Important Tips and Suggestions for Travelers
At McCombs Travel, we want our clients to be as prepared and educated as possible before departing on their next adventure. In an effort to help our clients in planning and preparing for their next trips, we’ve put together this page with some helpful links and tips that can come in very handy while traveling.
Passports – McCombs Travel suggests carrying a Passport Book for any and all international travel. Even though exceptions exist, we feel that the only way to leave the country is with Passport in hand. You can find all necessary Passport application information HERE. Mobile Phones – The days of calling cards are all but gone! Mobile phones can now be used almost anywhere in the world. Most mobile carriers offer phones for rent or for purchase that will function in most of the developed world. Note that mobile devices operate on one of two network types, GSM or CDMA. Some devices are considered global phones and will operate on both networks. Others will only operate on one network or the other. If you’re traveling to a country whose network will not support your phone, you will be able to rent a phone at your nearest mobile carrier location. Also, note that most carriers require callers to have “international roaming” enabled before your device will function abroad. Department of State – The Department of State travel website is a great resource for researching visa and passport requirements, travel warnings, US Embassy locations, and all sorts of other useful information when planning travel abroad. We suggest always checking the Department of State website for information on the countries that you’ll be visiting. Click HERE to visit the website. U.S. Embassies – If you’re traveling abroad, and emergency arises, your best bet may be to find the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consular Office. The U.S. Embassy website will give you information regarding location and contact numbers for offices throughout the world. We suggest printing a list of local offices in the areas that you’ll be traveling, in the unlikely event that an emergency arises. Click HERE to view the U.S. Embassy website. Smart Traveler Enrollment Program – The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), is a program offered by the Department of State. This program lets you declare your international travel to the Department of State, list emergency contacts, lodging information, etc. This information can be very useful in the event of an emergency. This provides a means by which your friends or loved ones can contact you and vice versa. The STEP website can be found by clicking HERE. TSA Carry-On Restrictions – By now, most of us are familiar with the various restrictions that the TSA now has in place with regard to what we can and can’t bring onto an airplane. This site spells out all of the various restricted items, as well as information on the 3-1-1 rules related to liquids in your carry-on bag. Click HERE to view the website. Airplane Seat Reviews – Have trouble picking that perfect seat on your next flight? Check out Seat Guru to find which seats are the ones to have on that trip across the pond. Travel Itinerary Organization – One of my favorite free tools in keeping my travel organized is Tripit. This site allows you to keep track of all of your flights, lodging, cruises, events, reservations, etc. of your upcoming vacation(s). You can set your account to automatically scan your email for new travel bookings, or upload your plans manually. They have a great mobile app too to keep track of your itinerary on the go. Time Zone Conversion – We always suggest setting your watches to the time of your destination upon takeoff. Additionally, we suggest visiting www.jetlagrooster.com to design a personalized plan to help you reduce the effects of jet lag. Click HERE for a simple time zone converter. Currency Conversion – It’s very important to know the conversion rate from USD to the country that you’re visiting. We also always suggest that you choose to pay in local currency when using a credit or debit card abroad. This will result in a more favorable conversion rate. Be sure to download and update a currency conversion app on your mobile device throughout your trip to be sure that you’re always getting fair conversions. Click HERE for currency conversion. Getting Cash – Chances are, you’ll need cash at some point when traveling abroad. Many countries readily accept U.S. Dollars, but many don’t, especially in Europe. We typically suggest using your Debit Card at a foreign ATM to get the best conversion rates. We suggest requesting cash in the local currency, rather than converted to U.S. dollars. Be sure to check with your banks and credit card companies prior to departure. You’ll need to add travel notices and look into foreign ATM and transaction fees to make sure that your cards won’t be blocked and that you won’t incur astronomical fees for using your cards outside of the country. Weather – It’s a good idea to know the weather and general climate of the areas that you’re visiting. Click HERE to check the weather report for your destination. Power Conversion – Be sure to check out the electrical configuration in the countries that you’ll be visiting. Different countries operate on different voltages and/or plug configurations than the U.S. You’ll need power adapters and possibly a power converter to power your electronic devices safely abroad. General Tips for Safer Travel:
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