Travel Tips. 1
Use a private or incognito window when booking flights or hotels.
Travel sites often track your visits and will raise the price simply because you’ve visited before.
Travel Tips 2.
Adding a Skype account to your mobile, laptop, ipad, tablet or any kind of device before your holiday is the cheapest and best way of staying in touch with friends and family. Be sure to add credit to your account and enjoy video calls for next to nothing. Skype is free to download and use.
Travel Tips 3.
Make two photocopies of all your travel documents in case of emergency or if your documents are lost or stolen. Leave one copy with a friend or relative at home. It is always a great idea to let at least one person know exactly where you will be staying and how to contact you in an emergency. Carry the other copy with you stored separately from the originals.
Documents to make copies of include: Passport ID page. Foreign visa (if applicable). Itinerary. Hotel confirmation. Airline ticket. Driver’s license. Credit cards taken on the trip. Traveler’s check serial numbers.
Travel Tips 4.
So you’re taking a break to a country where English isn’t really the most commonly spoken language, here’s a handy little tip that turns your Android phone into a translator. – without using any expensive data uploading whilst abroad. The great thing is, its FREE.
The Google Translate app is free, and lets you translate words and phrases to and from your chosen language.
The best thing about this App is that it allows you access the info offline. Make sure you upload it before you travel and you won’t need to use data uploads to use it while overseas.
To do it, download and open the app, press the menu button and select “offline languages”. Then tap the pin button for each language you want to download. There are 80 to choose from, including French, Spanish, German and Italian.
- It entitles you to the same treatment as a local. This is extremely useful in emergencies, and means if it’s free for them, it’s free for you. Keep it on you at all times when you’re away to ensure you’re covered. Keeping it with your passport is a good idea.
- It doesn’t cost a penny. Be aware that there are lots of unofficial sites that charge a fee of about £20 to do it for you. Apply via the official link, www.ehic.org.uk, to be sure you get yours for free.
An EHIC isn’t a substitute for travel insurance – while very useful, it’s only for medical cover. See Cheap Travel Insurance.
Check out www.moneysavingexpert.com for more great savings and advice.
Travel Tips 6.
Be sure to take out your Travel Insurance as soon as you book. Cancellations and changes happen often and you will not be covered without it.
The good news is that if you go away two or more times a year then annual policies are usually cheaper.
Try this site for some of the cheapest under-65s’ policies we think give you the minimum cover criteria:
- Europe: Individual www.holidaysafe.co.uk* £13-£19 (ages 18-35 and 46-65) family www.holidaysafe.co.uk* £27-£38 (up to 65).
- World: Individual www.holidaysafe.co.uk* £23-£28 (ages 18-35 and 46-65), family www.holidaysafe.co.uk* £46-£56 (up to 65).
Correct at time of posting – always check before you book.
Travel Tips 7.
If you’re going abroad remember to check your passport’s expiry date before you leave. Some countries demand your passport be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive, so check the Government’s foreign travel advice before you go.
Remember to renew your passport in plenty of time and it’ll save you a lot of trouble and extra cash needed for an urgent trip to the passport office. A standard adult passport is £72.50 if you send it by post. But if you wait until the very last minute you risk having to pay £128 for their premium service.
To renew your passport go to Gov.uk. Don’t just Google passport renewals- there are reports of people being caught out by unofficial websites which charge extra, so always use the official Gov.uk link above to ensure you are not caught out.
Always double-check everyone has their passport before you leave (not when you’re halfway down the motorway!)
Travel Tips 8.
DRIVING IN GERMANY? Hiring a car for getting around in Italy? Going on a voyage along Route 66 in the USA? You’ll need to know more than which side of the road to drive on. So homework is a must. Before you head out on the highway, you’ll need to know the important rules of the road where you’re going. That’s where this comes in, with these handy downloadable guides to the basics of driving in some of the most popular places for a fly-drive holiday – things like speed limits, road signs that you don’t see at home, and some useful tips to help you have a stress-free driving experience on your trip.
Did you know that drivers in Dubai have a reputation for being impatient and will often overtake on the inside lane, drive the wrong way down one way streets or take short-cuts by driving the wrong way around roundabouts? No? well you do now, With our guides to driving abroad, you’ll have the inside gen at hand to steer you in the right direction, wherever you’re going.
Simply click on the links below to open the download guides to driving in different countries, plus they are all in one handy guide.
Thanks to our friends at Skyscanner for the info and links.
Click this link to download all guides to driving abroad
Driving in Italy
Driving in Spain
Driving in the USA
Driving in Portugal
Driving in France
Driving in Germany
Driving in Austria
Driving in the Canary Islands
Driving in Ireland
Driving in the UAE
Travel Tips 9.
Suntan lotion… Don’t throw it away, use it another day.
Most people buy new bottles of sun lotion every time they go on their holidays. But why pay out extra if you don’t need to – Did you know that open bottles can still be effective for up to two years.
