It’s 2023 and a new year of hopes and challenges are ahead of us. Hopefully, your plans for this new year include travel. If so this guide is for you. Here are the best travel tips for 2023.
We highly recommend making copies of important documents like passports, passport photos, driver’s licenses, and medical cards. Then keep the copies in a separate bag from your originals. Ignoring this simple task is living dangerously. This tip is at the top for a good reason.
2023 will most likely be a time of inflation and uncertainty in the financial markets. We’re not saying don’t travel, but this year may not be the time to go into debt due to your vacation. Make a budget and stick to it.
2022 saw a lot of airline delays and cancellations. While we hope it’s not the same in 2023, chances are there will be some. The best thing to do is take it in stride if it happens to you. Having a Plan B to fall back on is critical when traveling these days. Realize the inevitable may happen and be flexible in your plans. It will make for a much more enjoyable vacation.
There is so much going on in our world right now, and so much on everyone’s mind, that it’s easy to forget important items on travel days. Don’t try to keep everything in your head. Write it down and check off the items as you address them.
Rolling blackouts can occur in just about every city in every country. What do you do if you arrive at your hotel and there’s no power? If you have packed an extra power pack, you can recharge your phone. If you brought a flashlight or two, you won’t have to sit in the dark. And if you brought extra batteries, you can play games or use your camera with confidence.
A medical emergency can happen at any time. Buying travel insurance is something we highly recommend for 2023.
During the Christmas season, we all saw images on TV of airports with an endless sea of suitcases. We hope it never happens again at that magnitude, but lost luggage is always a possibility. It’s always wise to pack extra underwear and other personal items, such as medications, in your personal items, such as a purse or small backpack. We recommend that you don’t keep the items in your carry-on, because if the overhead compartments get too full, the carry-on may need to be checked.
You won’t be the first traveler to come back to the hotel and forget your room number. And, you certainly won’t be the last.
Hackers are everywhere. It’s not a good idea to log into bank accounts, and membership sites, or enter passwords while using free public WIFI, especially at airports and community hotspots. Instead, wait until you get to a password-protected area, like most hotels.
If you are traveling to a foreign country, avoid unpleasant charges on your statements by bringing credit and debit cards that don’t charge a foreign transaction fee or an ATM fee.
No one knows what 2023 will bring, but if we plan ahead we can make the most of challenging situations when traveling. Happy New Year everyone!
