Traveling can be stressful because you’re in an unfamiliar place and you never know if something is going to go wrong. Your friends and family aren’t close by to help you out of a situation, either. However, you can make traveling a breeze with some preparation. Take a look at these five tools that will ease your stress and make traveling more enjoyable.
Smartphone Packed with Travel Apps
Image via Flickr by MTAOhotos
You should never travel anywhere without a cell phone. It’s a device to keep you safe and connected to your friends and family back home. Plus, it has all sorts of apps to help make your trip better. Some important apps to install on your smartphone before you leave home are an airport tracker to check if your flight is delayed; a translation app if you’re going someplace where a foreign language is spoken; a currency conversion app to ensure you don’t pay too much money for items from street vendors; and a GPS app to help you find your way around new and unfamiliar places.
Pay special attention to the type of phone you get and the terms of the contract if you are traveling internationally. Phones from the United States don’t work on the same network as phones in most other places around the world. Therefore, you need to get an unlocked phone and buy a specific SIM card for the place you’re traveling, or get an international phone plan to save you money on calls.
Don’t forget that when you’re overseas you might not be able to access all of the things you can when you’re back home and the networks may not always be secure. Here’s a great VPN guide for you to read, it gives you all the info you need to know.
Comfort Items to Help You Relax
Traveling often involves a lot of time sitting in a cramped space, such as an airline seat or car. This puts a strain on your body and it’s also difficult to get good sleep in these situations. Bring comfort items from home to help you relax while traveling, such as a special neck pillow you can use while sitting up, a lightweight blanket, or even an MP3 player and headphones or a movie downloaded onto your phone. Bring whatever you think will make you more comfortable without taking up too much more space.
Hand Sanitizer and Baby Wipes
You don’t always have access to a shower or water when you’re traveling. This makes it difficult to stay clean and fight off germs. Pack some hand sanitizer and baby wipes to help you wash your hands no matter where you go. This will also help prevent you from getting sick. Being sick sucks, but it’s even worse when you’re away from home. Plus, you’re more susceptible to germs when you’re traveling because you don’t get good sleep and are introduced to a new environment.
Special Safety and Security Items
Pickpockets and other criminals target people who look like they’re traveling because travelers are disoriented. You should take precautions to protect yourself and your belongings. For instance, you can wear a special belt under your clothes to keep your money, ID, and anything else safe. You can also look for gadgets to secure your belongings, such as luggage locks that are operated by your phone or wallets that require a PIN code to open. At the very least, you should have a plan of what to do if something gets stolen, such as calling and canceling your credit cards.
Digital Camera and Journal
You’ll want a camera and journal to record all of the fun adventures you’re having while traveling. You can rely on the camera in your cell phone, but sometimes pictures turn out better if you have a dedicated device. A journal is also nice because pictures don’t always tell the whole story. If something amazing happens, you need to write it down right away so you don’t forget any of the details.
If you plan ahead, traveling can be a breeze. Consider trying some of the things in this list to improve your travel experience, and tell us what works for you in the comments below.
