Prior Planning

• While planning your trip, kindly check your passports validity besides the visa requirements.
• Indian Passport holders must check for the ECNR status/must get it stamped if required to do so.
• Carefully check and clarify your hotel and tour vouchers for tour itineraries, paid/complimentary services
• Make sure to get endorsement for any granted special request etc on your voucher prior to flying
• Check the local climate prior to your departure and pack accordingly.
• Also pack and carry garments and accessories depending on the kind of tours and activities you will get indulge
• Purchase travel insurance while traveling
• find out in advance about the kinds of vaccinations required by the local health authority
• Find out your local address and phone details prior to your journey, and hand over it to your family/friends for safety reasons, also find the local telephone codes to avoid any inconvenience to your kin.
• Always make a point to find the complete details about your country’s embassy/consulate to the country you are visiting.
• Do not forget to carry your international driving license in case if you are planning to self-drive during your holiday.
• Carry extra photocopies of your passport, photo I.D., and emergency contacts
• Always keep your PNR written somewhere, or in case of E.ticket , make sure you can access it online anytime.

Flight Preparations

• Wear comfortable clothes/shoes while flying as sometimes it gets colder and there may not be extra blankets in the flight.
• Drink plenty of water prior to flight to avoid dehydration.
• Do not accept any parcels/letters from strangers
• Carefully check your air tickets for validity, applicable conditions and rules etc
• Re-check all your necessary travel documents prior to travel
• Always carry along your payment receipt/records for your advance travel expenses and services payments
• Keep a habit to tag your baggage with specific identification marks to avoid any shocks and surprises. Also mention your holiday destination contact information along with permanent contact details; at the same time as well leave an information tag inside your baggage, in case if upper identification tag is ripped or so.
• To combat jet lag, while traveling from west to east, you should stay out of the sun until the day after your arrival. If you are flying from east to west, go for a brisk walk as soon as possible after you arrive.
• Check for baggage specification requirements with concern airlines, as most of the airlines have specifications and limitation sets according to their internal/country policies
• Also kindly check the custom requirements of that time

Packing

• Pack light. Examine each item you plan to pack and do away with everything that is not necessary.
• Kindly carry along Sunscreen, Mosquito repellant for the evenings, Light garments while traveling in summer, Proper warm jacket, or clothes for winter traveling, Hat, or a cap to save you from heat, Swimsuits, and beach wears.

Accommodation

• Check for the details of complimentary services offered in the booked hotels
• If traveling with kids, check for the available kids facilities in advance and plan your travel accommodation accordingly
• Most of the hotels offers beach and bath towels, so do not bother to carry excess load; In case if you are staying in an alternative accommodation, kindly check if  linen and towels are provided, and also check for the change frequency.
• Be responsible for your personal belongings, always keep a close check on your belongings, and always keep them locked.
• Keep your cash, valuables and important documents in the safe deposit locker

Health

• Include medications you use on a daily basis to avoid any kind of inconveniences
• Travelers at times unpredictably develop allergic reactions to the pollens and other allergens found in a new environment. Hence, It is advisable to pack some over-the-counter allergy medication/ it is highly recommended to re-check with your doctor before.
• Precaution is better than cure, Before leaving home, create a medical history form that includes all the necessary information such as your personal details, doctors’ name and contact details, family contact details, health insurance details, medical history and ongoing health problems (if any), blood group, list of ongoing medications, allergies etc. and always keep this with you while traveling.
• If in case you suffer from altitude sickness, consult your doctor much in advance for precautionary exercises and prescriptions

Basic Safety

• It is important to pay attention to your personal safety, avoid secluded places and do not walk alone after dark
• Do not trust strangers with your personal information and belongings
• Consider the traffic safety, and especially keep in mind the road rules differences and practices while crossing roads or self driving abroad
• Leave a copy of your travel itinerary back home.

Courtesy

• It is a good gesture to tip but always check the local custom before doing so
• It is best to keep in mind the popular belief “Be Romans while you are in Rome”
• Respect the local customs, culture, environment, rules/ regulations and their sentiments and religious beliefs
• It is nice to learn and use basic local courtesy jargon while greeting the locals and  while thanking them or bidding good bye etc

Green Travel

• Stop your newspaper or donate the paper to a school while you are gone
• Switch off all light and unplug all the appliances prior to leaving on your holiday
• Insist on having E.tickets
• Stay at eco-friendly hotels/choose echo friendly accommodation
• Eat local and organic against the choice of international fast food chains
• Insist on consuming  local produce and locally manufactured snacks, beverages and food to support the locals
• Reuse your towel/linen if not dirty – inform the house keeping about your choice and let them know when you require the change.
• Use digital camera and avoid usage of disposable camera
• To limit the wastage of paper, request E.brochure from your tour organizers; avoid picking up printed brochures unnecessarily.
• While buying souvenirs and take back gifts, go for green souvenirs instead of plastic stuffs.
• Be a responsible traveler, Always support the locals while traveling
• Switch of excess lights etc
• Switch of a/c, lights and other basic as well as high end apparatus in the hotel while not in use
• Watch your carbon footprints, Walk, use bicycle or use public transport wherever and whenever possible
• Offset your carbon miles/footprints
• Try using re-useable water bottles
• Clean your camp areas
• Always use the bin to get rid of your trash, if no bin is available, pack the trash and carry it till you find the bin
• Learn about local culture, interact with the locals, and visit their handicraft village or local supporting co-operatives etc.
• Try to participate in the local environmental programs.
• Watch out your water usage, in some part of the world water can be a scarce resources
• Never buy souvenirs/products made out of endangered species
• Respect the local culture, environment; do not tamper with it in any ways. Do not pluck plants, corals, remove shells or whatever from its natural environment
• Do not forget that the locals life as well as livelihoods depends on the local environment and natural resources
• So not indulge in unlicensed/unauthorized hunting of animals/birds
• To encourage the green practices, share your green travel ideas with your friends after coming back home; also write an appreciation notes to hotels/organization about their green efforts.
• Do not hesitate to write a suggestions/criticism to those organizations who you felt indulged in wastages and environmental degrading practices; this will definitely discourage them from practicing further.
• Leave minimal negative impact of your visit in your host country.
• Wear forest friendly attires such as of colors like green, brown, and khaki.
• Do not smoke in non-smoking zones and  while you are in the nature
• Do not frequent restricted zones and places
• Pack lightly, the more pounds of luggage a plane carries, the more fuel it needs to fly.
• Indulge in a voluntary actions while traveling

Most essential is to unwind and enjoy your holiday, meet with the new people, earn new friends, explore new world and culture, and gain a memorable experience as well as a very new dimension to your life.