There are lots of things to think about when planning a holiday – where to stay, book the flights, choose your cruise, decide on the cabin grade etc. Aside from the actual travel arrangements, there’s still more to do. Today we have a reminder of 10 Things to do before you head away that are surprisingly often overlooked!
- Check your passport expiry date. All too often people forget to check their passport is still valid. Worse still, passports can take several weeks, if not months, to process. Many countries will also require your passport to be valid for up to 6 months after you depart the country so be sure to check this well before you go.
- Complete any visa/visa waiver documentation. It’s easy to overlook this as people think “I’ll do that later” and all of a sudden, your departure date is upon you. It’s important to check the requirements for all countries you are visiting, even if you are just transiting.
- Put some travel insurance in place. This should be done as soon as you pay a deposit. Some policies will allow you to purchase a “Loss of deposits” policy until you make the final payment at which time you purchase the more comprehensive insurance. Whichever way you go, it’s important to make sure you are covered from the time you put any money down on your trip.
- Pre-book your airline seats. If you have purchased a fare that allows you select your seat prior to checking in, be sure to do this as soon as you book your flight to ensure you get your desired seat. If you wish to pay for preferred seating, it’s a good idea to do this earlier rather than later too.
- Check your airline baggage allowance. Gone are the days of flying via the US and being allowed two piece of luggage weighing up to 32kg each! These days you are usually allowed one piece, up to 23kg and any others are to be purchased separately. Airlines have become more strict at enforcing the rules around size and overweight bags so be sure to check these before you start packing.
- Pre-book excursions/dining options if possible. Some cruise lines will allow you to pre-book your excursions as well as make dining reservations in selected restaurants before you board. If your cruise line allows this, be sure to do this as soon as they open the bookings if possible to save any last minute disappointment due to tours being sold out.
- Book the pet sitter. If you need someone to house- or pet-sit, make sure you arrange this early to avoid last minute stresses!
- Book your transfers to the airport. If you’re travelling on a package deal with Ultimate Cruising, you’ll likely have transfers from your home to the airport included in your holiday package and these arrangements will be taken care of for you. But if you are making your own flight arrangements and you need to take a taxi to the airport, be sure to book it in early if possible to save any last minute rushes.
- Purchase your overseas currency. If you are planning to change some cash into local currency, do this before you get to the airport. The airport agencies have a captive market so the exchange rates are not great and there are usually additional fees put on top. To save some money, do this ahead of time when the exchange rate is at its best. Alternatively, you can also use a debit card such as Wise where you can put money on the card and then spend it in local dollars overseas at the current exchange rate. This is a great option as you don’t get charged off-shore fees, you get the current exchange rate and anything that is left on the card at the end of the trip can be spent in Australian dollars when you get home. It’s perfect if you’re visiting several countries with several different currencies.
- Download the airline apps. These days everything is online so if you can, download the airline apps for easy management of your bookings. You’ll get notifications of when check-in opens, you can check in online and your boarding pass is on your phone (no more last minute panic trying to locate the printed pass!) and if there are any delays, they’ll also let you know. It also gives you updates on your frequent flyer points.
Image by pressfoto on Freepik
