1. It's scary.Whether you're fifteen or fifty, you'll find yourself somewhere between "constantly self-conscious and terrified" and "at ease with the occasional anxiety" depending on how experienced you are.
Relax, it's normal and you're most definitely not alone. Most of the nervousness comes from dealing with something new without anyone around to help or do it for you. When in doubt, just ask for help politely. The other common cause of concern is your safety and not getting lost. Both of these can be managed by taking responsible precautions. For me, since I was travelling abroad for the first time too, even just getting out of my hotel room was a task. I'd delay leaving for some unknown reason. I'd stand in the doorway and suddenly feel like checking my pockets to ensure I had the key card with me. If I had to call the reception, I would actually rehearse what I was going to say. I'd plan my route in great detail and then once I was out in the open, the anxiety would fade and I'd abandon the plan and just roam around.
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If you’re one of those people who have been flying for as long as they can remember and know what to do and where to be at the airport- lucky you! However, if you’re like me- someone who has never even been to the airport (until recently anyway) and is clueless and kind of scared about messing up, fear no more as I break this down for you! 1. Documentation
You’ve decided where you want to go and know that the entirety or part of your journey to your destination includes air travel- now what? The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have a valid travel document i.e. a passport issued by the government of your country that is up-to-date and accurate and does not expire in the very near future (at least until you are due to return home from your stay abroad). Once you’ve got that sorted, you need to find out if you require a visa to visit the country of your destination. This is basically a license to allow you to go to a place outside your country. There are a few possibilities: a) You don’t need a visa. b) You need a visa before leaving your home country. In this case, you need to take into account the time it might take for you to obtain the visa. c) You can obtain a visa on arriving at your destination. d) You need a transit visa for the country where your flight halts. This is applicable for connecting flights in a country that is not your destination. |
AuthorNikita is currently a prospective medical student on a gap year before starting university. She has experience mentoring students for IGCSE and A Level exams. Her current area of interest is neuroscience. Acknowledgement and Gratitude
A heartfelt thank you to the following people for their encouragement, help and support: Mum & Dad Martin, Tina & Roshni Timms Preeti Bhatt Anjana Rathore Sanshriti Mehta Eeshani Juthani Indraja Polubothu Abhishek Ghoshal Vibhavari Desai Ananya Singh Tanishqa Naithani Vineeth Lekkala Archives
August 2017
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