The best travel advice is to get a passport, buy travel insurance in case of an emergency, and learn to respect local laws and cultures. Passports are essential documents that most people cannot travel without, and they should always be kept safe and secure. Travel insurance is an extra cost that may or may not be necessary, but it is always better to be safe than sorry, just as it is with car and health insurance. Furthermore, international travel exposes people to new and sometimes strange laws and cultural traditions that must be respected.
Every time a person leaves a country, he or she must have a passport. Those who travel frequently should order a passport with more pages than the standard issue. However, a traveler should apply for a passport as soon as possible in either case. It could take several weeks for a passport to be processed, created, and sent to the traveler, depending on how busy the passport office is. If a traveler waits until the last minute to get a passport, he or she may have to pay hefty fees to expedite the process.
Travel insurance should be purchased by all travelers. This type of insurance can help you save money on canceled flights and emergency evacuations. More importantly, travel insurance usually covers medical expenses for travelers and may even cover the costs of transporting an injured person back to his or her home country. Better plans, like other types of insurance, usually cost more than plans that only cover the basics. Travel insurance, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to what a traveler would normally pay in such an emergency.
Respecting authorities and obeying local laws is an important part of international travel. Some parts of the world, for example, prohibit smoking in most public places, while others don’t mind if visitors smoke tobacco, marijuana, or other substances. Wearing certain types of clothing may also be illegal, impolite, or dangerous. In many places, for example, wearing shorts and a sleeveless top is acceptable, but in others, baring that much skin — especially by women — is frowned upon, regardless of how hot it is outside.
Finally, knowing who to contact in an emergency is an important part of staying safe while traveling around the world. In many countries, dialing a standard phone number for medical assistance or law enforcement officials is the norm. Additionally, it may be necessary to contact government officials from the traveler’s home country, so keep that number handy as well.