“It has been said that a pretty face is a passport. But it is not, it’s a visa, and it runs out fast.”- Julie Burchill
Traveling is one of the most important activities that we do now and then for many reasons. When the vacation starts, the entire family gets in a mood to go to a hotel nearby to spend some quality time. The newly married couple travel to a distant place for their well-planned honeymoon and some private time at a couple-friendly hotel. Most of the corporate and marketing jobs require frequent traveling to places and staying at a hotel room on an hourly basis or dayuse hotels to get that deal sealed. That’s not it, even the college students look forward to that music festival and beach holiday nearby. But for a trip to become successful, the most important thing is planning. A well-planned trip sees the light of the day. Packing the necessary stuff for the trip is one of the vital parts of the planning process and when it comes to packing the important documents, you have to be extra careful and vigilant. For every step of your trip, you will be asked for some of the other important documents. Hence, you should make sure to keep all the necessary documents with you all the time at all costs. There are certain documents that you must carry where ever u go, either internationally or inside the country. What are they?
1-Passport
If you are traveling outside the country, then a passport is a must to carry. But if you are traveling inside the country, then a passport is not needed for traveling purposes but you never know when a need be raised for mandatory passport verification. Hence, make sure to carry a passport or a copy of passport when you travel inside the country which is valid at least 6 months beyond your date of travel.
2-Visa
If you are traveling outside the country, there should be a visa stamped on your passport. That can be done from the embassy. Some may give you a separate document for the visa. Make sure to carry the document with the passport while you travel.
3-Identification card other than passport like Aadhar card
A passport serves as the supreme identification document but it is also important to carry some other identification documents with you while you travel like PAN card, Aadhar card, voter id, and bank documents, etc. Some couple-friendly hotels might ask for documents like these during check-in.
4-Driver license
When you are on a road trip to a hotel stay nearby for a weekend getaway, then make sure to carry a valid driving license including all the vehicle documents with you like vehicle insurance documents and pollution certificate.
5-Flight/Train tickets
Most of the airports in India accept a soft copy of the flight tickets but many do not. They will ask you for a hard copy of the flight ticket. Make sure to carry one.
6-Travel insurance
Carrying travel insurance is a must while you are boarding a flight. Carry a hard copy of the same as well
7-Hotel booking confirmations
While you are planning for the trip, make sure to book hotel room using reliable and authentic websites like Mistay. Do carry the soft copy as well as a hard copy of the accommodation confirmations along with you.
8-Proof of vaccination
If you are traveling outside the country, then a proof of all the vaccinations is a must to carry. They have certain vaccinations that a traveler must get it before start traveling. It is different for different countries.
9-Credit and debit cards
This will help you with hassle-free cashless transactions at every point of your trip.
10-Student identification card
Many college students go for a trip together and stay at hotels nearby. Many hotels ask for student identification documents before check-in. And also, there are many discounts offered by the tourist spots to students with a valid identity card. Hence, make sure to carry one.
11-Passport style photographs
Carry soft copy as well as a hard copy of your passport-style photograph along with you while you travel. You never know where you might end up needing one for some official documentation
12-Physician’s prescriptions
If you are on some lifesaving medications like Insulin, anticoagulants, or thyroxine medications, then make sure to carry a detailed physician’s prescriptions explaining the medicines that you are carrying.
13-A list of emergency contact phone numbers.
This should include the contact information of your home, your parents, the insurance company, and hotel accommodations, etc.
Packing and managing the documents
1- Take print outs or photocopy of all the documents that have been mentioned above. Keep one with you and give one to your close contact
2- Make sure each person traveling with you possess a copy of their documents.
3- Make a separate file and pack the documents in an orderly fashion.
4- Make sure to keep the document file in the hand luggage. Under no circumstances, you should keep your eye from the document bag.
5- Make a soft copy folder of all the documents and keep them in the cloud.
6- You can also mail the soft copy of the documents to one of your close contacts
7- Take photographs of all the documents on your phone so that they are accessible when there is no internet connection
8- Make sure to be very vigilant while dealing with any of the important documentation processes while you are traveling including immigration process and hotel check-ins
9- You can keep the passport size photographs in your wallet as well.
Yes! This is how the entire planning of carrying and managing the documents happens on a trip. A bit overwhelming, right? But once you get a hang of it, then your entire trip goes without any problems. While you are on a trip, you always look forward to having a fun time, but unfavorable events and accidents can happen anytime, anywhere. Hence, it is always better to be prepared rather than falling prey to the events. If you plan properly, then you can handle any issue nicely.
There is no harm to become a good planner. It saves time and helps you in making wonderful memories later.
“Happy traveling”
Must read- A guide to the 12 best Roadtrips in India