a.      Read the terms and conditions completely before doing payment. Know what is covered and what is not thoroughly

b.      Most travel insurance companies do not cover adventure sports like cliff jumping, deep sea diving and motor biking in mountains. You can find the list on their website. Do not cancel your adventure sport plans, but at least be aware of this fact. You will be more responsible while doing them. For God’s sake don’t become an over careful freak. You will ruin the fun. If a shark finds you tasty, it will eat you anyways.

c.       A travel insurance will not cover your medical expenses if you get yourself HIV infected on the trip

4. Book hotel/ flight in advance: Plan ahead of time and do the flight, hotel and local travel bookings in advance. Hostel World is an excellent site to book all types of accommodation around the planet

a.       Find out the location of hostel/ hotel on internet and save yourself from booking one on the outskirts of the city where a cabbie takes $25 one way

b.      Read all the facilities being provided and carry a print out of booking when you reach there

5. Do the local travel bookings in advance: Book the intercity trains and local bus passes over the internet. You can avoid battling long queues and last minute missed trains. Keep a record of their departure and arrival timings. Put reminders in your phone or palmtop

    6. Know the local culture: Go through the articles available over the internet on local day-to-day customs of the country you are visiting. When you meet the locals, you will be more comfortable, your conversations will be fun and by your knowledge of their traditions they will feel honoured

    7. Make a list: Of the number of each type of clothing that you would want to carry, the first aid medicines, any wall socket convertors. A list always helps since you don’t have to keep everything in mind. Check the local weather forecast before packing

    8. Check any vaccination requirements: Visa offices of many countries recommend you to get vaccinated against certain diseases before visiting. Diseases like Haepatitis A, Haepatitis B, Malaria, Dengue and Typhoid. Imagine spending the entire duration of your trip in a hospital because a bloody mosquito invited his girlfriend for dinner

    9. Pee Poo woes: Don’t have your fluids skyrocketing in the middle of nowhere and feel helpless about it.

a.       Carry a small foldable spade (available online) to dig a hole along the countryside

b.      Book buses and trains which provide toilet facilities. Check in advance

c.       Don’t run out of cash. Some public toilets charge a dollar if you want to use

d.      Carry Pee Poo bags and female contraption devices which are clean, disposable and biodegradable ways to offload. Search the internet for ‘PeePoople’, ‘T-Pee’, ‘Go-Girl’ or read my article, ‘The Pee Poo woes of a traveller’

    10. Study the local maps online: Don’t cram each and every alley and house but be aware of the overall structure of the city. Keep a local metro rail map handy

Image Source: http://thetravelsource.blogspot.in

   

    11. Make a neat document: All this information is going to get lost if you do not have it in a document as per your needs. Make yourself a well-structured document

    12. Tell your family in advance: Consider your daughter/ son wakes up one day and says, ‘Dad, please drop me to the airport tonight. I am going to backpack alone along the eastern coast of Somalia’. Need I say anything else?

    13. Be on time, every time: You do not have friends to call up and say, ‘Hey idiot, come fast. The flight is about to leave’. Make your phone or palmtop your friend. If you aren’t tech savvy, believe me, putting reminders is not rocket science. Ask someone to tell you. If you still do not want to go this way, give your schedule to some people in your life who can be your reminders, like your great grandmother sunbathing in Antarctica, eh… no, your mom and dad would be the best people

    14. Keep emergency numbers saved and handy: Local police stations, hospitals, NGOs for women and Cab & vehicle towing services can always help. Saving numbers as ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) or ‘HFN’ (High Frequency Number) is also common. Also, save the contacts as ‘Papa’, ‘Dad’, ‘Mumma’ and ‘Honey’ numbers. Everyone will recognize these

    15. Don’t pick up a brawl with immigration staff: This is the last thing that you want to do. Even if the immigration officer looks like your ex or asks you the most outrageous questions, just smile and answer. Say thanks once you get the stamp. Getting jailed abroad is not funny

    16. While partying: Party a lot but remain in public places like bars, pubs or hotels. Don’t barge into someone’s private party or start partying with some roadside punters. Carry just enough money and no expensive electronic gadgets late at night

    17. Drink responsibly: You do not have friends to carry you to the hotel room, so drink responsibly. At least be aware of your own self and the place where you are. Have the eyes focussed enough to see the time in your watch and decide that it is time to leave. Come tomorrow, you can drink again. This is not the last day to Armageddon.

    18. Motor Biking: You may want to hire a bike for local travel or for much longer trips. You got to be more responsible since you are alone. Couple of tips are to carry a first aid and a puncture repairing kit at all times, carry extra cans of fuel, wear complete biking gear along with helmet and know the local driving rules and sign boards. ‘HowTo: Do motor-biking alone’

    19. Street Food: Having street food has always been fun. Just walk around looking at the various vendors before choosing a decent hygienic one to hog at

    20. Out of the box fun – Visiting a strip club: There is a big hoopla about visiting a strip club. Its no big deal. Just be aware of some basics

a.     Do not go into dingy clubs in narrow alleys. You will often find pimps standing outside and calling you in. Good clubs do not do these things. They are just too well known. Do research on internet

b.  Check price of the ladies’ drinks. Mostly they are outrageously priced without your knowledge. They aren’t even cocktails. They are just juices priced at say 225 EUR a glass. Avoid surprises

c.       Don’t carry lot of money or expensive watches, bracelets or mobile phones. There is no one out there to impress

d.      Do not take a girl back to your hotel room. Chances are that your drink will be spiked and when you wake up in the morning all your belongings and passport will be gone

e.      Do not be shy. Ask for the price list upfront. None of these people will look down on you. They won’t even recognize you tomorrow

f.       Most importantly, even if you are the King of Monte Carlo, don’t treat the girls as objects which you have bought. Give them respect just like any other woman

    21. Off the beaten track – Keep the officials informed: If you are travelling to Europe, America or South East Asia, you will find many fellow backpackers. However, if you are travelling to a country in Africa, Central Asia or South America, be in touch with your embassy so that they can help in any emergency

    22. Local Food, Wine and Culture: Have lots of local food, explore the unexplored. Try out the local wine and culture. Wear the local clothes; learn to say ‘Hello’ in the local language. Meet local families and make good friends along the way – ‘HowTo : Say Hello in 25 different Languages’

  

    23. Budget Traveller: If you are someone travelling on extremely tight budget and cannot afford the hostel expenses, try out Couchsurfing. This is an amazing place for travellers across the globe to meet up and offer/ request for accommodation if required. You will not only get to meet and stay with a local but also go around with that person and explore things which tourists never come to know of

    24. Stay Connected: Carry an international or local SIM card, keep your mobile fully charged at all times, ensure that your credit card is a ‘Smart Card’ (one that requires a PIN to use), have internet connection in your phone, stay connected with  your family back home