Are you getting ready to travel around the world for the first time? International travel is a completely different beast than traveling within the country. There are special considerations you’ll need to make. When you’re traveling abroad, consider the following tips.

1. Recheck All Reservations

It’s important that you check in on all of your reservations. If you don’t, you’re likely to get left behind or have problems when you get to your destination. Give a quick call or send an email to each place you’ve made reservations, just to ensure they’re correct. For example, if you’re flying Air France, make sure to call their customer service to ensure that your flight is booked correctly. Don’t forget to check on things like tours or specific restaurant reservations you made in advance.

2. Check Your Medical Coverage

Do you know if you’ll be covered if you have to go to the doctor while you’re traveling? All it takes is a quick call to your insurance provider to find out. You need to know before you leave whether you only have emergency coverage, full coverage, or none at all while you're overseas. This will help you make proper medical decisions while you’re traveling.

3. Bring Extra Copies of Everything

Sure, you have your passport, visa, ID, and everything else you need with you, right? Make sure that before you leave, you make photocopies of all of this. Keep the copies separate from everything else. These copies won’t be official documents, but they will help you if your originals are stolen or lost while you’re gone. You’re going to need to have these to prove who you are. Without proper documentation, you’ll have trouble getting help at the embassy if you need it.

4. Pack Light

Think about the traveling you’re doing. You don’t want to be lugging around huge bags the whole time, right? Bring what you need, but try to ensure that you pack as lightly as possible. Do you really need three outfits a day for your entire trip? This is especially true if you plan to move around from area to area or hotel to hotel. The more you move, the fewer items you want to have with you.

5. Exchange Some Currency Ahead of Time

Before you leave, head to your bank. Exchange some of your trip budget for the currency you’ll be using while you’re on vacation. This will ensure that you don’t have to deal with extra fees and higher exchange rates at the airport or bus station. Exchange enough money for one or two days, but more than that and it’s going to get expensive in exchange fees. Along with this, while you’re at the bank it’s a good idea to let them know you’ll be traveling, especially if you use a debit card.

When you travel internationally, it’s important to make sure to plan ahead so that you’re able to avoid as many problems as possible. The most important thing you can do on your trip, however, is to have a great time.