Flights and accommodation are booked. You’ve dusted off the suitcase and it’s packed and ready to go. The countdown is on. The excitement is taking over but have you double-checked that you’ve got all of the necessary travel essentials before you leave? Be prepared before you start your holiday with this checklist of travel essentials you can’t leave your home (and country) without.

Important Documents

You’re not going to get very far without all of those important travel documents – passport, transport/accommodation itinerary, e-tickets, physical tickets, and more. Don’t forget to keep a spare copy of them tucked away in your suitcase for emergencies.

Visas

Have you checked your visa situation and the travel periods associated with visas? Every country has different visa requirements so it’s important to check each and every country rather than make assumptions. Check with your travel agent or through your embassy.

Adapters

Your PowerPoint adapters are one of those things that are so little yet so essential. It’s going to be a real pain to charge your phone, cameras and electronics without them. It can be difficult to find adapters that will fit the Australian plug when you’re overseas, so be sure to get one before you leave. Worst case scenario: you can always grab some from the airport. I suggest a universal plug and power board with USB ports.

Money

When it comes to dealing with money overseas, there’s a lot more to think about than just swapping some cash. Make sure that you contact the bank to let them know that you are going overseas, this will prevent them from freezing your card for ‘suspicious activity’. It might be worth considering getting a travel money card, whether through your bank branch or one like the Cash Passport. They can make life a lot easier and be more cost effective when withdrawing cash and using EFTPOS overseas.

Travel Insurance

Never forget your travel insurance – it can be a lifesaver. Lost baggage, cancelled flights, delays, emergency medical…it can happen to anyone. Wouldn’t you prefer that extra sense of security knowing that your travel insurance company has got your back for any of those little travel mishaps? We’ve got a range of travel insurance plans for trips of all sizes to all ends of the earth, take a look here.

Now go and enjoy your holiday!

All content provided on this blog is based on personal views and opinions and for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.  This policy is subject to change at anytime.

Preparing yourself to pay a 15% surcharge on public holidays when you are on holiday in New Zealand.  I was in Queenstown, last summer. Without realising, one morning we woke up for breakfast at the hotel and presented our Accord card for special membership rate as usual. Everything went fine till we got our bill for sign off. There was a full price for breakfast.  ‘It’s public holiday today, use membership card cannot be used,’ said the waitress. We was not informed when we presented our card when we walked in, I replied to her. How can you expect hotel guest to know about this when there was no sign or no know informed us. At the end, the hotel had to accept our membership card.

How do you feel as a tourist if there a 15% surcharge on your restaurant bill or no membership discount applied on public holidays? I personally has no issue about it, however, it would be nice to put up a sign on the window as a tourist in town. Later, when we walked to town to get some dinners, I noticed restaurants everywhere have a sign up on the window – 15% surcharge on public holidays. There was one said NO 15% surcharged on the window.  So we decided to walk in.

Public holidays in Queenstown

New Year’s Day:  1 January

Day after New Year’s Day: 2 January

Waitangi Day: 6 February

Otago Anniversary: 23 March 2015, 21 March 2016

Good Friday: 3 April 2015, 25 March 2016

Easter Monday: 6 April 2015, 28 March 2016

Anzac Day:  27 April 2015, 25 April 2016

Queen’s Birthday:  1 June 2015, 6 June 2016

Labour Day: 4th Monday in October

Christmas Day: 25 December

Boxing Day: 26 December

Source:  http://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/information/visitorinformation

Why Smart Traveller recommend Travel Insurance

If you incur medical expenses while overseas and you don’t have travel insurance, you are personally liable for covering these costs. The Government cannot pay for medical expenses overseas. Nor will your domestic private health insurance.

Travel insurance is as essential as your passport, regardless of your travel destination. If you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel!

The basics

Travel insurance can cover you for insurable events that may occur before or during travel, such as trip cancellation/interruption, medical expenses for injury or illness, theft of valuables, baggage delay or damage and more.

The cost of travel insurance is based on a number of factors such as the type of cover requested, the age of the insured, the destination of travel, length of stay and any pre-existing medical conditions.

The fine print

• Travel insurance is a contract. Always read the PDS & policy wording and ensure that you understand exactly what your policy covers.
• Travel insurance is not unlimited. It may not cover you for cancellation or change to travel plans. Keep a copy of the PDS & Policy wording for your records.
• Some policy trip cancellation clauses do not cover costs associated with a trip cancellation resulting from a change to the travel advice for your destination.
• When shopping around for coverage, make sure your insurance policy will cover you for the activities you plan to participate in and is valid for the duration of your trip.
• Always clarify any specific policy issues directly with the insurer, preferably before you proceed with the planned travel.

Medical coverage and pre-existing conditions

• Ensure that medical cover offered under the insurance policy is adequate for possible expenses in the country you are going to visit. In some parts of the world medical costs can be very expensive.
• Ensure you declare any pre-existing medical conditions you may have. Failure to do so may nullify all coverage.

Limits and exclusions

• There are standard general exclusions on most types of travel insurance policies. These can include acts of civil unrest, self-inflicted injury, acts of terrorism, loss or theft of unattended baggage, and pre-existing medical conditions.
• Some travel insurance policies may be invalidated when injuries are sustained as a result of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Standard travel insurance policies generally exclude ‘dangerous’ or ‘extreme’ activity, such as snowboarding or surfing, rock climbing, kite surfing, hunting, bungee jumping and scuba diving. In some cases you can pay an additional premium to cover such activities.
• If you intend to hire cars, motorcycles, jet skis or any other motorised vehicle, talk to your travel insurer to check if it is covered by your insurance policy and seek advice on any restrictions that may apply, such as riding a motorcycle without an Australian licence or not wearing appropriate safety gear.
• Generally, cover for luggage and personal belongings is limited and expensive items such as cameras, laptops and/or jewellery may have a per-item limit. In some cases you can pay an additional premium to cover valuables to a pre-determined amount.

Why do we recommend travel insurance?

While most Australians travel safely overseas, some find themselves in trouble. Each year we handle many thousands of cases involving Australians in difficulty overseas. This includes cases of hospitalisations, deaths, and evacuations to another location for medical purposes. Medical treatment overseas can be expensive whether it is for injury from an accident or for illness such as food poisoning, appendicitis, or heart attack.

In cases where the individuals are not covered by travel insurance, such personal tragedies can be further compounded by a long-term financial burden. Hospitalisation, medical treatment, medical evacuations, or even the return of the deceased’s remains to Australia, can be very expensive.

Daily hospitalisation costs in Southeast Asia regularly exceed $800; return of remains from Europe in excess of $10,000. The cost of medical evacuations from the United States regularly range from $75,000 to $95,000 and sometimes up to $300,000. The Department has handled medical evacuations from Bali in which costs have exceeded $60,000.

Unfortunately, not all of these cases involved travellers covered by travel insurance. Travellers who are not covered by insurance are personally liable for covering incurred medical and associated costs. As a result, families have been forced to sell off assets, including their superannuation or family homes, to afford to bring loved ones back to Australia.

Where Australians cannot obtain travel insurance to cover their personal circumstances, they should consider the potential financial risks before deciding whether to proceed with planned travel overseas.

More information

The Insurance Council of Australia has good information on travel insurance and lists companies that provide travel insurance products. The Australian Government does not endorse any particular travel insurance provider.

The National Insurance Brokers Association (NIBA) is the national trade association for insurance brokers in Australia. Insurance brokers are able to provide advice to consumers on insurance matters, including travel insurance. The Australian Government does not endorse any particular broker or insurance provider.

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission also provides a number of useful tips on choosing a travel insurance policy, making claims, or how to complain about an insurer.

If you have concerns about your travel provider or your insurance policy, contact your travel or insurance provider, Financial Ombudsman Service, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, or your state or territory consumer affairs agency.

Original Article here on Smart Traveller