posted by Travel Cat on Sep 7
Travel With Kids Series - Essential Documents - Part 3
When making arrangements in advance for your vacation, make sure that you get everything in writing either posted to you or printed off of an email - and keep everything important for each journey to hand.
Confirm with hotels, vacation properties or car hire firms, etc, everything you think is important to you. For example if you are departing at a certain time or could be late arriving, make sure that they are aware of this and have made any extra arrangements for that.
If you are not sure of something, make sure you clarify the details in advance and get copies of everything that might cause a delay or confusion.
This is essential when either party is using a language that they are not fluent in. We had problems travelling in Central America, where the hotels claimed to speak English, but appeared to be answering slightly different questions to those that we were actually asking. We had to write them an email in just one line statements to get them to confirm all the details individually, rather than them just assuming our original email was just one single question!
Accommodation Details:
Make sure you call the accommodation or receive a written confirmation in the week leading up to your stay before arriving there.
Careful planning of your journey can all be wasted if your destination is not booked or they offer different rooms or services to that which you had planned for. For example planning for a self-catering location and then arriving at one without a kitchen could be a small disaster depending on the age of your children and their needs.
Make sure that for each separate journey, you have the details of that days destination to hand, checking that you have at least one contact number for that destination (that you have previously used so you know it works).
Directions - either spoken or written - can seem perfect to someone who takes that route every day, but to a stranger - things can seem quite different. You never know when you need to contact them again.
Offering an arrival time can be difficult when journeys and children are involved, but try to offer the accommodation a ‘latest’ arrival time. If you are not there by then - perhaps you could ask them to give you a call if necessary. If they know you are traveling with children, they are usually very helpful.
Financial Details:
If travelling with a credit or debit card, make sure that you keep a separate record of account numbers, etc, and make sure you have the contact number for your bank in-case they are lost or stolen during your trip. Advising the banks of your destination and departure dates can also help reduce fraud during your vacation.
Using the cards for everyday purchases can add up in conversion charges, so watch how often you use them - and obviously be aware of any bills could arrive home while you are still away.
Withdrawing larger sums on your credit card from a bank or bureau de change could save you on multiple charges - but could have a flat out charge for a ‘to cash’ withdrawal. Check with your bank or other account for the best deals when abroad and find out the best method for your needs.
If using travelers cheques, you will need to plan a bit in advance to free up your funds - as you need to visit a bank or alternative foreign currency establishment to get them changed. Looking around for the best exchange rate for them can also use up a bit of valuable time. But - if lost - the money is guaranteed.
Try not to check your bank statements on the Internet while abroad as the Internet cafe pc’s may not be free from viruses or key-loggers (which record your details and keys pressed), or the Wifi connection may not be secure - leaving your accounts open to invasion!!!!
If you plan to use the Internet abroad - then read some suitable materials about Internet security before departure. Not saving any personal details onto the computer, deleting all history and removing ‘cookies’ after use is a great start. You could even run a free online virus check before use to be sure.
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