What to Check Before Traveling

nikensmartini September 26, 2017 Leave a Comment

Traveling….

For me, it is the magic word that can change my mood in only a second. However, sometimes we feel too excited, which sometimes we did not think what should we prepare before deciding to travel. The things that we always check automatically are only the airlines ticket and the hotel voucher. We keep check the airlines ticket since a year before traveling, as most providers offer promotional program periodically. If you are lucky, you can get the minimal price for the airline ticket. I had some experiences in getting the minimal price for the ticket from Jakarta – Singapore (IDR 0), Kuala Lumpur – Melbourne (IDR 1,300,000) and Sydney – Kuala Lumpur (U$ 99). At the above prices, we were still had to pay the administration fees. That’s fine with me because it did not cost me like the airline ticket’s.

Previously, I did the review about Tips to do a SMART Traveling that can be accessed from this LINK. Actually, this post would be the continuation post and also updated information regarding to the things that should be check or prepare in at least about a month before flying.

Hotel — Beside checking the hotel prices and do the comparison, we should check the hotel location in the map. It will be better if the location is near the main train station and also the bus stops. It will shortened the time to get to the hotel after a long journey and also it will save the transportation costs. We also have to check the review of other customers that are usually provided in the website or online booking. so, we are able to get the testimonial from the previous customers about their experiences while staying at the desired hotels. And sometimes, they give the ratings of the hotel. If the ratings are low but the locations near the main train stations or the bus stops, we better to check to other hotel as the alternative choice that have the medium to high ratings with a short walk to the train stations. Because, safety is more important than a distance.
Weather — For me, it is important to check the weather of the city that we plan to go. Some countries have different seasons with other countries. As the example, Indonesia only have 2 seasons in a year, which are raining and summer seasons, and Australia have 4 seasons every year that are summer, winter, spring and autumn. By knowing the current season, we are able to decide what clothes, shoes and medicines that we should bring along. And also the luggage size. I never bring a large luggage during winter, because it will be harder for me to bring a large and heavy luggage while fighting with the wind and cold weather. Beside of checking the weather, we have to check daily weather from the time we arrive until the day we leave. There are some applications that provide the information about the lowest and highest temperature in various cities.
Check the Regulation — Before we go to some countries, we have to check the valid regulations that we should obeyed, such as the tax of goods, number of cigarettes that we can bring, foods and drinks limitation and other regulation lists. There would be different regulations that might be valid for different countries. Therefore, it’d be better if we always check from the country’s website for the updated valid regulation.
Don’t forget to bring slippers — I know that we want to look fashionable while traveling by using wedges, boots or even sneakers as our footwears. However, our foot absolutely need some rests and prefer to use the flat and comfortable footwear with no weight at all. This is the reason why I always bring slippers during traveling or buy them in the local supermarket or in the souvenir shops. Don’t be shy to use slippers because most people use to wear that kind of footwear while doing their daily activities.
Check the Airport activity time — This is based on my own experience while I traveled to Perth and I had transit in Bali for about 8 hours. Firstly, I thought that there might be some lounges opened for 24 hours and I could wait there instead of staying at the hotel for few hours. In fact, the domestic terminal and the International terminal in Bali are in different building and the entry gate for each were closed at 12 AM and were opened at 5 AM. Therefore, I had to wait to the couches or seats in the cafes that were closed as well. There were many tourists slept there while waiting. In Kansai Airport in Osaka, as the other example, the travelers could not wait in the airport. Therefore, we had to get out from the airport after 12 AM. So, it’d be better if you need to transit, you choose the reasonable time before 12 AM or choose the direct flight. The last choice would be stay in the hotel nearby the airport for a day and you will be able to enjoy the local area as well.

Bring the small to medium wheeled suitcases — This kind of suitcases were helped me so much. It’s gonna easy for me to travel for one terminal to others or walking from the station to the hotel. In some airports, there were few elevators provided, they provide stairs instead. If you bring a large suitcase, it’ll be harder for you to carry it.
Always print the Visa and copy your documents — In the e-passport, your visa was already detected in the built chip card. However, I always have a copy of my visa and hand in it to the immigration desk officer. It is just a preventive way, in case that there is some trouble with the chip. And also I always copy all of my documents, such as Visa, Passport, ticket vouchers, and the hotel vouchers. In some online booking system, they usually give the e-voucher that we are able to download it and save it in our gadget. But still, I feel so safe if I also bring the print version.
Don’t put your passport within the cover — This is the suggestion from the immigration officer to me as the passport will be opened from the cover and it will damage the front cover and also the back cover. It is related with the chip that is built in the cover. It’d be best if you don’t put within the cover but put the passport in the document pouch.
Always check the public holiday schedule — In some countries, there might be different regulations regarding to the public holiday. It’d be great if we check the whole services’ schedule in advance before we choose the travel date. The public transports will be reduce the number of their services during the public holiday and also the travel destinations.

If you have any other suggestions, please share with me. Thanks for reading!