Time and again we have heard traveling is the best form of education, and rightly so. The greater your exposure, the better your understanding of and connection with things. There’s also no denying that people respond far better to visual learning than text. There is no other more interesting way to learn than traveling.

Outlining some of the reasons traveling is the best form of education:

1. Helps tapping into your management skills (from planning the best commute to packing the bags to deciding on the hotels to stay at and places to visit) as you are on the run from the word go the moment you decide to travel to a certain destination, so that everything is organized to reach the final destination. You also learn to invest wisely with all the budget planning.

2. You get to gain a great deal of experience. Travel gives you the opportunity to come out of your comfortable cocoon and experience the real world. Traveling teaches you to take risks that can improve your life by boosting your confidence considering the number of incidents, situations you come across and people you get to meet on your trip. Traveling helps develop your core. It pumps you to take the less trodden path.

3. Traveling offers a great opportunity to experience the culture and diversity of another country more closely. You get a better understanding of various cultures around the world, of people from different countries, their language, their food-habits, etc. It will make you more accepting of people.

4. Traveling hugely contributes to both physical and mental health. Keep issues like uncontrollable weight gain, persistent nagging, stress, etc. at bay if you are an avid traveler.

5. In life, you must always be prepared for uncertainty, always expect the unexpected. Traveling actually prepares you to endure challenges. There are no two ways about the fact that travelers or explorers come across many challenges on their journey. This will help you take on any challenge in your life’s journey head-on and also help you to smoothly sail through it. Things hardly go completely as per the plan on your trip. The same holds true for life.

6. Introverts find it difficult to gel with others. This is where traveling comes into the picture, which is said to be the best form of exposure one needs to develop social and communication skills. See for yourself how that hidden anxiety and dilemma has taken a backseat as you start taking trips around the world.

Packing is a vital aspect if you are about to depart on a long-awaited overseas travel. It’s just 2-3 days before the day of departure that we are hit by the fact that packing is yet to be done. In a hurry, we forget one thing or the other and then we’re left disappointed and scrambling to find the nearest store (for that essential item) in an alien destination.

However, this comprehensive packing list got you covered. This list will also help you to pack lighter, more efficient and better:

1. For international travel, you must carry the vital documents, including your passport, traveling visa if required, a child travel consent if you’re traveling with children, a copy of your travel insurance, a copy of your boarding pass, your international driver’s license to easily rent and drive a car on foreign land (look up International Driver’s License translation services online to acquire your IDL), and other documents like hotel reservations, a piece of paper with emergency contacts, etc.

2. Don’t forget to pack in your camera, laptop, smartphone, e-reader, headphones, tablet, dual-voltage chargers for all your devices that you’re planning on using, get a power adapter, and pack your power bank.

3. Pack in medication and toiletries, such as sunscreen, face wash, make-up, contacts, make-up remover wipes, shaving cream, shavers, hair-gel or hairspray, perfume, and dry shampoo. Shower gel, toothbrush, mouthwash, toothpaste, and shampoo you’ll get at the hotels only. Also, carry the prescription with you in case you run out.

4. Other things that we tend to forget to pack include food and snacks, an empty bag for dirty clothes, a few zip-locks, plastics bags, and a tote bag, sunglasses, vision glasses and a case, hand sanitizer, paper/pen, a fork, and a spoon, a cup and a plate, cash, keys, and a luggage scale (if you have one).

5. Lastly, your clothes. Make sure to always choose the lighter one between two similar options.