Practical Tips: Before you go
What do I need to do before I travel?
We all want to be safe and secure when travelling and here are a few things we have learned along the way:
Physical Health
- We walk often when touring new places and need the right shoes for the weather. I always take running shoes and closed-toed sandals.
- Book a Travel Clinic appointment for recommendations. For example, when we moved to Vietnam in 2017-2019 we received many vaccinations; a few we had never heard of! Our trip to Brazil required proof of the yellow fever vaccination. They also prescribed a small amount of antibiotics to combat potential gastrointestinal issues. We keep this in our first aid kit. The advice at the travel clinic has been invaluable.
- Get the most up-to-date flu and COVID shots. We have also received pneumonia and shingles vaccines. The last thing we want to do is to miss out on a tour or experience because of illness.
- In 2021-2023 We wore masks on flights to minimize illness and it worked! The masks we wore are comfortable and effective! Canada Strong Masks are locally made. https://canadastrong.ca/
- In our 50s, we would never leave home without health and travel cancellation insurance. We have great travel health and trip insurance included in our health coverage plan. As a retired educator, we purchase RTIP (Retired Teachers Insurance Plan) services. It includes health, travel and trip cancellation options.
Financial Safety
- Live in Ontario? Book from a tour agent or site that is registered with the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) (https://www.tico.ca/) like Expedia.ca
- create a digital photo album of ID and credit cards so if lost/stolen it will be easier to replace/cancel them.
- Download important booking and flight documents to phones and use Google Drive for easy access.
- Keep passport and other important documents locked in hotel room safes. If possible avoid taking them out when exploring a new place.
- Leave valuables at home.
- Arrange a weekly check of your home by friends/family or join a housesitting service. We like Trustedhousesitters.com See our post about it here
- We don’t post live about trips! We share our trip details once we are home.
