Business or vacation travel rarely goes 100% as planned. Lousy weather, flight delays, missed connections, road constructions, and human error can be at fault. That's why it pays to be prepared. Regardless of having a WiFi-enabled computer or smartphone, you'll save on time and stress by including these numbers in your address book before you leave home.
- Airline. What happens if your flight gets canceled? Or if your gate was changed. Adding the airline's 800-number makes it easy to check for delays/gate before you arrive.
- Hotel front desk & concierge. It's always helpful to have the address of your destination on your device. Sometimes cab drivers are not familiar with every point of interest. Having the address will save time navigating the route. Knowing the phone number of the hotel front desk and the concierge is also advised. This will allow you to quickly notify the property if you are delayed or need to make changes to your stay. It will also make it easy to ask for advice regarding dining and area points of interest.
- Consulate or Embassy. If leaving the country, it's essential to know where to go and who to call if you encounter a significant problem like a lost or stolen passport. For peace of mind, be sure to add the phone number and address before you leave home.
- Car service or local cab company. Since airports usually have courtesy phones or taxi stands, some people feel that having these numbers on your phone is unnecessary. A car service like ExecuCar or USA Limo is good backups to add to your directory. Seasoned travelers also recommend either looking up a local cab's number before leaving home or, at least, adding it off the side of a taxi at the airport.
- Bank/credit card hotlines. Because credit cards can be lost or stolen, it can't hurt to enter the bank 's/credit card emergency number into your phone. This will allow you to resolve an issue quickly.
- Emergency Contacts: This goes without saying, but it is good to have the numbers of several trustworthy relatives or friends.
- Your Doctor: Include your doctor's phone number if you have a non-emergency health concern or need a prescription written while you are away from home.
- Health Insurance Company: What if you become ill or injured while away and need to verify your insurance coverage? Having this information handy will streamline the process when you shouldn't have to worry about it.
Experts also say as a backup, it's helpful to have these numbers written down somewhere or stored online should you lose your phone or not be able to use it.
