Tips & Hacks
Cling wrap – Adding some cling wrap under the twisting lid of your toiletries will make sure you don’t arrive at your destination with shampoo or conditioner exploded over your luggage. You can also wrap jewellery to prevent tangling – and for delicate necklaces, you can always feed them through a plastic straw before cling wrapping them.
Always sleep on clean sheets – When you arrive at your hotel, take note of how the sheets look on the bed. Are they creased? Sheets without creases have been slept in; clean fresh sheets will have creases down the middle from being folded after they were cleaned.
Treat the flight crew like royalty. Remember these are the staff who will be attending to you and kindness goes a long way. If you’re happy and friendly to them when boarding the chances are high that you will get better in-flight service. Bring a battery pack for your electronics.
To help you with planning your next trip, we’ve put together a size conversion chart and sizing information for men and women. Whether you’re hitting up Europe to update your wardrobe or buying clothes as gifts for friends back home – the following guide will be of great assistance.
Bring an alarm clock. A lot of cruise ship rooms will not have a clock with an alarm. To avoid oversleeping and packing up in a rush, ensure that you wake up with plenty of time before check out; housekeepers advise that when people pack up in a hurry, they tend to leave things behind.
Drinking Etiquette – You must be 20 or over to legally drink in Japan. Do not start drinking until everybody at the table is served. Drinking usually commences by raising your glasses to a toast of “Kam-pai”, the Japanese equivalent for “Cheers!”
Who wants to travel halfway around the world, only to keep both eyes on your bag/backpack at all times? You should be taking in your surroundings; grand buildings, spectacular views, the local culture. Well, we can solve those problems with a theft-proof bag. Any bag can be secured with a luggage lock to prevent it from falling open or from someone trying to pry it open.
If you have something stolen and you are making a claim, you will need to prove that you owned it. The Insurer’s claims department may require proof of purchase, regardless of when you bought it. So, if you buy anything new for your trip, leave a copy of the receipt at home, just in case, and upload a copy to a cloud storage service such as Dropbox, iCloud, or Google Drive.
If you can – pack a clean pair of underwear and spare clothes in your carry-on luggage. This will be helpful if your luggage goes missing. Make sure you make copies of all your travel documents (itinerary, travel insurance, passport, etc). Leave them with a trusted person. Bring spare reading glasses. If you break or lose a pair, it can be hard to find good quality prescription glasses whilst on holiday.
Before you go. Give copies of your trip itinerary and phone numbers to relatives or friends so they know where you will be. Give copies of your travel insurance details to relatives or friends so they know you’re covered in the event of an emergency. When we email you your policy confirmation details you can forward these to relatives or friends. Ensure your regular home deliveries have been stopped while you’re on holiday.
At Travel Insurance we like to help you with planning your next trip – whether you are going skiing, or to the beach, it’s good to know what temperature it is in Celcius so you know what clothes to pack! Below is a handy quick temperature conversion chart for your convenience.
Whether it’s their first flight or not, flying is both an exciting and nerve-racking experience for most kids. But we all know the typical “Are we there yet?” and “My ears hurt” will start the minute the plane leaves the ground. So, here are some of our favourite tips to hopefully get yours through your next family vacation.
Check the latest travel advisories and register your travel details with smartraveller.gov.au. Check to see if you require visas for the countries you are visiting or travelling through, by contacting the nearest embassy or consulate of the country you intend to visit. Do this well in advance of travel. Note, a visa does not guarantee entry and only the countries you plan to visit can provide up-to-date information about visa requirements.
It is important to know what you are covered for and what you are not covered for under your specific policy. Read the benefits of your travel insurance plan along with the guidelines under your policy, and make sure you take a copy of all the travel insurance documents with you, for easier reference when needing to make a claim Each insurer has a product disclosure statement (PDS) which includes detailed information about their claims process.
Being pregnant doesn’t prevent you from being able to travel, either on a tripped organised well before you discovered you were pregnant, or for a babymoon. Most travel insurance policies will cover unexpected medical complications for women up until 20 to 26 weeks of pregnancy. However, like most insurance cover, there are some exclusions and restrictions, such as existing complications with the pregnancy, a multiple pregnancy or a pregnancy resulting from an assisted reproductive programme.
As you may have probably deduced from its name, a “workcation” is like a vacation, but with work involved. This new trend is becoming increasingly popular; particularly among workers who struggle to find a balance between their work and taking time off. So, what are the pros and cons of a “workcation”?