Who doesn’t love a good holiday? Now winter’s coming, we may be more tempted than ever to head overseas. A weekend on a beach in Portugal sounds a lot better than another one spent in dreary London. Traveling overseas is a great way to explore new places and hunt out some sun when we’re lacking, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you head off overseas. Here are my favourite simple tips for traveling overseas.

1. Sort Out Your Health Insurance

I have met too many people who like to take the risk of traveling overseas without medical insurance. There would be no worse way to end a holiday than ending up in hospital with huge bills you cannot afford to pay. Don’t even consider the risk. Many countries around the world have special health care exchanges. If you’re based in the UK then you should ensure that your EHIC card is valid. If not, check out this helpful link: EHIC Renew and Replace your card here. If you’re not, then you might want to look into a comprehensive travel insurance that covers medical care.

2. Check Ahead for Discounts

Planning to visit a lot of special monuments and museums? Depending where you’re heading, you might be surprised to find out how expensive each of these things are. A few galleries and museums and you can easily be breaking the bank. Many cities, particularly around Europe, have special travel cards that you can either buy or find for free, that include reduced cost or free access to a selection of the most population tourist attractions. Totally worth looking into, just make sure that there’s enough savings to make it worth your while.

3. Download Skype Onto Your Smartphone

Keeping in touch with loved ones has become even easier now we have all the modern conveniences that the Internet affords. One of my biggest tips is to download Skype so that you can call other phones or computers with Skype installed. Another great feature of Skype is that for a small hourly rate you can call actual home phones and get through to people who perhaps are not with cellphones all the time. It makes being away from home easier to deal with as you can still keep in touch with those you love.

4. Learn Some Key Phrases

If you’re traveling somewhere that doesn’t speak the same language, then why not learn a few phrases. The locals will really appreciate your effort, and you might even find yourself being treated more kindly out of respect. It’s very easy as an English speaker to get by with English in most parts of world, so the extra effort to learn a little of the local lingo will be greatly appreciated.

Travel is one of the best gifts you can give yourself, just make sure you’ve read these tips to make your next trip even better!