A packing list for anybody who is preparing for a long holiday away, not necessarily only to Thailand. And here it goes. I have just revealed my holiday destination. Count down to my big trip in this year, Thailand! I am super excited already and cannot wait for new discoveries.
After you decide where to go and book your flights, before you begin to pack, there are couple of things to keep in mind. Sharing with you 7 important things to not miss when getting ready for a trip.
1. Vaccination
Health and safety first. Wherever you and whatever you planning to do. Especially if you are traveling to a totally different continent and country, your metabolism doesn't necessarily have to be ready for that. Check with your doctor if you need any vaccinations prior leaving. Be aware of any major issues that the country might have (such as malaria or any other mosquito illness) and be prepared. Therefore, firstly it depends where you are travelling to. Secondly, it depends on what kind of activities are you planning to do. Will you be just in a city or planning camping as well? Are you planning visiting any rural areas? Things like this are important to plan and ask before to seek medical help. Fitfortravel is a great site to get an overview of vaccinations needed in particular countries.
2. Travel insurance
If you are traveling for long period of time, it is always better to insure. Insurance on your health, luggage and any complications you might have during your travel. Whether you are bag-backing or traveling by plane, always insure yourself. I can personally recommend travel insurance from Allianz, as I have been using them for several trips already.
3. Visa
Another important factor to check before you will travel. Avoid high express fees or hassles with paper working. Always do your homework and check if your password is close to expiry date, if you need visa to go to that country, if not, how long you can stay without visa and all sort of things around it. You don't wanna come to the day of leaving and realizing you cannot leave because you don't have visa, right?
4. Know the culture aka be prepared
Culture show always will be, but do your research so you can inform before you land in. What more to say about it. You don't wanna arrive and be shocked, disappointed or disgusted right?
5. Travel light
Before you actually start packing, just think of things you should and will pack with you. Think about your activities there, locations, weather and the length of stay. Check how many kilograms you can take with you as well and then try to pack smartly. Do you really need all those stuff or you can get it from there? Can you mix and match clothing? Can you borrow things from your friend and vice versa?
6. Plan ahead
Now, the fun part is to research and plan your activities and places to visit. I am personally going to visit Bangkok for few days, moving up to the North, around Chiang Mai and then moving south to islands- Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. While researching touristic attractions, exhibitions, coffee shops and other stuff to do around, I have been obviously using Google search engine the most. Visited sites like Tripadvisor, Time Out or many blogs, videos or Instagram especially as well. In addition, it is great to search things like Phuket with Destination2 or other travel agencies to get inspired with their packages and offers. Depending on what you are looking for and depending on your budget, try to make an effort in preparing your time there. It will help you a lot with budgeting as well as tick off the list of what you want to see and experience in there. Just make sure that you are making the most of your time while abroad! That is the most important thing!
7. Know your budget
Lastly, the important issue of any trip is money. Know your budget, set up your budget and control your budget. Get an extra card or an app to monitor your spending. It can be very tempting to spend a lot, especially when a country, like Thailand very cheap compared to London, or Europe overall. However, you don't wanna cry at the end of your trip that you are in minus and cannot afford to spending last days of your trip somehow nicely, right? For my travels, appart from my regular bank card, I am using Monzo travel card. It has a great app where you can monitor your spending and always top up your budget for a day/or for a trip in there and monitor it.
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