Every year over 8 million Australians travel overseas!
We want to make sure that that your travel experience is the best that can be so our team at Go Insurance has put together some basic travel hints to help you enjoy that next trip.
Here are some of our best Travel Tips.
- Always register your travel plans with Smart Traveler (www.smartraveller.gov.au) and stay up to date with events in destinations you plan to visit.
- Be mindful of and familiarise yourself with the values and expectations in your host country. In some countries the way you dress or behave may result in alienation, discomfort and in extreme situations prosecution.
- Be careful what you photograph. In Australia, we often taken for granted that we can take a photograph of just about anything. In some countries this is an offence. Do your research before photographing especially if it’s a government building or similar.
- Make copies of your important documents. Photocopy your passport and travel documents prior to you leaving Australia. Leave a copy with a friend or relative and also take a copy with you and store them in a different place to your travel documentation. In the event of loss, this can speed up access to replacement documents.
- Make sure your passport has at least six months validity from your planned date of travel. Many countries will not admit you if your passport does not have at least six months or longer to its expiry date.
- Check if you need a Visa. Some countries require a visa and it is wise to check with your travel agent or airline if a visa is needed to travel. Avoid embarrassment and disruption at the overseas airport if you don’t have one. Failing to obtain the correct Visa’s will not be covered by your travel insurance.
- Drivers licence. You must not assume that you can drive overseas on your Australian licence. In some countries you’ll need an international driving permit to rent or drive a car. These permits are available from an automobile club Association and the State or Territory government where your license is current.
- Travel light. Work out how many clothes you need and try to keep these to a minimum.
- Backup your photos. With modern digital cameras is very easy to take thousands of photographs on your trip. Consider a small portable hard drive to backup your photographs. If you are taking a computer with Internet access use a product like DropBox to upload your photographs and save them.
- Lastly, but most importantly. Make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance to protect you and leave the details of you Go Insurance policy with a friend or relative back home.