13 June 2018

In April 2018, I was lucky enough to spend a week in this exotic, tropical part of India exploring all it has to offer and visiting a wide selection of hotels, sights and attractions. Hot weather (and hot food), colourful, vibrant, chaotic driving, wildlife, diverse culture, interesting history, tropical thunderstorms and lovely people with warm smiles are descriptions that spring to mind when thinking of Kerala, often described locally as “God’s own Country”. Ranging from the cooler forested heights of the Western Ghats to the houseboats on the famed Backwaters, beaches and the historic city of Cochin, and interspersed with a range of wildlife parks, Kerala certainly has variety. It feels so completely different to the North of India in so many ways that it could almost be a different country. With friendly people, great food, plenty of decent hotels, good airports and a surprisingly good road network, Kerala is well worth considering for a holiday to India.

13 June 2018

I’m delighted you’ve got your holiday booked, but there are still a few further important things you’ll need to do before you travel and here’s a list of the main ones. Passport Please do check your passport is up to date and has a minimum of 6 months validity from date of entry or date of exit to the country your visiting (the entry / exit requirement varies from one country to another). It takes longer for the Passport Office to renew passports in the late spring/summer months so don’t leave it too late to apply for a new one. If you do update your passport, please do let me know and I can then make sure the booking is also fully up to date avoiding any surprises at the airport! I’ll remind you when you have less than 6 months remaining on your passport in future. Travel Insurance This should be in place from time of booking, not time of departure as it then ensures you’re covered in case of cancellation for medical or emergency reasons. Please ensure your travel insurance is applicable to the countries you’re visiting. The USA and Canada are usually on top of ‘standard’ travel insurance. Take the details with you in case you should need to claim whilst you’re away. If you need any help organising this do please let me know. Visas Please check with me if you need a visa for the countries you are travelling to. If you need to apply online for a visa or a visa waiver, please ensure you’re using the official government website for that country as many ‘knock-off’ websites exist which look very similar but which charge considerably more. Tours, Shows, Attractions and Tickets If there are any particular things you’d like to do whilst on your holiday, or if you’d like some suggestions, do please ask me as I can supply tickets in advance for a huge variety of different things from major sporting events, to Broadway shows, to tailor made tours at a very competitive prices and without having to wait in a queue whilst you’re on your holiday to buy tickets. Allergies or Dietary requirements, Assistance at the airport If you have any allergies or dietary requirements that I should let the airline and/or hotel know about, please do let me know. If you need any assistance at the airport or upon arrival do please let me know as I’ll be able to assist you with this. Vaccinations Please check with the travel nurse at your local GP to determine what vaccinations may be required for your destination. Many of these need to be provided some months in advance over a course of vaccinations so it’s best not to leave these too the last minute and there may be a charge for these. There’s also more information available on the NH travel website http://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk Data/phone connections whilst abroad Roaming charges for phones and tablets can be excessively high when abroad and it’s best to check with your UK provider what the charges will be before you depart on holiday as they may have special packages available to suit you. It’s a good idea to check that phones and tablets are set to ‘No Data Roaming’ before you arrive at your destination so there are no surprises (especially on children’s phones!) If you need more information on this do let me know as there are some specialist providers I can put you in touch with. Cash Cards, Foreign Currency Cards Credit and Debit cards can charge hefty fees for use overseas and foreign currency cards offer an efficient alternative to this. There are many available these days with plenty of information online. The Post Office, Caxton FX and Fair FX to name but a few. Do make sure you can use or transfer any balance left on the card on your return home to the UK – not all cards offer this. It’s also worth letting your bank/credit card provider know if you’re planning to use your cards overseas so that they don’t block your card the first time you use it. Hire Cars and Driving licences If you’re hiring a car overseas it’s recommended to take a Driving Licence check code with you. This is easily applied for via the GOV website https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence and takes the place of the paper counterpart of our UK driving licences and allows the supplier of the vehicle to check your licence details online – it’s not often asked for but it’s worth taking with you. This can only be applied for 21 days prior to collecting the rental vehicle. It’s also worth considering taking out Car Hire Excess Insurance which covers you in case something happens to the hire car whilst it’s in your care. It is a lot cheaper to organise this in advance rather than taking the optional cover offered by the hire car company. There are plenty of organisations offering this online and good advice can be found on Money Saving Expert. Kennels/Catteries Have you booked your pets into a kennel/cattery for the period whilst you’re away? These do get booked up many months in advance over the peak holiday periods. Holding or re-directing your post whilst away A pile of post can indicate to potential intruders that you’re away and it’s simple enough to ask the Royal Mail to hold it for you until you get back via their Keepsafe option found on their website: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/keepsafe/ Do you need extra baggage allowance? It’s usually much cheaper, and sometimes essential, to book this in advance. Do let me know if you need any help or advice on this. Smart Bags In accordance with the regulations issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) towards ensuring flight safety, airlines will not accept Smart Bags with non-removable lithium batteries as hand or checked baggage on any flight. Smart Bags with removable batteries will be accepted if the battery is removed and carried separately in hand baggage. Smart Bags are bags with built-in features such as GPS locators, USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, charging ports, remote lock systems and weight scales. If you need any help with any of these or anything else, do please get in touch.

31 January 2018

Are you really getting what you deserve from your travel agent? Here are a few things you should be asking yourself or your agent next time you’re thinking about booking a holiday: 1. Is the agent you have chosen, experienced enough to guide you on where to stay and what to do in the destination/s you are interested in visiting? 2. What’s driving the decision behind the offer put to you by the travel agent? Are they really independent or are they looking to sell a particular destination? 3. Does the agent offer the airline(s) that best suits your requirements? Your holiday requirements are unique to you and the agent really needs to take the time to understand these first. Are you clear what the costs are to make changes prior to travel and whilst you are away? 4. Who do you call if you need help whilst you’re away? Once you’ve departed on your holiday, many agents will pass the responsibility to the airline and if multiple airlines are utilised, it’s the dominant airline, usually the first carrier out of the UK. 5. Do you know what your cancellation options are prior to travelling? Often you can, it will usually incur a cancellation fee, so do ask what that fee is. If your airfare is non-refundable you may still have options to take a credit and use this against other flights within the same airline network. 6. Do ask the agent to organise any special meals required and seat preferences; are they happy to do this for you? Do they discuss with you what’s available on your flights? 7. Are child meals required? Does your agent book them for you? 8. Do you require wheelchair assistance or any other special requirements? If the agent knows this, they can enquire with the airlines on your behalf and help to arrange this. 9. Once your ticket is issued, has the agent given you an itinerary and receipt? Has your agent run through the documents with you to make sure you’re clear on everything? 10. Have they added in your Frequent Flyer membership? A good habit is to keep your boarding passes anyway and claim retrospectively in case some flights are missed. 11. Have they reminded you that you should have suitable and adequate travel insurance from the date of booking? 12. Have they checked passport/s for at least 6 months validity (in general) for travel overseas and does name on ticket/s match passport name exactly without typing errors? 13. If situations change beyond your control whilst you are away who are you going to contact? Does your agent take proactive steps to contact you on holiday to update you on an emerging situation? Not getting the service you deserve? Book direct with Travel Counsellors as we are independent, experienced and totally passionate about getting it exactly right for your next holiday.