First time traveling abroad alone: 7 things to check beforehand to avoid troubles at home
Traveling alone is a luxurious time to enjoy time at your own pace. On the other hand, traveling alone overseas may make you feel anxious because you don't have a companion to consult with or share any problems with. In order to avoid unexpected troubles due to lack of planning or preparation, we will introduce some important items that are surprisingly easy to forget. To make your overseas solo trip more comfortable, please refer to the 7 important items you should check in advance when making your travel plans!
Check the hotel's cancellation policy
In rare cases, flights may be canceled due to equipment problems or weather. For this reason, it is important to plan your trip with some leeway and choose accommodation plans that allow cancellations up to the day before. VOYAGEE staff have also experienced losses due to non-refundable hotel plans when flights were canceled. We recommend choosing a refundable plan, even if it is a little more expensive. This allows you to respond flexibly to unexpected situations and enjoy your trip with peace of mind.
✓ Print your accommodation reservation confirmation
Even if you make a reservation, you may be told when you arrive at the hotel that "the reservation cannot be found." This situation is very stressful, especially at overseas hotels, where there is a language barrier. Furthermore, if you save the reservation confirmation on your smartphone or tablet, you will lose your means of proof if the device runs out of battery or breaks down. Therefore, we recommend that you print out the reservation confirmation and take it with you. In fact, I have had the experience of being given a room without any problems by showing a printed reservation confirmation when the reservation could not be confirmed on the hotel's system in New York.
✓ Set up the local communication SIM card you will use
Communication is important when preparing for a trip. Unlike air tickets and hotel reservations, communication is something you use throughout your trip, so you may feel stressed due to the speed and area. Be careful when choosing a SIM or WiFi router. Price is important, but it is especially important to check the communication quality and support system. Generally, the country's radio waves are picked up after you arrive at the destination, so it is safe to install a SIM for local use in advance. For example, VOYAGEE SIM accepts inquiries 24 hours a day from the chat in the bottom right, and Japanese staff are directly available from 9:00 to 18:00 Japan time, so you can receive quick support without language barriers.
For information about communication methods (eSIM), please see the blog below.
✓ Download map apps in advance
Google Maps is now available and is very convenient. However, it may not be usable in areas where there is no signal or where the data connection is unstable. In such cases, we recommend that you download the maps you need offline to your device in advance. Google Maps also has a function that allows you to save maps of specific areas offline, so you can use them even without an Internet connection. Downloading maps of the places you plan to visit before traveling will allow you to enjoy your trip with more peace of mind.
✓ Have a wide variety of payment methods
It is surprisingly common to find yourself in a situation where your credit card cannot be used at your travel destination. In particular, some stores only accept certain brands of cards, so we recommend bringing multiple brands of credit cards with you. It is also important to exchange money in advance for the currency of the country you are visiting, in case your card cannot be used at all. Furthermore, advance notice is often required to use a card overseas, so it is essential to contact your card company before traveling to confirm whether overseas payments are possible. Prepare in advance to ensure a smooth trip.
✓Don't forget your medicine!
Although we bring our daily medications, we often forget to bring our regular medications. Cold medicines, painkillers, fever reducers, etc. may not be available locally. In particular, in some countries, there may not be drugstores, so be careful. For example, in Korea, you can purchase regular medications at convenience stores, but only a limited number of convenience stores carry them. Furthermore, there are no drugstores, so we recommend that you prepare the necessary medications in advance when traveling to Korea.
✓ Prepare a translation app etc.
Many travelers tend to think that if they can speak English, they can get by anywhere in the world, but this thinking has limitations in non-English-speaking countries. Using translation apps and learning the basic words of the country you are visiting in advance is very effective. For example, just memorizing greetings and simple phrases that can be used in daily conversations will make communication with local people much smoother. By making these preparations, you will improve the quality of your trip and have a deeper cultural experience!
summary
Traveling abroad alone is a great way to enjoy your trip at your own pace, but if you don't prepare in advance, you'll panic when you run into trouble. The seven points introduced in this article are surprisingly easy to forget when traveling abroad, but they are very important points.
VOYAGEE SIM's Japanese language support will reduce your anxiety while traveling and make your trip more comfortable! By taking the steps we've introduced to prepare properly, you should be able to enjoy your trip with peace of mind. We hope that this will not only increase the safety of your trip, but also make it a more fulfilling one. Get ready for your adventure with peace of mind and set off on your journey to make unforgettable memories!
