Are you ready to go on holiday ? A useful pre-travel checklist
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.