can be a lifesaver. 11) Have some key medications handy. One of the worse things that can happen while on travel is getting sick. Be prepared with a handful of key medications: paracetamol, antihistamine, pain reliever, loperamide, vitamin c and those that you usually need. You can have a drugstore in that quaint Spanish village but it might be difficult to explain that you need something for diarrhea especially if you do not speak the same language. In some destinations, you may not even find a drugstore. 12) Print hotel and landmark names written in special characters.
You ask for directions or you tell the driver to drop you in a place but they could not understand you because you are using its English name. There are countries where people only know places in their local language (both spoken and written, i.e., if they do not use the Latin alphabet), so having a print-out or print screen of it in the characters they use (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese) can save you the hassle of miscommunication. Agree or disagree? If you have more ideas or reactions, please comment below. Safe travels!
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Passport 101: Five things about your passport you need to check to avoid losing your flight12/7/2014 Traveling to your next destination? Reading this might just save you from losing your flight.
We normally take out our passports from the cabinet only prior to a flight. And then comes an unexpected problem with our passport and we end up missing the flight. Here are five things about your passport you need to check to avoid losing your next flight. 1. Does your passport have the required period of validity? Passport validity requirement of countries can differ but the usual rule is to have it at least six months valid from your departure date. This is one thing that travelers tend to overlook as I have seen a lot of passengers who have been refused to check-in for their flight at the airport for this reason. 2. Is your passport totally intact or is the cover slightly detached? This is probably the last thing that would enter your mind as a reason to lose your flight, as passports are expected to be produced under stringent security control. In the Philippines for example, it is the Bangko Central ng Pilipinas who takes care of the production of the Philippine passport, as it has to undergo strict scrutiny just like the production of our currency. The Department of Foreign Affairs apparently issued an announcement on a technical glitch in the production of e-passports with serial numbers EB0000001 to EB1267350. The cover easily detaches from the rest of the passport and even a slight detachment can give you a big problem at the airport. While around 10 million passports are affected, less than 10,000 have gone to DFA to have their passports changed. With insufficient information dissemination, travelers who end up having a damaged passport are caught in a problematic situation they did not anticipate and they do not know how to handle. A Google search on usual passport problems actually shows cases of this only in the Philippines. There are inconsistencies on how the issue is handled. In some cases a person gets to pass until the immigration counter and signs a waiver that he or she is aware of the condition of his or her passport. There are cases wherein the airline refuses the person to check-in and considers his or her flight as forfeited for failure to present the required travel document (passport). This happened with a boy going to Vietnam for a medical operation. The case actually became viral as he was attended to by an ill-mannered manager of the airline Cebu Pacific Air. The airline did not allow him to check-in saying that his passport was damaged and even forfeited his ticket. They filed a complaint and he was able to fly with a temporary passport issued by DFA (who said in the end that his passport was not damaged). The airline waived the rebooking charges for the rest of his company who also ended up losing the flight. However, this case of getting a temporary passport and the airline waiving fees is exceptional, as just yesterday there was another case wherein the same airline, after checking-in the other passengers of a group of four traveling, refused to check-in the forth passenger saying that her passport was damaged, forfeited her flight, gave inconsistent information to the passengers who ended up staying at the airport seven hours to fix the issue and ending up not getting sufficient help, and the airline agent who handled them in the counter was just as ill-mannered as the manager who handled the boy going to Vietnam. The rest of the group also had to rebook their flight with charges of PhP2,000 per flight (or PhP4,000 round-trip per person) plus the flight price difference. 3. Does it have enough remaining blank pages? Frequent travelers encounter this problem. If you have traveled a lot with your passport, regardless of its expiration date, check if it has blank pages left weeks before your next flight. 4. Is the name indicated in your passport exactly the same as what is in your plane ticket and other documents? Make sure that the name in your passport is consistent with how it is written in the other documents you will be presenting such as your flight ticket, other travel documents and ID. Check if you correctly spelled your name while booking your flight. This can also be an issue for those who have had their name changed, e.g., after getting married. Consider this if you end up renewing your passport but you have already purchased your flight using your old name. Aside from your name, some airline companies ask for other information (e.., your birth date, passport number) when you are booking your flight which reflect later on in your flight ticket. Make sure that those are also consistent with what is in your passport and other documents you will present. 5. Doesn't your passport show any other form of damage (e.g., ripped page, water-damaged)? A rip on a passport page, especially the one which has your photo and details, might be a problem as they might question its authenticity. If your passport has been wet, you may want to consider changing it as well. If you answered at least one "no", ask the Department of Foreign Affairs or your respective consulate office right away regarding your concern to prevent yourself from having problems at the airport. If the only solution is renewing your passport, check how much time it will take to have it ready before your flight. Especially if you have your flight with the same airline referred to in this article, you will just end up losing your flight and wasting your effort, time and money for nothing. |
About the AuthorA psychologist who loves to observe people and sometimes eavesdrop on them during her trips. ArchivesCategories |