6 Travel Tips for an Easy Trip

Whether you're going travelling during 2016, or just taking a long weekend away in another country it's important to be prepare and stay safe. Josh and I are going to Rome in two weeks, which I am so excited for and I have compiled six tips to make your time away perfect.

1. Travel Safely

Make sure you have a good travel insurance policy, one that covers lost/damaged bags, cancellation and any medical treatment you may need whilst your away. You don't expect for anything to happen on holiday otherwise why would you go, but you really don't want to end up ill and worrying about medical expenses. If you're a resident of the UK then apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, this is not an alternative to actually getting travel insurance as it will not cover private medical healthcare such as ski mountain rescues or being flown back to the UK. It won't cover your luggage/cancellations. It will however give you access to reduced cost or free access from state healthcare providers if needs be without having to go through your travel insurers first.

2. Call Your Bank

You should call up your bank and any other credit card providers to make sure that your cards will work whilst over there, if you don't plan on using them you should still let them know where you are going and when so if in case of emergency you can use it. I've also found that you're card can get suspended if used somewhere where it usually wouldn't be, which can be a whole lot of hassle so it's better to be safe than sorry.

3. Book Before You Go

Make sure to book and plan all your activities before you go! You don't have to plan every small detail, but big tourist attractions you may want to visit and how to get there you will want to do before hand for an easy holiday. You may even find fast track entry for some things! You can leave a day free for spontaneous exploring of the city you're staying in, and know that everything else you wanted to do is paid for and planned for in advance.

4. Print Everything Off

And keep it safe! Important documents you'll need like your plane tickets, or information for your hotels or tourist attractions. Also make sure to print off your itinery, make sure to do all of this before you leave for the airport to make your trip a little less stressful.

5. Have a Travel Checklist

To make sure you don't forget anything write yourself a list of things you're going to take, it's not the end of the world if you realise you left your foundation at home once you get to the hotel but its definitely annoying. Make sure everything is ticked off before you leave for the aiport, the last thing you want to do is not pack something like your deodorant because you had to use it in the morning before your travelled. If you tend to overpack, pack everything you plan to take and weigh your suitcase a few days before you go to make sure it fits the allowance of your airline!

6. Be Attentive

You want to be safe in a foreign country, and its so easy to get distracted by all the sights. But be aware of your surroundings, especially if you're travelling alone. The last thing you want is to be pickpocketed. Barcelona, Prague, Paris and Rome are all pickpocket hotspots in Europe and whilst you aren't definitely going to fall victim to this, be careful and aware! You want to enjoy your hard earned holiday!

Hope you enjoyed this post, and if you have any other tips for me feel free to leave them in the comments!