Traveling can be one of the most fun times of the year. With a little careful planning, you’ll be on your way to an ideal, stress-free trip. Before you leave, get all the right paperwork in order. Also, keep these tips in mind.

If you have any food allergies, you will want to be particularly careful when traveling abroad. Studying the language, especially the words in which you need to know to explain your allergy, is a very important thing to do when traveling abroad. This will give you the ability to alert your waiter or waitress of the foods that you have an allergy to so that they can be kept out of your meals.

This suggestion is not meant to scare you, but make sure that you are using a recommended taxi service as there is always a chance you could be getting into a bogus vehicle and robbed. Prior to getting into a taxi, be sure it is legit. Anyone could put a taxi magnet on their car, but they could be someone else.

When driving or taking a plane with a toddler, it is important to have enough interesting things with you to occupy your toddler during the long trip. Bring toys and games that you know the child really enjoys. You may want to purchase a new toy to keep your little one excited.

Always be kind, and tip your bell waiter and housekeeper daily. This will make your stay much more pleasant. Generally, you will give one dollar per piece of luggage, and anywhere between two and five dollars a day for housekeeping. You can almost guarantee that you will have a pleasurable stay by doing so.

Be sure to dress in casual, simple shoes that can be quickly removed. When you are boarding a plane you will need to remove your shoes during the security check. Also, being comfortable is key during travel, to keep you from getting too tired and stressed. While flying and navigating airport terminals, you will spend more time sitting than walking, and therefore you do not need tremendously supportive shoes. Canvas mules or other comfortable sandals are ideal wear during travel.

You always want to be prepared for unexpected emergencies when traveling, such as losing a passport. The U.S. The U.S. State Department can provide you with the info via their website on contacting the Consulate or U.S. embassy in your destination. This information should be with you at all times. In many cases, they will have a replacement passport for you in a day or so.

Always verify when your passport expires. Most countries have passport regulations with which you must comply. If it expires within a certain time frame, they will not allow you to come into their country. Typically this date is around 6 months, but some countries demand up to a year.

Look up currency rates before traveling in order to budget your expenditures. You must know your dollar’s value so you can start planning what you’re going to be able to do while you’re there. This prevents too much spending and increases the fun you will have.

National Parks

Get yourself a National Parks Pass if you think you will be visiting often. The cost is only 50 dollars and good for admission to all national parks for the one year time frame.

If you are taking a small child in a long car ride, plan on taking breaks every few hours. You can go to the bathroom and get some exercise for a few minutes. This will also help prevent motion sickness in children. This will help everyone to stay happy on your trip.

Check out the vehicle insurance policy that is offered to you. Rental agencies want to try to get you to buy additional insurance that you may not even need. Vehicle insurance policies often have some third party liability coverage. Check your policy before you leave home, it could save you in the long run.

Bring an extra passport photo along on your trip. If your passport goes missing, it will be difficult to replace. Keeping a spare photo with you will speed up the process. Make sure you also carry copies of critical documentation.

If traveling abroad, write out some cards that contain dietary restrictions in the language spoken by locals in your destination country. This allows your waiters to know what you are able to consume. You don’t have to worry about the language barrier if you have them with you.

Before you travel, make copies of all your important travel documents. You want to be sure to have your copies of important documents in another location. To protect yourself from the headaches that will happen if your documents are stolen or lost, leave a set of copies with someone trustworthy.

Bring healthy snacks if you are riding in a car. In fact, you should pack twice as much as you expect you will need. This will hopefully quiet them down, keep them busy so they don’t bother you during the trip. You can even make an exception to your junk food policy if you would like.

Contact lens cases are a useful container for traveling. You can put small amounts of gel or lotion in them if you plan to only use a little bit.

Make your luggage look unique from other bags. Decorate it colorfully. Try using paint and markers for drawing on it, or you can use stickers. You would hate to have someone grab your bag by mistake.

Consider the bus to save to avoid these high luggage fees. You will pay a lot less than what you’d pay at the airport. You can also bring on your travel baggage if you go by bus.

Travel can be fun and rewarding if you know the ropes, and now you do. Use the advice in this piece to have the smoothest possible journey. You should take some time to relax from the stress of your daily life. The world is like an oyster. It is up to you to open it up.