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Top 10 Tips for Travelling Abroad-- By TR Smith Here are our top 10 tips for travelling abroad. Some are specific to visitors from the US, but most are good advice for everyone. Please pay particular attention to tip number 1 - many people do not realise that their passport should be valid until well after their trip date, not just for their nominal travel period. 1. Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and visas, if required. In general, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond your intended stay, in accordance with international treaties. If you don’t have a passport, apply for one now. Summer is peak travel period and passport offices around the world are inundated with requests for new passports. No matter which country you are a citizen of, you should allow at least two months for processing. Some countries require longer, some require less, but rather than risk not getting it in time, start the process now. Whatever you do, don’t wait until after the beginning of June to do this. Also, before you go, fill in the emergency information page of your passport! 2. Read the Consular Information Sheets (and Public Announcements or Travel Warnings, if applicable) for the countries you plan to visit. If your country does not provide this information, the US Department of State has its own versions available on the web at www.travel.state.gov. 3. Familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries to which you are travelling. Remember, your country’s laws do not follow you! While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. 4. Make 2 copies of your passport identification page (the one with your picture and biographical data on it). This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport. Do NOT carry it with your passport. 5. Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency. 6. Do not leave your luggage unattended in public areas. Do not accept packages from strangers. 7. If you are a US citizen, prior to your departure, you should register with the nearest US embassy or consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts may not be released without your express authorization. Remember to leave a detailed itinerary and the numbers or copies of your passport or other citizenship documents with a friend or relative in the United States. 8. To avoid being a target of crime, try not to wear conspicuous clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards. Photocopy the fronts and backs of any cards you do carry; leave one copy at home with your itinerary and keep the other copy with you, separate from your cards. Should your cards be stolen, you will have all the numbers you need at hand to make sure you are protected from unauthorized charges. 9. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money or purchase art or antiques. 10. If you get into trouble, contact the nearest embassy for your country. If you are a citizen of the EU and your country does not have an embassy, contact the nearest EU member embassy and request guidance from them. Many of them will provide some level of assistance in an emergency.
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Page last updated 14th April 2005
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