Traveling to a new country you have little knowledge about can be a recipe for awkwardness. However, if you do your homework before you travel, you prepare yourself for the unknown, spend less, and enjoy more.
Put your health and safety first
Traveling to areas where civil unrest (骚乱) or natural disasters are occurring can put you at risk, so research current events in your destination. Set an alert on Google Alerts for your destination at least two weeks before your trip. This will provide you with relevant news stories about your destination on a daily basis. You can also:
√ Check your government's travel advisory website.
√ Ask local residents via social media or online forums.
√ Contact the hotel's manager or the owner of the place where you are staying.
Don't let foul weather ruin a trip
Before traveling, know the weather you’ll encounter there. Poor weather upsets travel plans every day. For international trips, that impact can be more far-reaching. Take this situation for instance. A thunderstorm delays your international flight. That delay causes you to miss your connecting flight to your destination city. Now, you won’t be able to arrive until a day later, which means all of your reservations, hotel, rental car, event tickets, etc., must be changed or cancelled. However, since these reservations are often non-refundable (不可退款的), you could be stuck paying for things you cannot use.
Luckily, a travel insurance plan can allow you to be compensated for covered expenses you are not able to use, protecting your wallet from the uncertainties of international travel.
Take care of your travel documents
Tourists are easy targets for thieves. Carrying originals of your important documents can allow them to get stolen or lost. Keep scanned versions of these documents handy: photocopy of your passport, proof of financial support for your trip, your plane tickets, details of the purpose of your trip, application fee and travel insurance.
【小题1】What may be the function of Google Alerts?| A．It helps you check travel advisory website. |
| B．It helps you communicate with local residents. |
| C．It prevents you from getting involved in the civil unrest. |
| D．It informs you of the latest happenings in your destination. |
| A．By avoiding paying online in advance. | B．By making complaints to the managers. |
| C．By buying relevant insurance beforehand. | D．By checking the weather forecast carefully. |
| A．in case of emergency | B．to keep the originals safe |
| C．so that they will not get stolen | D．because they are needed in many situations |
