Things to Know Before Your Trip

Even with trips that have been scheduled in detail, something unexpected can happen, a mishap, delay or surprise that will make that make you have to change plans. That’s normal. Just take a deep breath and deal with the matter without losing your temper. Nobody likes missing a plane, having their purse stolen or being disoriented and tired all day because of jet lag. That’s why we’re giving you some tips to help prevent this.

Travelers can always encounter delays or cancellations: When things don’t go as planned, we tend to get nervous and stop thinking clearly. A delay at an airport often means not making a connecting flight or arriving at the hotel. The first thing to do is contact the airline to make sure they are liable for the transportation and hotel costs. If not, it usually makes the most sense to quickly book another flight, so that you don’t miss out on the rest of your trip (hotels, tours and more) and submit the claims for reimbursement once you’ve returned home.

Lost luggage: Airlines don’t usually lose luggage. What can happen, though, is that the luggage doesn’t end up traveling on the plane with us but stays behind at the place origin or worse, it’s sent to another country. If it back on the ground, it’s often just been misplaced on the way. In this case, they’ll send it the following day to wherever you are. It’s worse if your suitcase mistakenly ends up in Hong Kong while you were flying to Milan. If your luggage gets sent to another country by mistake, it’s often never recovered. So here’s a quick tip: bring the basics in your carry-on luggage. For example: medicines, a few changes of underwear, a phone charger, or whatever you might really need.

Avoid large crowds: If you want to avoid bad surprises, stay very aware of phones, purses and wallets in crowded places. You’ll generally encounter more pickpockets in the city center and in tourist areas. If you are traveling abroad, never have all of you documentations in one place. Keep your passport somewhere separate from your ID card. That way, if your wallet gets stolen, you aren’t left without some form of identification. But there’s more. Having a scanned copy in your e-mail helps. It is travel insurance. With that copy, you can apply for a new passport in your embassy so that you’ll be able to return home.

Jet lag is annoying: Ideally, you should try to change your sleep and meals times to the new schedule a few days before traveling. If you not able to do this, I suggest that you try to sleep on the plane. Sleep when the lights are dimmed on the plane and wake up when the lights are turned on again. And try to eat the meals when served if possible. Since your legs will be feeling the pressure and hours on the plane, it’s a good idea to walk about the airplane occasionally if it’s a long flight. This will help circulate the blood throughout your body and help you prevent swelling in your legs and numbness in your feet.