I bet you also cross off the days remaining until the next unforgettable trip in your calendar. To make your trip as comfortable as possible, we have collected 7 useful life hacks from experienced travelers.
Get Online Visa In Advance
Any tourist knows that to get a visa, you need to collect an impressive set of documents and submit them to the official representative office of the country to which you plan to travel.
However, today it is not necessary to go to the consulate and visa application center and stand in long queues to get the coveted stamp. Some countries, such as Mexico, Canada, Cyprus, India, Sri Lanka, allow travelers to get an online visa.
To do this, you need to:
· Visit the Natvisa,
· Choose the country you want to go to,
· Fill out the application for an e-visa or another electronic permit.
· Send a request.
· Wait for an answer. The visa will be sent to the specified e-mail address of the traveler.
Before you submit your documents for processing online, you need to learn about the basic rules of a visa application. Learn how many days you can apply for a visa, how long it takes to get a visa, and what to do if you refuse.
An online visa is a great option for those people who need travel to abroad as soon as possible. Electronic visas are opened within 1-3 days. For countries that are part of the Schengen area, a longer period of consideration of the application is required – from 7 to 14 days. Some countries provide urgent visa request services for an additional fee, then the period is reduced to 1-3 days.
Cheapest time to Book Your Flight
Plane tickets go on sale 330 days before the scheduled departure. But this is not a reason to delay the trip so much. It is better to resolve the issue a couple of months before the expected date of travel. This is the best option.
However, in case of force majeure, please check in advance whether it is possible to hand over the ticket. For short flights, cheap tickets appear 7 weeks before departure. For long-distance travel, the ideal time to book is 18 weeks before your scheduled flight.
The highest peak of online ticket booking is in the morning and afternoon hours, which is when most people are awake. Conclusion: you need to search for tickets from midnight to dawn.
Get the Seat You Want
You can choose a specific seat on the plane when buying a ticket or during check-in-online or at the airport. Sometimes airlines charge a fee for this service. If you do not pay for a specific place, you will be assigned it randomly, and you will no longer be able to change it.
The most comfortable seats are considered to be:
· In the first row of the plane (more legroom);
· In the first half of the cabin (drinks and food are served earlier, you can quickly take a seat and get out after boarding);
· The emergency exit also has more legroom;
· Near the porthole – you can try to sleep by putting a pillow to the glass;
· In the aisle – no need to ask the neighbor to get up to go to the toilet.
Don’t rely completely on the internet
The choice of a tourist destination and the purchase of plane tickets via the Internet is not inferior to the security of buying in the office of a travel agency. However, before you book a hotel and a seat on the plane, plan your trip carefully. In this case, the Internet will not always help you, because it simply cannot know what you want to get from your vacation.
You should answer 3 questions before the trip so that everything goes without complications and surprises:
· How much money to take on a trip? Finances may be required for such needs as food in cafes or restaurants, visiting museums, exhibitions, excursions, rental of transport (public transport), medical insurance (in case of active recreation), housing, etc.
· Where can I leave my things? If you need to leave your suitcase, for example, to visit the bathroom (even before arriving at the hotel), you should not ask others to look after the luggage. To prevent the theft of personal items, it is recommended to use luggage storage.
· What should I do if I have difficulties with my language? The lack of knowledge of the language is not an obstacle for the traveler. The translator program downloaded to the gadget will help to solve the problem.
Pack Light
It is not necessary to take a lot of things with you on a trip. To begin with, take the things that you will need in the journey in the first place. After that, decide on the clothes that you will take with you since they take up most of your luggage. Everything depends on the weather in the place where you plan to relax.
If you intend to spend your vacation in areas with a warm or hot climate, then it does not make sense to take warm or winter clothes.
Store Money Wisely
The basic rule of using money while traveling is not to keep the entire sum in one place. You need to divide it into several parts and hide it in completely different places. The main amount is recommended to be stored in a safe in hotels or a suitcase, but here you need to be extremely careful because the suitcase can be stolen.
If a tourist has come to a country with an unstable financial system, then many do not advise immediately changing all the money to the local currency.
Perhaps, due to inflation, there will be too many bills that will attract intruders. For this reason, it is desirable to keep the principal amount in a stable currency and take a small part to exchange for local money.
Pack a first-aid kit
A well-equipped travel first aid kit is the main guarantee of a healthy vacation. Therefore, before you finally close your suitcase and go on a trip, make sure that you have taken all the necessary medicines with you: those that you take constantly, and those that can be useful in emergency situations.
The mask, gloves, and sanitizer are the most important items during a pandemic. The mask must be worn before entering the airport and worn during check-in, boarding, and the entire flight. Change the mask every three hours. If you have not calculated the required amount, inform the flight attendant about it — he will bring a new one.
For motion sickness, take menthol candies or Bonine – Dramamine tablets. And if you are afraid of flights, a Validolum tablet under the tongue will help you from nausea and mild angina attacks.
