#21 Five Little Tips That Make A Big Difference When Moving Abroad
I have a lot of fun writing my blogs and recounting my experiences. But I was thinking, I’d really like to provide more value to people who read it! There’s a lot of things that I’ve learned from bopping from place to place and if I can prevent someone from having a stressful cry in the airport, I want to do it!
Keep a scanned copy of your passport in your phone. One that you can access easily at all times, without wifi. It seems like every other day someone asks me for my Passport ID number. I suggest favoriting that bad boy if you use photos or saving it in your notes labeled passport for easy access.
Have your phone carrier unlock your phone before you go. This makes it easier for you when you arrive to change your SIM card. A lot of phone companies will lock the phone so that a different SIM card won’t work unless authorized by the phone company. It’s a big pain in the butt to have to call your phone company while out of the country and a SIM card is, in my experience, one of the cheapest options for using your phone abroad. I have Verizon so it really depends on your carrier, I know T-Mobile has an awesome international plan. I spend 10 euros per month for my cellular data in Spain whereas with Verizon an international plan would be more like 10 dollars per day… no thx.
Check to see if your credit card company and bank charges international fees. Some companies and certain types of cards charge significantly more than others. If you don’t have one, get a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees! I use Capital One Venture One, though I did recently lose it at a Basque Nightclub, whoops. You should also let the bank and credit card company know you’re going abroad to make sure they don’t block access to your card.
Have all of your important passwords situated. It sucks booty when you try to sign onto something and realize you don’t have a damn clue what your password is. Then you have to have a code sent to your phone but then your phone will be charged international fees and you have to swap the SIM card to get the code… not speaking from experience or anything just, ya know, theoretically. You can also change your phone number on important things like email and credit card verifications to be one of your trustiest close friends or family members so that if needed they can get sent the access code.
Bring the proper converter. You're gonna need a different outlet plug when you’re abroad. I think it’s best to buy one before you go (be sure it’s the right one!!) so that when you get to the airport or your final destination you’re not stuck without being able to charge anything.
If you have any questions or would like to hear my thoughts on a different blogging topic, send me an email! I’d love to hear from you :)