HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SOLO VACATION

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SOLO VACATION –

From Packing to Lift-off

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A SOLO VACATION

I am going to share with you tips and ideas as to how to prepare for a solo vacation…the big day, yes!! the day you can’t wait to ‘gettup outta” your workplace and country. It’s your Solo travel day, and you will want to be well organized before this day arrives. Preparing for this day can be less tedious and less stressful if done right and in advance. If you have done the drill before, then you just need to follow the usual routine steps and then you are done. If this is your first trip (see how to save for your first trip) to a new country, alone or with company. I am going to show you how to prepare for a solo vacation the right way, from packing to lift-off.

DOUBLE-CHECKING AND PRINTING YOUR DOCUMENTS

No.1 and most importantly, make sure your passport and or visa has not expired, nor will become expired whilst you are on vacation. If this is the case, then get the renewals going, otherwise, if you wait last minute, then you “aint” going anywhere!! So, check this in advance, for the start to a smooth, stress-free and well planned (see how to plan a solo vacation) vacation.

Travel Documents

Regarding your travel document, your passport, it is vital to make a copy of the bio page (page with photo and personal data) and if you have a visa, a copy as well, both a hard (on paper) and soft copy (picture on your phone/tablet or sent to your email). This is your travel security in case your passport is lost or stolen. Remember you are in a strange country alone and maybe your country may not have an embassy there. You will need to have some evidence of a passport or how you got into the country, something to start with, and your copies may help you to get you back home in case of such occurrence.

Itinerary Airline and Hotel Booking Documents

Be sure to have a printed copy of your travel itinerary. A printed copy of your airline/s reservations documents (some immigration officers may ask to see your exit date). Your hotel confirmation bookings should be printed as well (some immigration officers may ask to show). However, if you are vacationing at a private residence of a friend or family, make sure you also have the correct address, in case the immigration officer asks for it.

Organize/Confirm Your Airport Pick up

Your airport pick-up must be already organized. If you made no pre-arrangement for pick up with your hotel etc., then be sure you have the information beforehand, as to where the train (some are accessible from gates within the airport) or the location of the bus, on exiting the airport. Remember to print the documentation if you have an airport pick up with Booking.com (#Ad)or any other prearranged airport transport service provider.

ACCESSING FOREX IN ADVANCE

In some countries, it may a bit difficult to access foreign currency when you have to travel, (USD, Euro, GDP sterling) so it’s a good idea to try to accumulate some months prior to your trip, this will, therefore, prevent the unnecessary headache and last-minute stress of trying to access foreign currency, especially if your country’s currency has no value worldwide. If you do not have a credit card and wish to use a debit card, make sure to get this sorted out in advance, this is also an excellent alternative to the credit card and forex problem.

PERSONAL ITEMS CHECKLIST

It is a good idea to make a Personal Travel Items Checklist. You will only have to write this once and re-use it for all future travels. This list will have all the items you are accustomed to using daily and will need during your vacation. These items will help to make your stay more comfortable. However, if you forget these items, you will then have to re-purchase, and that’s if you can find the exact items you usually use, thus adding more to your vacation costs.

RESTAURANTS GO AND DON’T GO TO LIST

When travelling alone, it is always a good idea to have a list of the restaurants surrounding your hotel (walking distance). If your meals are not included in your hotel package, then you will have to buy your meals. You will want to find a great breakfast and dinner spot (not to have to go too far at nights for dinner). Lunchtime you are more than likely out site-seeing and can gauge the restaurants according to the crowd. Your main aim is to find restaurants with good ratings, reasonably priced and tasty food. Write down the names of those with good ratings, and those that have bad ratings (so you don’t mistakenly patronize a bad restaurant then regret it).

It is an excellent idea to have this information before-hand, because the last thing you want is, over-priced, tasteless food, skimmed card or worst yet, food poisoning, (I recall getting food poisoning in the Dominican Republic some years ago, it spoilt my vacation and I took months to fully recover). The easiest way to do this!? I usually go to Trip Advisor and look for the hotel I booked for my trip, scroll down, and there you can see the options to view all hotels, things to do and restaurants close by the hotel and the distance, you just click Restaurants and the list will appear, go through each one by one, and read the reviews and place them on your written, Go or Don’t go list according to the number of good or bad reviews. Done!!!

“PRE-PAIRING” YOUR OUTFITS

Unless you are one of those guys who love to be well-coordinated and on point always, then this is mainly for the women. This is where the ladies get super excited, depending on the country and season, then the planning of the outfits becomes the main focal point of the trip. Whether it may be the bikinis or the winter clothes, some sort of planning needs to go into this. This part of the travel planning many women would be looking forward to. Yes, ladies, the OUTFITS!!

Here is where you can make your life on vacation much less stressful. I call it my “Pre-pairing” Day. If it’s a short vacation and you’re not a fussy person then you should be done in a couple of hours. A long vacation in a few countries, then dedicate a day to do this. If, however, you are one of those people with a closet full of clothes and “never have anything to wear”, or spend hours deciding what to wear, then you need to do this…SERIOUSLY!! because whether you travel alone or with company, you are going to frustrate yourself and or company, fussing over what to wear and wasting precious time at the hotel, trying to decide what to wear or what looks good on you.

Pair smart!! Pack smart!!

Ladies, we know you want to look beautiful on your vacation. I know how time-consuming and stressful it can be, looking for the perfect match or fit, especially for clothes you haven’t worn in a while. Please do not take this stress on your vacation. So, what you are going to do is look for clothes you will want to wear try them on and pair them, make sure they fit and even the shoes and accessories to match. Try on the number of clothes for the days you will be on vacation. One or two outfits (if you plan to hang out at nights) a day. Pair smart! Pack smart!! For style and suitcase weight, 2 pairs of shoes that may pair perfectly with all your outfits, and 2 or 3 pants with several tops might be perfect to save luggage space. The main idea is not to take unnecessary extra clothes with you, that you may not use.

Pre-packing Your Suitcase

I recommend pre-packing your suitcase at least two (2) days before your flight. I am over-organized, so I tend to do at least five (5) days before my travel date. The pre-pairing and pre-packing I find is the most tedious part of preparing for my trip, so I like to get it out of the way and clear that burden off my mind. If you will be visiting more than one country, then section off your suitcase, after you have paired your outfits, pack tight by rolling each paired outfit together instead of folding, (a packing trick), more clothes with less space. When you get to your first country it will be well organized. You will only remove those clothes only from your suitcase. No-fuss on what to wear or what it will be paired with for a perfect match. This will ensure you have a smooth start to your vacation days.

MISCELLANEOUS CHECKLIST

One week before your vacation there is a list of things you should do:

Pay your bills, esp. those that will become due whilst you are on vacation.
Notify your bank that you will not be in the country, and the countries you will be visiting and period. a. This will ensure that when you try to use your card, it will not be blocked if the bank sees transactions being made in another country other than the one you reside and b. If you are not in the country and the bank notices transactions taking place and you are not in the country then they will know some fraudulent activity is taking place and be able to deal with it.
Sort your toiletries in small portions in small containers to take with you, make sure you check and double-check all that you need for everyday use. (these I suggest go in your carry-on luggage, 3 oz and under, in case of lost luggage).
Same your vitamins, check your vacation days and take the amount you need for the vacation days (carry-on luggage also).

What should you do 48 hours before your Trip!?

What should you do 48 hours before your trip!?

Web check-in, highly suggested, (the shorter line at the airport) No one likes the middle seat unless you like to gamble. Many airlines don’t allow you to choose a seat until 24/48 hours before the flight when you web check-in.
Iron your clothes that you will be wearing on your flight, esp. if it’s an early morning flight.
Clean your house and do laundry, no one wants to return home from vacation to clutter or a dirty house.
Visit the supermarket and buy groceries before you leave on your vacation, who want to return home to an empty fridge or cupboard.
Inform at least one neighbour that you will be on vacation (monitoring of home).
Pack all your “must-haves” gadgets/items

Back up batteries
Chargers (phones, cameras, tablets, etc.)
Memory banks (to charge your phone whilst at the airports and available on also Amazon)
Camera

ixpand Flash Drive (#Ad), (click on item to buy on Amazon) I recommend this gadget 150% especially for those with any Apple device (iPhone, iPod, iPad) and use this device to take vacation photos or videos. We all know too well when your device storage is full that’s it, it’s no longer useful for taking more photos or videos. However, with the Ixpand flash drive, you just plug it into your device and continue taking your vacation photos (expandable storage).

The beauty about this device, is that you can use it on your computer also, it is a flash drive, or even into your Samsung phone (via your Samsung adapter that came with your phone) to view the pics or even download files from your Samsung or computer, then transfer them to your Apple device iPhone or iPad. I have been using mine for the past 3 years and it’s an excellent gadget.

With the ixpand Flash Drive, (#Ad) you have both internal and external and shareable storage. I highly recommend it, very simple and easy to use, just download the Ixpand app (free in apple store, and easy set up) on your phone or iPad and Walla!! Done!!, expandable space to continue to take photos or add more files on your device.

Universal USB Travel Power Adapter, (#Ad) (click on item to buy on Amazon) another must-have item, if you are a traveller, this all in one wall charger has a plug for every different electrical outlet. Many countries have different electrical (socket) outlets from what you may be used to in your country, and you must either borrow one from the hotel or go out and buy one so you can use it with your phone charger, laptop or your other electrical devices. I have been using the same one for more than 6 years and it’s very light and small. Some hotels do not have any to lend, so it’s best to have your own always. (see more essentials here).

All this is done in advance so you can have one stress-free day of rest and relaxation, before your travel, especially if your journey will be a long one. So, enjoy your free day and get some much-needed rest. This a quite a detailed read as to how to prepare for a solo vacation. Therefore, get out there and enjoy.

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