You returned home from your travels and you feel lost and confused?
What to do first and where to start?
Just read this list of things you must do after travelling! 🙂
1. Check Your Bank and Credit Card Statements
The first and most important thing to do when you return home from your travels is to carefully examine your bank and credit card statements. You should also continue to do so for several months if you used credit or debit cards on your travels. There are so many cases when people’s bank accounts were hacked because they used a card to withdraw cash from ATM or by paying with their card in unsafe places.
If you notice any unusual charges on your statement, go to your bank right away so they can resolve the issue and block your cards before all your money is gone.
What criminals do is they insert a plastic sleeve into an ATM’s card slot which then captures your card. They also install a small camera on an ATM which records you typing in your PIN. Then they either hack it using this information or sometimes your card even gets stuck. What they do next is they retrieve it and withdraw cash using your PIN.
So to be safe try to use ATMs as little as possible. Also when typing in your PIN always cover the numbers with your hand. Memorize your PIN, and never write it down in an obvious place (don’t keep it in your wallet!).
Additional tips:
- avoid using ATMs at night
- always watch someone else use the ATM successfully before you insert your card
- use cash as often as possible (keep it in a money belt)
- always keep the ATM and transaction receipts in case you would need to dispute a transaction
2. Make Insurance Claims If Necessary
In case you used your travel insurance on your trip (if you got sick on your trip and used a doctor or hospital services or your things got stolen) the next thing to do when you come home is to make your insurance claims. You shouldn’t put it off and wait too long because often times there are time limits in the fine print of your policy. So if you wait too long you may be ineligible for coverage.
It is also very important to ALWAYS KEEP THE RECEIPTS for the services you used because you have to present them when claiming your money from the insurance company.
So what you should do is gather all the necessary documents and file your claim as soon as you can.
3. Take Care of Your Body and Health
Travel is beneficial in so many ways but it can also be exhausting, especially for our physical health. Crossing time zones, eating heavy meals in restaurants, eating exotic foods and changing our diet for a while, having lots of physical activities, stressing out over flight delays, not getting enough quality sleep, the climate changes and the list goes on. These are just a few of the ways how travel can be hard on our bodies.
So when you get home, take care of yourself and your body. Have a self-care pampering session, rehydrate yourself by drinking lots of water, eat healthy foods and get enough rest. 🙂
Don’t try to force yourself to adjust to a different time zone too fast. Rather than that take a nap and let your body do it slowly at its own pace. Give yourself time to adjust to the new environment and to get back in the rhythm of everyday tasks.
4. Answer Your Emails
There are probably tons of emails waiting for you on your return especially if you travelled for longer and if you didn’t keep up with email during your trip. So just sit down and reply to all of the important ones in one shot.
5. Write Down Your Memories
If you didn’t keep a journal while travelling write down all your favourite moments and memories while they are still fresh in your head. You can also write down the names of all the places and the attractions you’ve visited as well as the foods you’ve tried and the people you’ve met. Write down everything you know will make you happy reading it back in some years!
6. Filter and Order Your Photos
If you are like me you probably always return home with tons of photos in your camera. I’m in love with photography and I love capturing the details as well as the bigger things. So the number of photos gets big pretty easily! And that is why it so important to order them when you come home. Delete the bad ones, make a selection of your favourites and maybe make some folders to organise them even more. These can be named by the locations you’ve visited, by days of your travels or however you want it. You can also caption your photos to remember the name of the place or attraction you photographed.
7. Share Your Experiences
Next thing I usually do with my photos is I create a selection of the best ones and then I organise a family gathering where I have a presentation of my trip, the country and all the places I’ve been to. I also prepare some text about the interesting facts about the places I’m showing on the photos and sometimes I even make some traditional food that we would eat while watching the photos together. It is always so much fun and I love to share my experiences and what I’ve learned with my loved ones. I love when they feel like they’ve been on the trip with me after the presentations!
So share your experiences with family and friends. Sharing is caring they say! 🙂
8. Use the Inspiration!
Travelling always leaves us inspired and full of new ideas and motivation.
So use this inspiration and take action to better your own life and the lives of others! Don’t just fall back into your everyday routine but use the knowledge you gained on the road! Stay inspired and start following your heart and your dreams. 🙂
Read this post about Everything you learn on the road.
9. Start Planning Your Next Trip!
You know it – you’ve been bitten by a travel bug!
There are so many amazing places to see and travel to that we can’t run out of ideas and inspiration. To avoid the so-called post-vacation blues and to have something to look forward to, start planning your next trip. It’s never too early for that! 🙂
Write a list of places you would like to visit (if you don’t have one already) and start planning. Use this awesome list of travel resources that will help you with research and planning and enjoy the process!
These are my top 9 tips for things you must do after travelling.
I hope you find this list useful and inspiring and that you will implement these tips next time you return from your big adventure!
Is there something you would add to this list?
And what is your must do thing after coming back from a trip?
Share your thoughts in the comments! 🙂
