The perfect trip should start with a pre-packed suitcase, all tasks completed, and full combat readiness. In short, not at all like mine.

May. The euphoria of finishing exams early took its toll: I bought a ticket for the next flight to New York, packed my bags in a couple of hours, and didn't sleep the night before the flight. Total disorganization led to me almost missing the flight: I flew into the plane cabin a minute before boarding closed. During the next ten hours of flight, I had enough time to make a whole list of forgotten/unbought/unfinished things.

So, to start, I will answer the question: what do you need to manage to do before leaving for a long trip? This list helps me save my nerves on every new trip.

1. Block all unnecessary services
   This point saves not only the aforementioned nerves but also money. So, turn off water, electricity, and other benefits of civilization. I will write separately about SIM cards: if you, like me, have a subscription fee and so on - be sure to call your mobile operator and turn off all these innovations before your departure. When I returned from America six months later, my debt on my accounts was equal to the cost of a theoretical new trip. It was sad, but instructive.

2. Get insured
   This is a very important point. Looking ahead, I will say: if I had bought insurance that was a bit more expensive (and not the basic one), there would have been no problems with a dislocated leg and other ailments at all. Do not rely on your luck, which can suddenly disappear at the most unexpected moment.

3. Solve the money issue
   I advise you to leave a couple of thousand rubles for expenses before and after the trip (for example, for a taxi when you return to Russia). Exchange the rest of the money for the currency of the country you are traveling to. Put half of the exchanged money on a card, and carry the other half in cash. This way you will avoid such a problem as a bank card forgotten in Russia and a complete lack of money. When I realized at the New York airport that the card with all my money was left in my homeland and there was no money even for a subway ticket, I started calculating in my head how much time I would need to walk to Manhattan.

4. Check your health
   It is very important to make sure that you will not need medical help in another country. That is why you should visit a therapist and all other specialists in advance to be sure that you won't have to spend all your saved money on a sore tooth, for example, in another country. In addition, if you are going to one of the exotic countries, do not be lazy to get all the necessary vaccinations so that in the future you do not bring back a whole set of different diseases in addition to souvenirs.

5. Assemble your own first-aid kit
   I decided to bring this point to a separate discussion. So, stock up on all the basic medicines: for headaches, fever, nausea, diarrhea, and everything else, so as not to frantically search for a foreign equivalent on foreign shelves. There is room for a couple of pills in any bag (especially a woman's).

6. Prepare all necessary documents
   One of my friends couldn't fly on her long-awaited trip to London just because she forgot her passport at home. I think no one needs to be reminded that you need to carefully collect all documents in one stack. I would also advise making copies of all these documents, which you can leave with relatives, and in case of losing your passport or insurance policy, for example, you can turn to them for help. This will be a great help if something gets lost during the trip. Attach a couple of thousand rubles to these copies, which your friends/relatives can send you in an emergency.

7. Write down all phone numbers, contacts, and addresses in a separate place
   Here we smoothly moved on to emergency (and not so emergency) situations. Since I write all my notes based on personal experience, I will also admit the following: when I flew to New York, I needed to find a friend of my friend (whom I had never seen before), because I was supposed to stay with this person until the next day. After landing in the city of my dreams and the passing feeling of euphoria, I realized that my phone had not survived the trip as happily as I had: it turned off and showed no signs of life. Of course, I could say goodbye to the young man's number, as well as all the others. I was saved by a scrap of paper with his address, which I scribbled down back in Russia a couple of minutes before departure. That is why, dear friends, get a separate small notebook in which you write down all vital numbers, contacts, phones, and addresses. Even in the age of electronic innovations, the usual system can fail.

8. Save everything important to a hard drive
   There are some photos, videos, and documents that are priceless to me. I think everyone has something they want to take with them on a long journey or is simply afraid of losing. I advise you to devote more time to your computer and save all the most important photos, memorable videos, and everything else so close to your heart, to be calm that this valuable cargo is always nearby.

9. Think about gifts for foreigners
   During your trip, you will have many new friends from all corners of the planet. They will be happy to receive something from you for a long memory. This does not mean at all that you need to bring countless felt boots or scarves from Russia. Believe me, foreigners will be happy with any trifle brought from another part of the world: a chocolate bar, a coin, or even a Moscow metro ticket (especially if you write some cute wish on it). The most valuable gifts, ironically, may not cost you a penny.

10. Pack your suitcase
    This is a very important point, but many (including me) for some reason leave it for last. My advice is to put a suitcase in a convenient place two or three weeks before the expected date of departure and periodically throw things into it that you think will be useful to you on the trip. Thus, you can gradually pack your suitcase thoroughly and absolutely without haste. Theoretically, by the time you leave, a whole mountain of things will accumulate, and it will only remain to sort: what goes with you, and what will stay at home.

There is nothing better than the feeling of freedom when all your affairs are completed and you are going on a big trip.

Together with my friends, I visited 32 states, hundreds of beautiful cities, famous volcanoes, waterfalls, lakes, and much, much more. Despite all the incidents (tick bites, a dislocated leg, falling off a bike, a phone that was carried away by the ocean, a lost passport, wolves around the tent, a night meeting with bandits, and much, much more), the trip to America became the longest and most memorable journey of my life.

If you have any questions, tips, or are just interested in something, write in the comments. I will be glad to exchange experience and impressions)