How to Prepare for an Extended Trip Abroad

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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(18 Ratings)

An extended trip abroad will take some advanced preparation so that you can leave your home worry-free.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Research travel and health insurance and purchase an appropriate plan.
Step 2

Update your address book with phone numbers, mailing addresses, and e-mail addresses of friends and relatives. Start saying your good-byes.
Step 3

Recruit someone to take care of bills, banking and mail while you are away and begin to organize files for this person.
Step 4

Apply for visas for relevant countries.
Step 5

Cancel unnecessary accounts, credit cards or services.
Step 6

Decide how you will access money while traveling and make appropriate arrangements.
Step 7

Get an e-mail account and educate yourself on how to use e-mail from different servers, if you are not comfortable with this.

Step 1

Find out what immunizations you will need and set up a schedule. The first in the series of Hepatitis B vaccinations is best administered six months in advance.
Step 2

Brainstorm various options for taking care of things like your housing, plants, car and pets while you are away.
Step 3

Apply for any additional credit cards you may need for your trip before quitting your job.
Step 4

Apply for a passport with extra pages for visas.
Step 5

Get a medical and dental checkup, and complete all necessary dental work.
Step 6

Research the places you are considering visiting and begin to create an itinerary.
Step 7

Look for discounts on plane and train tickets.
Step 8

Begin any physical conditioning you may need for your trip.
Step 9

Decide what camera to bring. Take some pictures and develop the film just to be sure.
Step 10

Make a packing list and begin purchasing luggage, clothing and other essentials. Also start purchasing small gifts to give to people in your travels.

Step 1

Pack your luggage and test the weight. Make necessary adjustments.
Step 2

Double-check your packing list and make last-minute purchases.
Step 3

Buy traveler's checks.
Step 4

Give any necessary files and information to the person taking care of bills while you are away.
Step 5

Provide copies of your projected itinerary, flight and contact information to family and friends. Also give someone a copy of your traveler's check numbers and a copy of your passport.
Step 6

Arrange transportation to the airport.