Whether you’re a seasoned traveller but have had to put your travel plans on hold due to the pandemic or you’re a newbie who has spent the entirety of the pandemic planning to take your first extended trip, the chances are that you’re feeling extremely excited about hitting the road.

Of course, depending on where you live, you might not be able to go anywhere just yet, but you’re extremely excited to have actually started planning something that sets your soul on fire.

You’re begun thinking about where you want to go, what you want to do, and how long you expect to be away for, but have you started thinking about all of the most important details? In case you’re unsure of what steps it’s important to take the time to think about, we’ve put together a handy guide to some of the most crucial elements of trip planning that often get forgotten about.

For everything that you need to know about planning your first post-pandemic trip, have a read of the tips and suggestions below.

Be Clued up About Finances

One of the most important steps that you can take when it comes to travelling abroad is making sure that you’re as clued up as possible about your finances. It’s not just about being mindful of the amount that you have to spend while you’re away and budgeting effectively, it’s also thinking about your contingency plan, should you need one.

For instance, it’s good to have an app or website that you can use for a US money transfer if you need one, from a friend or family member or from your emergency bank account back home. You don’t always know what’s going to happen, so it’s important that you have backup funds available, should you need them.

Have an Itinerary and Stick to It

An important safety step for when you’re travelling is to create a basic itinerary of where you will be going and when. Give this itinerary to a trusted friend or family member, so that someone is aware of where you will be and when. This means that if anything goes wrong and you need some help, someone is aware of where you should be and where you’ve previously been.

If you feel like you will want to change your itinerary around, consider creating a digital itinerary that you can edit and change as and when you want to, but that your friend or family member can also access. Google Sheets, for instance, could be a good tool for this.

Pack Smart

Don’t overpack. It is tempting to pack everything that you think you could possibly need but this will just make travelling less enjoyable. Instead, opt to pack smart and only take when you really need – remember, you can pick up any extra items while you travel.

There you have it, a simple guide to planning your first extended post-pandemic getaway. Hopefully, the guide above has helped to make the process a little easier for you.