With the holidays nearly over, some may already be planning their next outing. Whether this vacation season went as planned or you ran into headaches and hitches along the way, it’s well worth considering the likeliest culprits for a travel problem now, while you have plenty of time to plan to avoid them. Here are four of the most common travel headaches, and what you can do to avoid them:
1. Passport problems
If you’re crossing a border, you want to make sure you have your passports in line well before your trip starts. The timeline for receiving a new passport is only an estimate, after all there are so many things that can go wrong with the documentation or passport photos that you don’t want to gamble on rushing to get them. Read up on the rules, use a service to ease the process, and get it all out of the way as early as possible.
2. Lost or stolen luggage
Keeping as much of your luggage in sight or within easy reach as possible is always going to be a good idea. Don’t leave your items unattended in any space, public or private – it’s simply too easy for someone to wheel away your stuff while you’re in the airport bathroom and get away with it.
3. Route and traffic troubles
Research your route, be it land, air, ship, or rail. Make sure you know where you’re supposed to go and where you CAN go if something prevents you from using that route. The more informed you are, the better equipped you’ll be to deal with any surprises that may arise, be it traffic, weather, or flight delays.
4. Health considerations
Make sure you know relevant information on your health before you go – get any appropriate vaccinations, make sure allergies aren’t going to be a problem due to the environment or the food, and have a plan in case of emergencies – if something does go wrong, it will go much less wrong if you’ve planned for it in advance.
These four problems aren’t the only concerns you may have on your trip, but avoiding them will save you from much of the most common difficulties of travel.
