3 Things To Do ~ 3 Months Before Travelling

Vittoria
Feb 21, 2018
3 min read

Less than 7 days till we leave London for good and embark on the greatest adventure of our lives. We have been very busy in the last couple of months moving out of our flat, saving money, organising our possessions, buying the last bits we need, but most importantly spending as much time as possible with our families and friends and enjoying the last weeks in this wonderful city.

Around 3 months before you travelling these are the things you need to look into:

1. Visas

Depending on where you are going you might need a visa. You will probably know that if you are from the EU and travelling within the EU you will only need a form of identification (passport, ID or driving licence), however if you are travelling outside the EU you will probably need an entry visa which can be obtained on the border before entering the country or by making an online request before you leave.

You can check out the government website of any country and find all the information you need, it is clearly explained which passports can freely enter without visa and which ones require what type of visa.

If you don't want to lose time googling, you can check this awesome website with an interactive map and links to any piece of information you require. You are welcome!

You can also check the below two websites which hold very valuable information regarding visas and passports:

www.visahq.co.uk www.passportindex.org

2. Book Tickets

Once you are settled on your first destination you can start looking into how to get there. The most common way for travelers to move around is flying, but it's not the only way. If you want to start feeling the adventure right from the first step you can decide to reach your destination by land using trains, buses, rental cars, biking or even walking! Here are some pros and cons of both methods that can help you decide:

In the air

Pros: You can get to the airport, sleep for few hours and land comfortably in another city without much hassle. It is safe, easy, and provides all sorts of comforts.

Cons: Flying is very detrimental to our planet, especially long overseas routes, and it's not always the cheapest way. You will also "skip" a lot of incredible countries by flying above them instead of journeying through them.

Here you can see how many planes are currently in the sky. Scary, I know!

On the ground

Pros: You will have much less impact on the planet, you can stop and see so much more along the way plus the journey begins as soon as you leave your front door. It is definitely a more "hands on" travelling experience and you will have the chance to make incredible memories and meet awesome people from the very beginning.

Cons: You can spend a lot of time on transportation as it will take longer to reach your destination, it won't always be comfortable if you want to maximise your budget as you might have to share your train cabin and you might not always find a shower or a restaurant.

Here are some great tips about how to travel without flying.

Are you curious to know how much your trip impacts the planet? You can compare flying vs land transportation footprint here.

3. Organise Important Documents

One thing that is important to have organised before leaving is your documents. You have to make sure to have everything you might need to prove your identity, your travelling itinerary and your medical history. So here are some very important documents that are good to bring with you.

Valid Passport
Flight, train and bus tickets
Visa and Visa-supporting travelling documents (e.g. invitation letter)
Insurance information
Debit Card &/or Credit Card
Some cash for tips
Driver’s licence
Student ID
Medical records & Vaccination proof
Any accommodation confirmation and address
Some passport photos for visas on arrival (you normally need two per visa).
Travel itinerary
Up to date CV & general Cover Letter, in few versions to apply for different jobs
Details of the local consulate/embassy for your home country
Written emergency contacts of the country/ies you are going to next
Copies of past itineraries, boarding passes etc. for the country/ies you are visiting - in case of questions at the border about duration of past visit

Even if it's not very eco-friendly, you should print a couple of copies of all the mentioned documents (at least on recycled paper), and store an encrypted electronic copy of the above documents on a cloud storage service, e.g. Dropbox. For added security, you can invest in USB bracelet/necklace and carry around your important documents safely tucked away.

It helps to be organised before you hit the road so pack all the following in a wallet or a Travel Security Belt so you are ready when questioned upon your arrival.