Getting your travel plans sorted before you go away might not seem like fun but it'll actually make your time away a lot easier and give you more time to enjoy your travels...

Prior to leaving on your travel adventure, it is important to do the necessary planning to ensure your trip overseas runs as smoothly as possible. Below are some tips to help plan an unbeatable gap year:
Pre-trip planning

* Use brochures, guide books and online information to find countries of interest and plan basic itinerary before leaving your home country
* Before finalizing flight details, ensure flight bookings are flexible and can be altered if necessary
* Check the weather & climate of the countries you're visiting, so you can effectively plan what you will do while you're there
* Ensure you take out travel insurance for the duration of your trip
* Make sure you are aware of the visas you will need to enter countries you're visiting
* Check that your passport does not expire before your planned return date
* Ensure you have a photocopy of your passport, travel insurance and itinerary and leave a copy of these papers in a safe place at home

Safety planning

* Before you arrive in a new city, be aware of the layout of the town and any dangerous areas that you will need to avoid
* Book ahead for your first night’s accommodation
* Try not to arrive at night, especially when travelling alone
* Research social norms to ensure you are dressed appropriately
* Read government travel warnings to avoid trouble spots

Health planning

* Check with your doctor that you have all the required & recommended vaccinations for the countries you are travelling to
* Know what your travel health insurance covers you for and how to claim health insurance in an emergency

Budget planning

* Calculate how much money you will need a day for food, accommodation & activities, and multiply the value by the number of days you need your money to last (then add a little bit extra on for emergencies and overspending)
* Make sure you factor in once off expenses such as pricey experiences or adventure sports (e.g. Skydiving, snowboarding)
* Check with your bank how to access money abroad & the costs involved
* Take a mixture of cash, travellers cheques and credit cards
* Try not to keep all your money in one place just in case it is lost or stolen
* Invest in a money wallet to keep valuables safe
* Know what to do in an emergency and how your family or friends can wire money to you if needed

Communication planning

* Ensure your mobile phone will work overseas if you want to take it with you
* Call your phone provider to put your phone on global roaming & be aware of the (extremely high!) call costs prior to leaving home country
* Alternatively, save some cash by checking out ekit's phonecard & range of global SIM cards & mobile phones.

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