Tips For a Safe and Pleasant Journey

1. When you plan to travel to a specific destination, make sure you know of any visa requirements that apply to you well ahead of your trip. Sometimes visa applications can take longer than one might expect. Note that a visa does not guarantee admittance into a country.
    
2. Make sure you have a valid passport. If it is due to expire soon it might be a good idea to renew it, since some countries won't allow tourist to enter if they carry passports that expires in less than six months.
    
3. Make sure you have all the insurances you require for the journey. Some countries require tourist to show proof of medical coverage in order to obtain a tourist visa. Even if there are no such requirements for your destination it is still a good idea to have travel insurance covering your trip. Depending on the coverage of your insurance it may cover everything from flight cancellations and loss of luggage, to medical evacuations or stay at a foreign hospital.
    
4. Check whether there are any specific vaccinations you should get before you travel to your destination. Sometimes such vaccinations should be taken several weeks prior to travel, so make sure you do your research ahead of time.
    
5. Make copies of all important documents that you require during your trip, such as passports, visas, traveler's checks and credit cards. Cary one set of copies with you on the trip, but apart from the important documents. This way you reduce the risk of losing the copies along with the originals. Leave another set of copies with a friend or relative at home.
    
6. Make sure someone knows where you intend to travel and how long you plan to be away for. It is a good idea to leave a copy of your itinerary with a friend or relative back home.
    
7. Make sure you take precautions to keep money and important documents safe. Don't keep important papers in a suitcase that might end up missing. It is a good idea to keep the most important papers on you.
    
8. Remember that some areas in certain countries might be unsafe, particularly for tourist who are unfamiliar with the territory. Try to find out ahead of time which areas to avoid, or which precautions to take ahead of time.
    
9. It might be a good idea to contact your embassy in the country that you visit, to let them know where to find you in case of any natural disaster or other special circumstance or emergency.
    
10. If you fly to your destination, show up at the airport well in advance, to avoid the risk missing your flight in case you are delayed in the check-in or in the security check.