pack yourbags
Before You Go
Important Preparation Tips for International Travel
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vacation abroad should be therapeutic, exciting, educational, relaxing, uplifting, cleansing, and reenergizing. With a little preparation your vacation can be ideal. Travel has never been safer, however potential pitfalls can happen no matter how much planning has taken place. Most mistakes can be avoided with common sense and a backup plan. Your goal should be to minimize the worry and maximize the awesomeness of going abroad to see this incredible world of ours. The following are important steps to safeguarding your international travel investment so you can enjoy your wellearned vacation. Proper Documentation A valid US passport is required for all international air travel in order to re-enter the US Some countries in close proximity to the US may allow you to enter with a state issued ID and an original birth certificate. However, if an emergency occurs – at a cruise destination, for example – 58 | midtownmag.com
and you have to be flown back home, there could be major delays/hassles/money spent if you don’t have a passport. Most countries require passports to be valid for at least six months after departure date. If you don’t own a passport, check with your neighborhood travel consultant to find out which countries will allow alternative documentation. Documents Besides bringing all the proper travel documents, you should make copies and pack them in a different place from the originals. These include passports, travel insurance card, visas, credit cards, driver’s license, airline itinerary, lodging, cruise details, excursions, tours and transfers, and all reservations/itineraries. Travel Alerts Not all areas of the world are safe to travel for US citizens; always review the State Department’s travel warnings. When traveling to a country that has some