Traveling is the best, right? Seeing the world, experiencing new countries, exploring new landscapes and cuisines - what could be better? That being said, you have to be prepared to get the most out of your experience without all the added stress.

These are our 4 must-dos when you’re traveling out of the country:

1. Bring Foreign Currency

This might sound like a no-brainer, but you never know what type of situation you are going to find yourself in. Sure, you have an international credit card, but it’s still vital to carry cash with you in case, for some reason, a place can’t take your card. Cold, hard cash is always accepted internationally (those pesky card-only establishments are mostly stateside).

2. Make a List of Your “Have To” Items

Showing up to the location of your dreams without a list of the things you absolutely have to do is a rookie mistake. Vacations are only as good as you make them, so be sure to set some time aside before you leave to lay out at least one big thing to do every day. This will leave you feeling like no time is wasted. You don’t want to get swept up in the moment, only to return home and realize you forgot to do the #1 thing you planned to do before you left for your trip.

3. Drink Water

Drinking water is a must-do day-to-day, but it’s especially important when traveling. Staying hydrated will keep you feeling good and limit the number of headaches you have before, during, and after your flight. There is already enough stress with flying - why add dehydration to the mix? We know, it doesn’t taste that great and lugging around water bottles isn’t that fun, but trust us, water is going to make your flight AND your trip a lot better.

4. Hit Up Some Locals

No one knows your destination quite like the people that actually live there. Locals can be a great source for finding food, bars and places that you would never find on TripAdvisor or a comparable site. Not only will these places be tried and true, they will often be a lot less crowded with other tourists, so you can experience the vibe of the culture in a much more in-depth way.