The 3 Things Every Traveler Should Process (Visa, Passport and Travel Insurance)

There are some people who never feel the urge to leave the confinement of their homes. Then there are people who can’t sit still, perhaps prefer to watch people Anthony Bourdain and always keep their passports with them — just in case. You can call it wanderlust, love of travel, regular old curiosity or whatnot — the fact that your hunger to explore simply cannot be quenched remains, no matter how many vacations or journeys you can take. For you, there’s always something new to see, something different to feel. But you also realize that your one-way flights and trips need a lot of planning and preparations. Planning a trip can be a daunting task. Where to begin? What’s next? It’s easy to get overwhelmed in the beginning, especially if you haven’t done something like this before. So, here are the three basic things every traveler should process.

Apply For A Passport

A passport is one of the most important forms of identification a person can process. Passports are a requirement for international travel and re-entry into different countries. Thanks to technology, applying for a passport are now made easier. You can now make an appointment online through the governments’ website. However, you will still need to apply in person if you’re applying for the first time. It is your choice if you want to have your passport delivered to your doorstep for an additional fee. The steps for passport processing are essentially: Go online, make an appointment, fill out forms and follow instructions and important reminders. Prepare all these documents: certificate of citizenship, valid IDs, and other supporting documents indicating your full name, address and birthdate. Photocopy all documents to avoid headache later on and make sure to come on time on your appointment date.

Apply For A Visa

Before this, you have to decide where you want to go. Defining this sets a goal to work on. Picking a destination is immensely important as it gives you a definite goal and helps you plan ahead of time and to apply for visa if necessary. Depending on your destination, you may need a visa for traveling abroad. This indicates to the government official the reason you have for visiting the country and that you have met the requirements necessary for travel therein. To apply, check the requirements from your host country’s embassy website and apply in advance. You may process your visa individually or through a travel agency. This may cost more or less a hundred bucks for the processing fee. Wait for a couple of weeks or hours, depending on where you processed your passport. Then check your passport once you receive it back to make sure that the visa is there and verify that you have the appropriate visa prior to your departure.

Apply For Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is one of the most complex and confusing aspects of planning a trip. People can easily get confused about what they should get, given the myriad of plans and companies out there. Travel insurance is much more than just a medical protection and something you absolutely need on the road. It covers you when your camera breaks, if something’s stolen, your flight gets cancelled, or worse, if a family member dies and you need to come home immediately. You’ll never know what’ll happen on the road and most medical insurances won’t cover you overseas. It’s the kind of thing you will be very thankful for when you need it but hope you never do. Travel insurance costs only a few dollars a day. When looking for a plan, make sure they have a high coverage limit on your medical expenses. Prices vary depending on different countries. It would range between $145-195 per plan, but they don’t have coverage worldwide. Life is full of accidents. Don’t end up spending all your money on some accident because you don’t want to spend a few hundred dollars to be covered. Be smart and get travel coverage.

Posted by Steven Fox