Notify Family, Friends
and Relatives:
Before leaving on holiday, make sure that you give all travel
information to your family and close friends. If anything should happen while
travelling, multiple people know where you are and have a better chance of
getting a hold of you and others who might need to reach you. Prepare
photocopies of your passport, airline tickets, accommodation booking form. It
might also help if you leave telephone numbers of where you are stopping just
in case anyone needs to get in touch with you urgently.
Do you have a valid
Visa and/or passport?
ALWAYS check your passport and ensure that you renew your visa
or apply for one before departing. Make sure your passport does not expire
within 6 months of your date of travel. A large majority of countries insist
that your passport be valid for at least that time period or a year. Make a
copy, in case you lose it while on vacation, you can send the copy to your
Embassy.
E111 Medical form:
Still thousands of UK holidaymakers go on holiday without
getting a signed E111 form from your local medical practitioner. This form is
free and means that whilst you are in a country which is a member of the
European community you will receive free or subsidized medical treatment. Be
warned through this does not mean you are covered for return flights, transfers
from destination to hospital, and pharmacy costs.
Travel Insurance:
Millions of holidaymakers worldwide go on holiday WITHOUT travel
insurance. How crazy can you people be, for the sake of completing a quick
form, or telephone conversation you can be covered for any event whilst on
holiday. It is so important that people get back in to the habit of buying
travel insurance. The decline in holidaymakers taking out insurance is due to
the increase in independent travelling, many UK travel agents insisted that you
took out travel insurance as part of your booking.
Confirm your
Reservations:
Be sure your airline tickets and vacation rental booking is
confirmed, otherwise you may have an unpleasant experience if the owners of the
property are out of the country and have not left the keys. Visit the airport
website, or if you are in the UK look on refax, or tele text for the latest
flight departures and arrivals from UK airports to find if your plane is on
time, back that up with a telephone conversation with the airline.
Location of the
Vacation Rental:
When making your booking, you may want to find out if the
property is located near a hospital, chemist, police station etc. These
services are great in an emergency, and it's always good to know your way
around before you arrive. You will find that most owners will have some
literature about local doctors, chemists etc you never know what may happen
whilst on holiday.
Buy a Destination
Guide / Language dictionary:
Get yourself some travel books to know all the best spots,
cheapest restaurants, best food, and hundreds of insights about your
destination. You may want to write down some notes from the travel book
relevant to the area you are visiting rather than taking the entire book with
you to cut down on weight. Most importantly get a language translation
dictionary and carry it with you. Learn a few essential terms in the native
language of the country you are travelling to. People will appreciate and be a
lot more helpful if you at least make an effort, it can also help you in an
emergency.
Luggage Advice:
Place photocopies of your identification in your luggage to help
your airline or cruise ship to return it if lost while travelling. Another good
idea is to get some masking, insulation tape or stickers and put it all over
the suitcase, the worst start to a holiday would be to lose your luggage or get
it taken by accident because its identical to another holidaymakers. Use your
own padlocks instead of the padlocks supplied with suitcases. It is usually
safer. Remember to keep the key(s) in your carry-on luggage. don't do what I
did and leave the keys in the suitcase!
Photocopy your
Identifying Documents:
Photocopy all documents and cards and store it in a secret place
in your suitcase. If your wallet is ever stolen, you will know exactly what you
have lost and will have all the telephone numbers to call to cancel credit
cards and the credit card numbers, etc. at your fingertips. Or instead of
photocopying all your important documents and carrying them with you, you can
scan everything and email the images to your email account or family and
friends as attachments.
Airport Transfers:
Don't forget to try and arrange your transfer to the vacation
property before you set off. Worse thing that can happen is that it's 11pm, and
there are no buses, and you have to pay a fortune for a hour drive to your
accommodation. Most owners will have a contact for airport transfers, or
their own management company will pick
you up, there's a charge, but it's certainly cheaper than local cab services companies... it's also safer.
Cash Safety:
Think of this scenario. You've just got to your hotel, and you
see a nice bar over the road, you go to your pocket to get all of your foreign
currency, and it's not there! You’re in a strange country, with a strange
language and it's your first day on a holiday you've been paying for all year.
Please remember traveler’s cheques, order them before you go and you will not
be in this scenario.
This article is not written to scare you but to put your mind on
the important issues you will face when booking and organizing your next
vacation rental holiday. The best holidays I have had are ones where I have
organized them myself.
Have fun.. but more
importantly... BE SAFE!
