Embark with me, Cheryl Esch, on a journey into the heart of solo travel, where the final touches before departure become the keystones of a stress-free trip. We're not just talking passport checks and visa verifications; we delve into the realm of home front harmony—from pet care plans to bill management—ensuring that the only thing you need to focus on while away is the adventure at hand.
As we step through the preparations often left to the last minute, you'll gather pearls of wisdom to tuck into your travel belt, making your departure as smooth as the skies you're about to fly. I share not just advice, but inspiration for early planning that turns pre-travel chaos into calm. Remember, it's not just about the places you'll see, but the peace of mind you carry with you. So tune in, subscribe, and share this episode with your fellow travel enthusiasts, as Solo Travel Adventures becomes your compass to not just navigate, but embrace the world of solo journeying.
Leave a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-travel-adventures-safe-travel-for-women-preparing-for-a-trip-overcoming-fear-travel-tips/id1650161410
Embark with me, Cheryl Esch, on a journey into the heart of solo travel, where the final touches before departure become the keystones of a stress-free trip. We're not just talking passport checks and visa verifications; we delve into the realm of home front harmony—from pet care plans to bill management—ensuring that the only thing you need to focus on while away is the adventure at hand.
As we step through the preparations often left to the last minute, you'll gather pearls of wisdom to tuck into your travel belt, making your departure as smooth as the skies you're about to fly. I share not just advice, but inspiration for early planning that turns pre-travel chaos into calm. Remember, it's not just about the places you'll see, but the peace of mind you carry with you. So tune in, subscribe, and share this episode with your fellow travel enthusiasts, as Solo Travel Adventures becomes your compass to not just navigate, but embrace the world of solo journeying.
Leave a review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/solo-travel-adventures-safe-travel-for-women-preparing-for-a-trip-overcoming-fear-travel-tips/id1650161410
Speaker 1:
Hello sister travelers. We've made all your plans for your trip and you're super excited, but there may be a few things you have forgotten, and I'm sharing with you today five things you need to do before your next international trip. Welcome to Solo Travel Adventures. My sisters, don't let fear hold you back from traveling alone. I want you to gather your courage, listen to inspiring stories and learn how to travel solo while safely navigating new places. From this show, I'm Cheryl Esch, solo travel advocate and travel coach, and I want you to have a transformative experience when you travel solo. So pack your bags, book your flight and check one more time for that passport. It's time to explore the world. So you've made all your plans, you've researched your destination, you got your airfare figured out, your accommodations, everything is in place and you are just about ready to go on your trip.
Speaker 1:
But there are a couple things that you may have forgotten to plan for. For example, I always, always like to double check my travel documents, and that includes I don't know, I'm just hyper about making sure I read my passport correctly and that it is not coming to be expired. It is. I have at least six months before I need to renew it, kind of thing, because many countries won't let you in if your passport has less than six months time left on it. So making sure you've renewed in time. You have all those documents that you need. That includes any other travel documents that you may or may not want to print out, if you need a visa for where you're going. I would just say gather all those travel documents and make sure you have them in one place. Some people for example their accommodations or maybe their itinerary. They have put that on an app, or maybe they're using Google Docs to house all that information so that it can easily be shared or accessed very easily when you are traveling. As long as you find some wi-fi or have some data on your phone, some of this can easily be accessed.
Speaker 1:
Number two if you live alone. These are some things that you may already do when you go out of town at any point, but just some reminders, some things to ensure that these are taken care of your home is taken care of, or your living residence while you are gone, especially if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time Things like your mail, your pets if you have any, making sure they're, of course, being taken care of. I'm sure you won't forget that Plants are being taken care of. What are you doing with your car? Is it staying at the airport, is someone else keeping it, or is it staying in your garage and you're Ubering to the airport? Things like that Are your bills on autopay, so you don't have to think about that when you travel. Have you contacted your alarm company? If you have security system, unplug all your small appliances. There have been some cases of not many, but I did recently see a fire that got started with some lithium batteries that were being charged in a garage. So, making sure those kinds of things are unplugged. Clean out your refrigerator, of course, take out your garbage and set your thermostat, and always give a key to a neighbor, possibly, so if something happens, or maybe you have someone staying at your place to take care of all this, and that's fine too. We just want to ensure your residence is taken care of while you are out of town.
Speaker 1:
Number three exchange money beforehand. It is going to be less expensive that way. I like to do that. Some of this depends on where you are traveling to. Some people will tell you you don't need cash, and there are certain countries that are completely cashless. So you do need some sort of card. Credit card is preferred while you're traveling and most places will take that, but I like to keep some countries. It's good to have that currency in hand, especially smaller bills, for maybe some tipping. It's just good practice.
Speaker 1:
I have found myself arriving in a country and, you know, maybe needing to use that currency for a taxi or whatnot. So having some beforehand and not using the airport exchange system the airport exchange will be you'll get less for your money because they don't have a really good exchange rate. So I have a bank that I go to that can give me some exchange of cash for that currency. Where I'm going it's always good just to have a little bit of that. I'm not saying, you know, exchange all your money for that currency, but having a little bit is helpful before you get there and then, along the lines of finances, notify your credit card company of your travels. In some cases this is not necessary. For example, I have Chase. I did notify them last year when I was traveling and they actually told me it was not necessary to tell them. But I have heard other credit card companies do require that or else they will kind of shut down your card for fraud because they're not aware of your travels. So definitely just make sure that's on their radar and there's some sort of note of that.
Speaker 1:
Number four check any travel advisories. So these are just. We know that things change on a dime with everything that's going on in our world, with conflicts and everything. These could happen overnight, and so you may have had your trip planned and six months in advance and the country looks calm and everything seems fine, and then suddenly there's some civil unrest and so things are happening that you can't control. But you may want to just check on those advisories State department websites. The US government has a great website that will tell you about all the countries and what they advise. They have different levels of advisories so you can look at those. We'd also check the country that you're traveling to their website and see if there's anything posted there. There's another.
Speaker 1:
I follow safe expats. They often will list things. They tend to err on the side of very, very conservative. So they will tell you when, for if there's some riots or civil unrest, maybe due to some political thing that's going on in that country, and they will give you some of their suggestions, the news. You can be watching the news, see what's happening across the countries that you're traveling to, across the countries that you're traveling to. So just check there and I leave that up to you whether you feel if something is going on. That's up to your comfort level as to whether you would travel to that country or not, but those are always good to just keep an eye on so that you are aware of things like that that are happening in that country that you're traveling to.
Speaker 1:
And then, finally, number five, always share your itinerary with somebody so that, as you're traveling, someone else knows where you are and what you're doing. It's always good to have that, just in case you know. I would even make some periodic check-ins with family or friends or loved ones. You know whether it's shooting them a text letting them know you're good, or making some phone calls if you're able, or FaceTiming or WhatsApp doesn't require data, you can use that with Wi-Fi. So there's lots of ways you can stay in contact with somebody so that they know, especially if you're traveling alone, and that's always my case.
Speaker 1:
I always want to let I usually let my two sons know where I'm at and kind of what I'm doing, where I'm at that day and that kind of stuff, so that you know, for example, when I climbed Guadalupe Mountain recently and I had texted them and told them where I was and kind of estimated how long it might take me, and did mention kind of jokingly although I don't know that my kids would have done anything, but I said, hey, if you don't hear back from me in so many hours or whatever, you know, maybe something happened. You know, but it did take me a little longer than I anticipated and I did text them right away. So they came down from the mountain to let them know I had safely accomplished the hike. So those are five things.
Speaker 1:
There's lots of other preparations, as you know, that go into planning a trip and traveling. So these were kind of just little ancillary things that often people like scramble towards the end or the week before their travels. They kind of forget. So keep these in mind as you are preparing your next trip. Maybe even you know, do it a little earlier. Some of this you have to have to do last minute. For example, maybe you know checking, making sure your home is taken care of while you're gone and all those little things that you need to do before you leave your home and travel. So consider these five things and get yourself ready.
Speaker 1:
I hope this has helped you and get out there and have that adventure. Sisters, hey, sister travelers, did this podcast inspire and encourage you or move you to get out there and travel? Wonderful, there are three ways you can thank me. First, one is leave a written review for the show on Apple Podcast. Two, share the show with your sister travelers, your friends, your family. And three, subscribe to the show so you never miss an episode. And thank you again for listening to the show. Sisters, be fearless, take the leap and get out there and have an adventure.