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Here are some pre-trip tips to keep in mind when planning to travel:
- Charge Up—Make sure your tablets and phones are 100% charged before any trip. Though buses, aeroplanes and trains nowadays have USB ports for passengers to charge, it’s best not to plan with them. Let their availability be a backup for your devices. Charge up before you leave home and reduce internet usage to keep your battery life going for longer.
- Start Packing Early—Don’t wait till a day before your trip to pack your suitcase. Start packing at least four days before your trip if you don’t have your travel essentials already pre-packed. The aim is to make sure you are not under duress, so you don’t forget important things. Use a packing list and daily put stuff you may need for your trip into your suitcase.
- Know The Airport Layout—Most air travellers don’t take the time to research the airports they will use, especially if it’s their first time at that airport. This is important for those with connecting flights. If you are travelling with indirect flights, knowing the layout of the airport you may pass through will help you plan layover time.
- Go To Bed Early—I know you think sleeping during the journey is a great way to while away time. But because of current security challenges in Nigeria, it is best you are alert during the trip. So make sure you get some good night’s rest the day before your travel. Go to bed early to enable you to stay awake throughout your journey.
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- Check Your Car If You Are Travelling by Road—If you intend to travel by your car, check the air conditioning and cabin filters, tires, engine cooling system, engine oil and condition. Also check the braking system, battery and electrical parts, emergency kit, windshield wipers and washers.
- Keep Cash Handy—Don’t just pack your wallet full of N1000 bills, have some smaller currencies too. Get some N10, N20, N50, N100 and N200 bills for your wallet along with N500 and N1000. This way, if you buy or pay for something and change is an issue, you can avoid getting cheated.
- Make Digital Copies Of Your Documents—If you are travelling, keep digital copies of your documents on the cloud. Don’t forget to click the available offline option. You can scan your passports or use an app to snap receipts and save them on the cloud. By cloud, we mean on Google drive, Dropbox and any other online storage places available. For example, if you are travelling with kids, have their birth certificate in soft copy, you never know when you’ll need them. Also, download maps or directions and itineraries to your devices for use offline. You never know when the mobile network service will be unavailable. This way, if anything happens to your hard copies, you have digital copies available to print for offline use.
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