Before embarking in a journey make sure you have a travel insurance and you are up-to-date on routine and travel vaccination/medicines.
Depending on your nationality, check in advance VISA requirements.
Travel costs can be avoided by picking a no-foreign-transaction-fee debit/credit card.
1) Pre travel consultation (aim to do it 8 - 4 weeks before the trip):
If you live in a country almost absent of infectious diseases, you may think rabies has been eradicated worldwide on the XIX century, correct? NO.
In 2016, every 9 minutes one person was dying of rabies. A disease 99.9% fatal and 100% preventable. Pretty sad, isn't it? Good news is the World Health Organization and others are putting tremendous efforts to eliminate human rabies transmitted by dogs by 2030 ( http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/news/Global_framework_eliminate_human_rabies_transmitted_dogs_2030/en/)
What about malaria? There's medication for that... repellent + antimalarial pills and we are out of troubles, correct? It depends.
Symptoms can be mixed with a simple cold and without the proper treatment, the disease can be fatal, as it was the case of a 27-year-old pilot ( https://lifestyle.sapo.pt/saude/noticias-saude/artigos/jovem-tripulante-da-tap-morre-vitima-de-malaria).
With these examples, I do not want to scare you but if you read this article and you are traveling soon, check the vaccines required to entry the country you are planning on visiting. If the country does not require any special vaccine, make sure you read what is recommended.
How do I get the proper medical info?
Very simple! Look for the travel vaccination center in the city/country you live in.
In Portugal, you need to book it in advance but the medical appointment is covered by the national health system and thus, really cheap!
Find out where to do it in Portugal:
https://stg.sns.gov.pt/home/consulta-de-saude-do-viajante-2/
In case you can't book it in advance, you can schedule an appointment in the IHMT (http://www.ihmt.unl.pt/consulta-do-viajante/, 50€) or online (https://www.consultadoviajante.com/, 25€).
Trust your doctor and ask all you need to know for your destination!
2) Travel insurance
I used WorldNomads (https://www.worldnomads.com/), very convenient, you can subscribe online for the time period you need and they offer 24/7 assistance. You can buy the standard or explorer insurance, depending on how adventurous you feel!
3) VISA requirements
I don't know where you are from and where you are going to but I am pretty sure most of the 195 countries in the world will provide official updated informations online. Some countries do not require a VISA for travelers but they do require an online authorization (eVisitor for Australia, ESTA for the USA, etc).
4) Bank account
The best way to avoid credit card scams and cloning when traveling is to withdraw money only in the "big banks" where you see security around. I usually ask in the hostel where I'm staying what is the safest bank to withdraw money. Also, even though it is tempting to pay everything by card (it's not so convenient and safe to carry money all the time), paying by cash will significantly reduce your chances of getting scammed.
Whenever you withdraw money you pay a commission to your bank and an ATM charge. Last time I travelled with my VISA card, I remember paying a 4% transaction fee, it was a very nasty surprise!
I did some research on the subject, and found the REVOLUT card (https://www.revolut.com/), it is an almost tax free card and to me the best bank for travelers. The main advantages are:
Free Euro IBAN account, free bank transfers in 25 currencies and free £200/€200 ATM withdrawals per month. I also love the app and the fact that you can quickly cancel the card in case of "trouble".
I hope my tips were helpful and let me know if you have other suggestions to better plan a trip!