10 Tips When Traveling Out of the Country

One of my blogging boo’s Lashawn of Everyday Eyecandy shared an article a few weeks ago about the importance of taking a trip as an adult with your mom.  Well I was already way ahead and my mom and I have planned to kick off her 75th birthday in August by taking a cruise to Cuba.  Well the current administration took a big ol’ shat on our plans and on June 4th they abruptly banned all travel via cruises to Cuba effective…June 5th.  You can still travel to Cuba but there’s like fifty eleven types of restrictions and we had already paid to cruise and wanted to take that route…so on to plan B!  (more on that to come in an upcoming post)

Now back in my day…seriously like less than 20 years ago you could travel with less restrictions.  But since 9/11 a lot has changed and its imperative that you have all of your ish together when you plan to travel outside of the United States.  Here are 10 tips to help make travel easier and save you all the stress and headache of not being prepared when traveling out of the country.

1. Passport – make sure you have one before you even think about traveling.  Leave a copy at home that someone will have easy access to and also make a digital copy and email it to yourself in case your wallet/purse gets stolen.  Also plan on having your picture look like you just got 50 to life in jail.  I swear it took us about 10 minutes to get my passport picture because she kept telling me not to smile and then we’d both just bust out laughing…smh.  Also make sure that while you’re traveling that your passport won’t be expiring within 6 months after your return date.  If so, get it renewed ASAP.
2. If you plan to use a credit card, make sure and notify the company and also make sure it will work in that country.  Nothing worse than going on a shopping spree and your credit card company think someone is pretending to be you!
3. Always try to have local cash on hand.  A lot of smaller vendors don’t want to deal with paying the transaction fees or may not even have it accessible. To avoid getting swindled or paying insane fees try to take care of the cash exchanges before you plan to travel.  Cash is always king but just make sure you have the right kind on hand…lol!
4. Research events that will be going on while you’re there.  Sometimes I like to just go with the flow but also want to make sure I’m not missing out on festivals and other seasonal events.
5. Don’t forget your chargers and depending on what country you’re traveling to make sure and bring an adapter.  I like to also travel with my portable charge because I end up burning through my battery so quick taking pictures.
6. Pack smart!  Don’t be like me and bring so much crap that you look like you’ll be traveling the world for the next year when you’re just going away for a week or two!  LOL  Clarissa of Passports & Parenting is the mofo QUEEN of knowing how to pack so be sure to check out her post on 7 essentials you need to pack in carry on travel bags.
7. Be sure to take snacks!  Delays are sometimes inevitable when traveling.  Between going through security, customs and weather delays you never know what’s going to happen so be prepared.
8. Make sure you’re up-to-date on all your shots and that your insurance will cover you.  If you look into getting traveler’s health insurance.  Nothing worse than getting sick or needing some emergency care and getting hit with an unexpected expense.
9.  Check travel warnings and advisories.  Be a smart traveler and use common sense.  If something doesn’t feel right…listen to your intuition!
10. Before you pack your medication be sure to check the “Confiscation of Prescription Drugs and Other Medicine” on the U.S. Department of State’s country information page to learn which prescription drugs are illegal in your destination country.  Bring copies of your prescription sand note the generic drug name. Always pack your medicine, in its prescription bottles, in your carry-on bag. If you need to use syringes, make sure that you have a letter from your doctor. Always declare the syringes before you go through security.

Like I said earlier my mom and I have a fun trip planned this September so stay tuned for where we are going and if you have any other tips that you love be sure to share them below!