Traveling overseas can wreak havoc on the typical type-A personality who wants to keep things neat and organized. No matter how many compartments your laptop bag has, or how carefully you organize the various wires and cables, they always seem to end up all over the place. Organization is the key to those of us who proudly proclaim our status as neat freaks. The answer to your organizational woes should be obvious by now — you need more technology, and you must use your smartphone effectively. Traveling internationally should be as stress-free as possible.
The only question you should be asking yourself is if you really you want to be the person who is fumbling over their belongings, and leaving a trailing of accessories in their wake?
Travel Documents
If you didn’t know that you’re supposed to keep a copy of your passport with you while leaving the original in a secure place in your hotel or safe, you haven’t read the first few pages of your passport booklet. Of course, you need your passport, but a paper copy is enough for most non-official purposes. If you lose your passport, it’s also going to be easier to replace if you have a copy of the crucial information. The solution here is to take a picture of your passport, so if the need arises you can easily provide the information you need to prove your identity. Another tip that’s useful is to take a picture of anyone who you give your passport to for safekeeping. This occurs in some countries like Thailand when you want to reserve a car or motorbike.
Apps for Maps
Okay, so you know you’re going to travel to a foreign country where it’s very likely you’re going to get lost at least once. Before you travel, research various locations and save maps to your smartphone with street names to help you if you get lost. When it comes time to find your way, open up the maps and find your way back to your hotel. Better yet, if you travel often, consider getting an international roaming plan to find your way around and avoid those heart-stopping roaming charges. Seriously, those charges can stop your heart.Packing and Unpacking
Traveling overseas can be scary. The things you re are too many might forget or leave at home. When you pack, lie everything out on the bed, take a picture and use that picture when you prepare to return home. By doing this, you can verify that you’ve packed everything you brought with you. Use your camera wisely and tag your photos to make it easier to locate them when the time comes.Keep a Journal
Logging your travels is a good way to stay mentally sharp, and provide hours worth of stories for your bemused family members when you get home. Surely they will want to hear every detail of your travels, right down to how much the coffee cost and how long it took to brew a cuppa. In reality, regaling others with storiesx of your exploits may exhaust them, but keeping a journal is a good way to increase your enjoyment and recall years later. Use your smartphone to keep a journey of your logs, and avoid the need for a paper journal.
In-flight Entertainment
Sometimes you get Lucy and you have a plane with several good options for movies. However, avoid the potential for fees by bringing your own movies and watching them from your smartphone. if you’re not a movie buff, drown out the sound of those engines with your favorite movies or download games to play on your smartphone. Don’t take more than one device with you. Stick to your smartphone, and reduce that bag full of wires, cords and accessories. If you’re worried about running out of battery, the solution is to purchase s rechargeable battery pack. This tip is going to save you some hassle: don’t by one that uses batteries. You’ll go broke replacing the batteries and they typically don’t provide a powerful enough charge to charge your phone completely.
