World Traveler Gives the 411 on International Travel Essentials
Travel is bigger than ever. It seems like everyone has been hard at work trying to scratch as many destinations off of their bucket list as fast as possible. If you're one of those people, then you've probably got some international trips ahead in your future.
That being said, between bureaucratic backups, tourist crowds, and flight chaos, international travel is in a pretty harried state right now. Luckily, experienced globetrotter @TheWanderlustRose has the 411 on what you need to do to make your next foreign adventure a success.
Rose has a lot of excellent tips here, from money smarts (such as bringing a backup debit card and withdrawing/exchanging cash before going abroad) to practical tips on how to ease yourself into world travel. However, I think the information included in the first half of the video is her most important, especially for American tourists new to international travel.
First off, she puts a lot of focus on acquiring your passport- and for good reason. Right now, at least in the United States, passport renewals have been severely backed up for months. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that her estimate of a two-week turn-around time for expedited processing may be too optimistic at the moment. Seriously, if you have international travel planned even a year or more out, and your passport is even close to expiring, take care of it now!
Beyond that, she sagely gives advice about printing extra passport copies to give to trusted family and friends, as well as keeping paper and digital copies for yourself. You're going to be using your passport more often than you think: for hotel check-ins, for duty-free shopping, sometimes even to present identification. If for any reason something happens to your real passport, you'll want to have just-in-case copies.
She also brings up something a lot of Americans forget before traveling: visas. Because the American passport is so strong, US passport holders can currently enter over 180 countries and territories visa-free. However, some countries like Australia, China, and India require Americans to get a visa before entry- and in 2024, countries within Europe's "Schengen Zone" will require Americans to apply for visas too. Always research entry requirements and make sure you have all the documents you need!
International travel can seem like a muddled minefield at times. But when you take the time to get all the big stuff sorted out and your papers in order before setting off, you have more time to enjoy yourself once you're abroad!
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