Isn't holiday the opposite of being organized? Now that prospective holiday makers can finally relax and take a break from their everyday routines, they suddenly realize the real organizational challenge only just begins. There are flights and hotels to book, transfers to make, foreign currencies to get used to, and on top of it all they have to decide what to pack!
Here are five tips on the most important things to consider when going on holiday abroad.
The Most Important Travel Tip # 1: Travelers Must Follow Consulate Rules and Customs Regulations
Travelers must always check a few months in advance if their desired destination has particular customs quirks. Will they need inoculations? It may take a holiday maker several weeks to get an appointment and wait for the jabs to work. Some countries don't allow any food in, so it's no good them packing their favorite snacks. Others won't let in pets. And yes, all this does mean some destinations will be off-limits if one makes some hasty last-minute travel plans.
Travel Tip # 2: Three Most Important Items to Pack in One's Luggage
The three packing musts: Tickets (and all the paperwork that goes with them, primarily travel insurance), passport (and a visa if applicable), money (in every shape or form). These are the only three things people really need when they travel. Even if their entire luggage disappears into thin air somewhere between Canberra and Calcutta, these three will get one out of trouble. Holiday makers are advised to keep them in their inner pockets (not wallets) at all times. As they leave the house and jump into the airport-bound cab, they should check one last time: Tickets, passports, money. The rest of their luggage is optional.
Travel Tip # 3: Holiday Makers Must Backup Their Travel Paperwork
Travelers should make scans of their tickets and all the relevant paperwork, primarily travel insurance. It's a good idea to scan every page of their passports, including the empty ones and the covers, and scan the visa if there is one. They should always make sure they have an emergency phone number for their payment card provider, to report it in case of loss or theft.
Once finished taking scans, travelers should print out a copy of everything and keep it somewhere safe in their luggage, apart from the originals (which should be kept in one's inner pockets, not in wallets or hand luggage). It's highly unlikely both get lost or stolen. Still, it can happen! That's why it never hurts to email the scans to one's own e-mail address. This way, even if the travelers find themselves standing naked in the middle of a foreign country, they’ll still have a way of proving their identity and bank balance, provided there's an access to the Internet or to a plain telephone line so they can ask a friend to check their e-mail and forward the copies.
Travel Tip # 4: Flight Transfers Take Time!
When booking a flight, travelers should allow plenty of time for transfers, especially if they travel with children. Many cheaper flights only offer half an hour for a connection. In major airports, it's often barely enough to get out of one plane and on board the other. Add to it frequent arrival delays, inadequate signposting, toilet trips and long lines for security checks, and set the minimum of one hour for your transfer.
Travel Tip # 5: Travelers Need to Get Some Cash in Advance
It's important to have a reasonable amount of the country's currency before leaving. No good waiting till the plane lands. First, it may be late at night so travelers won't be able to use the currency exchange at all, and in some countries, taxi drivers and even hotels still don't accept payment by card or travelers' checks. Second, using the currency exchange point at the airport or railway station might attract pickpockets' attention. Thirdly, it’s always the worst rate one can get.
Here are five tips on the most important things to consider when going on holiday abroad.
The Most Important Travel Tip # 1: Travelers Must Follow Consulate Rules and Customs Regulations
Travelers must always check a few months in advance if their desired destination has particular customs quirks. Will they need inoculations? It may take a holiday maker several weeks to get an appointment and wait for the jabs to work. Some countries don't allow any food in, so it's no good them packing their favorite snacks. Others won't let in pets. And yes, all this does mean some destinations will be off-limits if one makes some hasty last-minute travel plans.
Travel Tip # 2: Three Most Important Items to Pack in One's Luggage
The three packing musts: Tickets (and all the paperwork that goes with them, primarily travel insurance), passport (and a visa if applicable), money (in every shape or form). These are the only three things people really need when they travel. Even if their entire luggage disappears into thin air somewhere between Canberra and Calcutta, these three will get one out of trouble. Holiday makers are advised to keep them in their inner pockets (not wallets) at all times. As they leave the house and jump into the airport-bound cab, they should check one last time: Tickets, passports, money. The rest of their luggage is optional.
Travel Tip # 3: Holiday Makers Must Backup Their Travel Paperwork
Travelers should make scans of their tickets and all the relevant paperwork, primarily travel insurance. It's a good idea to scan every page of their passports, including the empty ones and the covers, and scan the visa if there is one. They should always make sure they have an emergency phone number for their payment card provider, to report it in case of loss or theft.
Once finished taking scans, travelers should print out a copy of everything and keep it somewhere safe in their luggage, apart from the originals (which should be kept in one's inner pockets, not in wallets or hand luggage). It's highly unlikely both get lost or stolen. Still, it can happen! That's why it never hurts to email the scans to one's own e-mail address. This way, even if the travelers find themselves standing naked in the middle of a foreign country, they’ll still have a way of proving their identity and bank balance, provided there's an access to the Internet or to a plain telephone line so they can ask a friend to check their e-mail and forward the copies.
Travel Tip # 4: Flight Transfers Take Time!
When booking a flight, travelers should allow plenty of time for transfers, especially if they travel with children. Many cheaper flights only offer half an hour for a connection. In major airports, it's often barely enough to get out of one plane and on board the other. Add to it frequent arrival delays, inadequate signposting, toilet trips and long lines for security checks, and set the minimum of one hour for your transfer.
Travel Tip # 5: Travelers Need to Get Some Cash in Advance
It's important to have a reasonable amount of the country's currency before leaving. No good waiting till the plane lands. First, it may be late at night so travelers won't be able to use the currency exchange at all, and in some countries, taxi drivers and even hotels still don't accept payment by card or travelers' checks. Second, using the currency exchange point at the airport or railway station might attract pickpockets' attention. Thirdly, it’s always the worst rate one can get.
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