International Travel – Top 10 Practical Tips to Follow

Travelling to a foreign country may not seem that easy at the first go. You’d wonder how the culture is, how much it might cost , be it for food or travel etc. You are worried about security, lack of familiarity and so many other things. This is actually very natural and is present in most people. No wonder the lure of all inclusive travel packages is highly attractive, especially in the Indian subcontinent. Be it Dubai or Malaysia or Singapore or even Europe, before even checking the flight fares, people check only for travel packages first. So here are some practical tips for your international travel that may make your life all the more easier.

International Travel Practical Tips

Conversion to Local Currency

The first mistake most people do on an international travel is to use their personal credit/debit card. This can go wrong in so many levels. Your credit card may get stolen leaving you no other choices.  Your credit card can be misused (A duplicate can be created) . This can happen quite frequently in small restaurants, petrol stations . Additionally the service charge, tax and the additional currency conversion can add a major load to your budget. The service charges comes anywhere between 3-4.5% in addition to the original expense. Plus the currency conversion will be much higher than what they usually charge in foreign exchange centers.

So make it a point to calculate approximately how much it’ll cost overseas . Then convert for sufficient foreign exchange in a nearby local center in your city.

Luggage Pre-Booking

Most of the times we’d prefer a low cost carrier like AirAsia , Spicejett, Scoot etc to save on ticket prices. These airlines have the luggage component separately and hence allows you to choose the amount of luggage you may carry . Be wise to plan your luggage in a way that your onward travel is pretty light while your return trip may be more from your shopping overseas. So it’s wise to prebook additional 20-30Kg beforehand atleast on your return trip .

excess luggage weight

Usually prebooking for 20Kg may cost 1400Rs(20$) whereas every extra kg at the airport may cost you as high as 750-1000RS (10-15$). This may not be required if you are flying business class or a full service airline.

Flying Business or your Own charter?

Several businessmen & firms have found that it’s actually profitable, luxurious and flexible to pay for their own private jet. Especially when you want to fly as a small group, flying private is far easier than a Business Class flight. Renting out your own private jet for private occasions, vacations, film shooting or even business meetings is becoming quite popular in several countries including the US, UK, Europe & even India. If you were wondering “how much does it cost to buy a private jet?” and find that it is too much, you can still rent one and, if you’re smart with it, it may not cost as much as you think. Prices depend on the make and model of plane, the number of seats on it, plus practical things like the duration of the flight you are looking to take.

Planning a tentative Itinerary

There are three versions of travelling to a new place. First option is a travel package, who takes you on guided tours at fixed times with no flexibility. Second option is you decide where to go, only after landing at the airport and check in to the hotel. This can be done if you are on a leisure trip and don’t want to pack your schedule. Third option is to have a tentative itinerary with you and then do so accordingly on your own. I’d always recommend the third option primarily because it helps to avoid any contigencies. Eg. if you are visiting the Louvre (in a Paris trip), it helps to pre-book to save atleast 2-3 hours

Also a tentative itinerary helps to cover most places and you don’t get to miss out on anything important while you travel on random directions.

Winter Clothing

If you are planning a trip to the Himalayas or Switzerland or rather any cold climate country, it’s advisable to buy winter clothes beforehand. The last thing you want to do is buy super expensive winter clothes that you might have got it for 1/10th of the price back in India (given most of them is exported from here only). This also includes other accessories that you might need for the trip.

winter clothing switzerland

Indian Food :

If you are are going somewhere which is not Veg friendly, it’s wise to buy some food packets like Maggi / MTR packs. Several Asian countries including Vietnam, Korea, China and Japan are primarily a delight for non vegetarians, while you hardly get a salad or sandwich for vegetarians.

pretzels

Fortunately countries like Dubai, Thailand (Key cities) , Malaysia, Singapore and several countries in Europe have plenty of Indian restaurants and you’ll never be far away from one.

Price comparison (Mobiles / Speakers / TV)

This primarily applies to those electronic gadget freaks who wants to import / buy electronic goods from Dubai / Malaysia/ Thailand where the taxes and prices are super cheap compared to India. A lot of mobiles, amplifiers, televisions and sound bars are indeed cheaper when it comes to India. But the customs duty at the Indian airport may levy around 36% tax and it can be prove to be more costly than India. Plus anything you buy overseas would not carry international guarantee and you might as well safely buy it here. So before planning anything, do a proper price comparison check to see if its indeed worth to buy it in a duty free zone or a local electronic store overseas.

Have you read my post on top travel apps 2018 ?

Web Check in

Unless flying in a low cost carrier, it’s always advisable to do a web-check in.  This has several advantages. You can be sure of a window seat, a seat near the front as much as possible and a seat layout for your family as per your liking. You don’t want to take the risk of going to the airport late, doing a checkin and finding yourself at the back end of the place . (Typically, the front of the aircraft has the minimal turbulences / jerks, hence more confortable.  This is also why business class seats are at the front of the aircraft).

international travel practical tips web checkin mobile

In a low cost carrier , however doing a web check in may not turn out be for your advantageous. This is because, many LCC’s (Low cost carrier) charge a fixed fee for an aisle or a window seat . It’s even more costlier if its towards the front. However if you check in at the airport, they’ll have to board you and hence allot a window / aisle seat wherever available .

Preloaded Offline Maps

I have never had the need to buy local sim cards in any country I had been to . Once I activate flight mode after landing in the destination country, I always rely on airport/hotel Wifi to connect. However if you need to look up information on the move, this may prove to be difficult. So either buy a cheap sim card with data for the travel period or if its a short trip, preload destination information, contact and google map of the city you are travelling to. This can prove to be a boon to know the routes without having an internet connection.

google offline maps

 

Top things to do by Locals

I had mentioned earlier about a tentative itinerary that you’d like to follow to plan your trip. If you are opting for this, check out the places in travel forums, which people have shared. This can prove to be very useful and would be completely off the typical tourist radar. Who knows what hidden gems you might uncover?

Medicines / Camera Batteries

One thing I have come to realize is that, medicines you may need are not easily available in other countries. It’s probably in different names and you wont have a prescription as well. The cost of medicines can run into several thousands and that’s the last thing you want in your mind. Always carry a handful of simple medicines for cough/cold/fever/vomiting/stomach upset and other minor ailments

The same with camera batteries. Carry enough Duracell’s for your digital camera (Provided you still use one and not merely rely on cell phone cameras for your vacation pictures).

Hotel Booking (No pay on checkout)

Frequent advertising by popular travel companies to choose for pay on checkout may not be as simple as it sounds. You still have to provide your card details beforehand and they may charge you a day before checkin. If the charge is not debited, they’ll simply cancel your booking and you’ll be stranded in an unknown foreign country. Second, the rate of exchange rate varies everyday.

prepaid hotel payment

Suppose the dollar rate is around 7-INR/$ when you bought the hotel booking and then it goes upto say 70, the loss is on you. You have to pay the amount in dollars, which means more Indian rupees to be shelled out. A prebooked fully paid hotel booking goes a long way in mental piece while travelling.

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