Stepping out of your comfort zone is an essential part of travel, whether you are experiencing the aroma of fresh Italian cooking, visiting a world-class British museum, or admiring the stunning architecture of the churches at the Vatican. For some travelers; however, stepping out of familiar landscapes and exploring relatively unknown places may lead to anxiety.

For example, planning your first trip to Europe can be an overwhelming experience for some vacationers. Europe is a conglomeration of 44 countries and offers myriads of “must visit” destinations and sights. Thus, the chances are that even avid vacationers may have many questions on their mind before beginning their trip.

To avoid mid-trip hassles that may lead to anxiety on your first trip to Europe; therefore, it’s crucial to create an itinerary and make bookings for accommodation and conveyance, before you set off to the continent. Below mentioned are five essential things to keep in mind that will help you spend less time being anxious and more time making memories:

1. Check Your Documents & Keep Them in Order

The first step in your vacation planning must be to get relevant documents such as passport, travel insurance, and medical history in order. You need to make sure that your visa is valid. If the visa is about to expire within six months of your expected date of return, you must renew it before your trip.

Also, keep in mind that if you are planning to rent a car and explore Europe, then you need to check the expiration date of your driver’s license as well. Few countries in Europe do not let you drive unless you have a valid International Driving Permit; therefore, you always need to have the necessary documents on you, to avoid any unexpected ‘roadblocks’ on your trip.

2. Pack Smartly

Packing smart is pivotal to prevent any clothing hassles especially in Europe where the weather changes unexpectedly. If you forget an essential clothing item, for example, you may be left anxious and disappointed to be unable to find the nearest store in Europe.

On the other hand, if you pack too much, you’ll be left laden with heavy bags and hemorrhaging money to pay for costly airline baggage charges.

It would help if you started packing well in advance of your scheduled departure day, to avoid any last-minute hassles.

3. Prepare an Itinerary

Typically, there are two types of travelers - one who like to show up in a new place and wing it and others who become anxious if they do not have a tangible trip itinerary. Therefore, it is advisable that you have a well-researched itinerary in place before you begin your trip.

Moreover, it would help if you tried to stick to your itinerary, especially when you plan to explore the landscape in the best way possible. There is a thin line between a scheduled itinerary and an over-packed schedule. Hence, it would help if you prepared a flexible travel plan so that you do not have to feel like you are rushing from one place to another and end up feeling anxious.

4. Go Cashless with A Travel Forex Card

When you are planning to travel to Europe, then you should be prepared to carry multiple currencies, 28 different currencies to be precise! Thus, it might not be feasible for many travelers to carry different currencies at one time. Also, taking multiple cash currencies can expose you to unexpected hassles such as theft and frauds.

One way to stay clear of these situations is to go for a cashless forex card. A forex card is the easiest way to carry money and pay for expenses on your Europe trip. Unlike international debit and credit card, a forex card involves a lower rate of service charge. Moreover, when you need cash, you can go to the nearby ATM and withdraw the local currency.

Travel forex cards from reputable financial institutions such as Axis Bank are not only easy to apply but also provide a seamless way to handle transactions during your Europe trip, almost eliminating the need to carry cash.