Happy Summer Holidays!!

Holiday Travel Checklist


Are you ready and organised for the summer holidays approaching fast?


Here is a quick checklist that will help you to have a happy holiday to remember without and unwanted surprises
• For up-to-date travel advice and tips, check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel or call 0845 850 2829.
• Get a good guidebook and find out about your destination. Make sure you know about local laws and customs and follow them on arrival.
• Tell family and friends where you are going and leave them your contact details. Leave copies of your passport, insurance policy (including 24/hour emergency number), ticket details, and your itinerary and/or store online using a secure data storage site.
• Register with the FCO’s LOCATE service via the FCO website. Entering details of your trip as well as emergency friend and family contact details will help the FCO to find you in the event of a crisis and inform next of kin of your whereabouts.


INSURANCE
Get adequate und comprehensive travel insurance and check that it covers all the activities you plan to undertake. Be sure your policy provides for:
• An air ambulance, in case you need to be flown home
• All medical bills (which can be expensive)
• Any pre-existing medical conditions
• Any potentially hazardous sports activities
• Bringing the body home, in the event of a death
• Bringing your family home, in the event of your illness or injury
• Replacing and/or bringing your car home


PLAN TO STAY HEALTHY
• Check what vaccinations you need with your GP as soon as possible before you travel.
• Check to see if you need extra health precautions for the country you are visiting (e.g. malaria zones).
• Check if your medication is legal in the country you are visiting. Pack it in your hand luggage
• If you are taking prescribed medication, take a copy of the prescription with you, and find out if you will need to take a doctor’s letter with you.
• If you are travelling within the European Economic Area (EEA), get an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) from www.dh.gov.uk/travellers, or ring 0845 606 2030 or go to the Post Office. But remember you still need travel insurance.


PASSPORT AND VISAS
Before you go….
• If you want to go overseas, including journeys through the Channel Tunnel, you will need a passport.
• Check that your passport is still valid for a minimum of six months at return date, that it is in good condition and make a note of its number, date and place of issue. Make a photocopy of the last page and leave it with family/friends.
• Write the full details of your next of kin in your passport.
• Check if you will need a visa – travel agents can advise.
• Children under 16 (including babies) not already included on a valid passport, need their own individual passports. Children already included on their parents’ passport can continue to travel on these until they reach 16, or until the passport on which they are included on expires. When travelling to the USA, children must hold a passport of their own.
• Take another means of identification (preferably with a photograph)

When you are there….
• Keep your passport in the hotel safe and carry a photocopy with you.


DRUGS
• Avoid any involvement with drugs – the penalties are severe and could include the death sentence.
• Don’t carry parcels or luggage through customs for other people.
• Don’t cross land borders with people you don’t know, e.g. hitch-hikers.


MONEY
Before you go…..
• Make sure you have enough to cover emergencies.
• Find out how credit or debit cards can be replaced if lost and where to call to report a lost or stolen card
• Check the expiry dates on your credit or debit cards and make a separate note of their numbers.

When you are there…
• Carry only as much money as you need for the day – leave the rest in a hotel safe.
• If you have to carry a lot of money, ask your partner or a friend to carry some of it for you.
• Use a money belt or secure inside pocket.
• Don’t carry all your cards with you – leave at least one in the hotel safe.
• If your money, passport or anything else is stolen abroad, report it at once to the local police and obtain a statement about the loss as you will need one to claim against your insurance. You will need to take steps to cancel any cards.


CONSULAR ASSISTANCE
British Consular Officers are ready to help you help yourself. Make a note of the telephone number of the nearest British Consulate. You can find this out from the FCO website (below) as well as hotels, tour operators and police. Working hours vary: it is better to telephone first. Most British Consulates operate an answer phone service outside office hours, giving working hours and an emergency number for other times. For more detail on what support you can receive, consult www. fco.gov.uk/travel

SAFETY
• As you would be in the UK, be alert and observant, and report any unattended items or suspicious activity by individuals to the local police or appropriate authorities.


Have a great holiday with hopefully many happy adventures memories to remember!!