Going on vacation, especially to a foreign country, for the first time or alone, can be a little scary. And one of the circumstances that, perhaps, worries the most is how not to be left without a penny in your pocket during a trip.

No worries, professional travelers know how to act so that the trip is pleasant and not overshadowed by any financial problems. We’ll talk about this today.

Plan your budget correctly

The travel budget usually consists of several main items of expenditure: transportation, accommodation, meals, excursions and entertainment and other expenses such as visa processing, insurance, gifts for relatives, and shopping in stores.

When calculating the travel budget based on these parameters, it is important to be realistic and not have illusions about the fact that suddenly in reality everything will turn out to be cheaper than you planned. Quite the opposite: almost always and everywhere everything turns out to be somewhat more expensive than the price tags that were included in the budget. Moreover, you may always want something extraordinary, say, turn to luxury car rental to drive a rented Lamborghini or McLaren. Who can resist this? Usually, hiring a car, even a luxury one, is not worth a fortune, but it is worth laying the budget for such a pleasant combination of events.

Based on this, we can formulate the main rule: think correctly and honestly, without engaging in self-deception and without underestimating the amount of upcoming expenses in advance. Experienced travelers advice to always add 20% to the calculated amount. And this is the amount you need to take with you.

Get health insurance

This is another opportunity to insure against any surprises while traveling. Without insurance, it is easy to become a bankrupt traveler, even if, for example, a banal appendicitis or even the most uncomplicated fracture happens.

Medicine abroad is very expensive. And sometimes the cost of paying for treatment can be several times higher than the budget of the trip. While the cost of insurance at least with minimal coverage is relatively low.

Trust but verify

Before you book a hotel room or rent an apartment and pay the owner in advance, check if it can be done. Firstly, if you see a price offer that is too tempting, just in case, check if there is an error here. Secondly, don’t rush to pay in advance, talk to a person, and even if you are convinced of his reliability, don’t send the entire amount, but agree on that financial guarantee when booking, which you don’t mind losing, if suddenly something happens. This advice, by the way, is relevant not only for travelers, but for everyone.

Observe personal safety measures

Even if you are in a prosperous and safe country, don’t relax and be vigilant.

  • Take care of your passport – the main tool of the traveler. When traveling, it is best to use copies of documents where possible. At the same time, they must be in both electronic and paper form (just in case, because in order to leave a foreign country without documents, you will have to go through a series of bureaucratic procedures).
  • In countries with high humidity, use waterproof bags to store documents, money and cards.
  • Watch your bag, camera, backpack in public places. Thieves, even in large cities of Europe, very cleverly pluck and cut them off from gaping tourists.
  • Don’t swim in the ocean with a phone and documents. This is, of course, a joke. No one will do this on purpose. But still, this happens from time to time.
  • Don’t carry a lot of cash with you. Exchange some money for the country’s currency, and keep the rest on the card. Firstly, it is more convenient to pay in stores, and secondly, you will not attract the attention of thieves. If you are traveling in a group, don’t give all the money to one person, but divide it into parts.

Traveling is essential. But while traveling, remember that this journey is not the last. And it is not always wise to put all your savings on it. At least leave a stash at home. It won’t be so sad to be back.

On the other hand, life is short. And it may happen that the cherished journey will not take place after solving pressing everyday problems. So, you need to travel and not be afraid of anything. The right attitude helps to travel with pleasure and positive.