Here's how to prepare for your trip without stress and the benefits of an eVisa!
Last updated: 29. July 2022
While many people welcome fall with a warm blanket, right now is the best time to leave the country. The high season is over, flights and hotel rooms are cheaper and the attractions and beaches are less visited. This just screams for a spontaneous relaxation trip. But how can you make your travel stress-free and where should you go?? Proper trip preparation is essential.
When was the last time you applied for a visa for a trip?? Did you forget before traveling and then have to apply for a visa on arrival? The first step to avoid stress is of course a good travel preparation. This includes not only finding out about travel restrictions in your destination country, but also the necessary documents needed to enter the country. To avoid complications on arrival in Egypt, you should apply for an Egypt visa for Germans before you start your trip.
Why does traveling become stressful so quickly??
You want to go on vacation, maybe to save yourself from burnout, but as soon as your trip starts, you realize that it is not relaxing at all. On the contrary, the many preparations and planning tasks almost drive you crazy.
Of course, this is by no means the purpose of the vacation. Nevertheless, it is clear that a large proportion of Germans are enormously stressed by vacation planning. According to Expedia's "Travel Companion Study", about 45% of Germans feel more stressed when they have to book a trip abroad within the next 12 months.
Corona-related travel restrictions in a wide variety of countries add to stress levels. There are more and more paperwork and tasks that need to be completed before departure, and even after arrival, there are significantly more regulations that need to be followed on site.
How to make travel preparations stress-free?
Ironically, planning can cause or alleviate stress. In fact, it's basically more of an "experience pressure" that makes the planning stressful, and not so much the actual paperwork. Of course, having all the documents filled out before the trip will help you manage your stress.
What do I need to keep in mind to travel stress free?
Apply for your visa in advance!
If you want to travel outside the Schengen area, you need a visa beforehand. This is easiest to apply for as an eVisa before departure. An eVisa does not completely replace the so-called "visa on arrival", but this way you save yourself a lot of stress upon arrival.
Find out about corona restrictions
It seems overwhelming at first glance, but it's actually not that much of a hassle. Let's take Egypt as an example: Your first search should definitely lead you to the website of the German Foreign Office. There you will find all current travel regulations and restrictions, whether you need to fill out a PLF (Passenger Locator Form) and what regulations apply locally.
In case of Egypt you need a negative PCR test, which must not be older than 72 hours and must be filled out in English or Arabic. It may be required that the test has a QR code. Alternatively, German travelers are also required to have a vaccination or a vaccination certificate. Recovery confirmation accepted.
These regulations do not seem too unusual at first sight. Nevertheless you have to inform yourself in any case individually about the valid rules of your destination country beforehand. You can always consult the page of the diplomatic mission in Berlin.
(Planless) travel preparation without stress
It depends on you, of course, whether you prefer to go on the thoroughly organized all-inclusive vacation or on the "the way-is-the-destination vacation" in order to relax. If you've mostly chosen the planned path so far, i.e. carefully thought out the stops on your trip in advance, but stress still came up on vacation, maybe it's time to choose the unplanned path, the path of self-discovery?
We have already seen that often the planning of the trip itself is the cause of stress. An alternative to this can be to do without major planning. This unplanned form of travel has other risks, which need to be weighed up in advance. For example, there might be situations where you don't know in the morning where you will stay in the evening.
The security of a booked hotel room may help you drift, but it may also limit you. However, if you are willing to take these risks, an unplanned vacation can be quite exciting and relaxing.
The most important point to remember about unplanned trips is always: take things as they come! Don't worry too much about tomorrow, but let yourself be guided by what happens on the way. Do not set goals! As long as you are on the road, interesting and enriching things will happen. You will realize in the end that it was worth it and the richness of experience of this trip was much more relaxing than the pressure of experience you are used to.