Archive for July, 2009

Planning to Travel Abroad? Leave These Items at Home!

Anyone who travels regularly is aware of luggage and carry-on restrictions post 9-11. However, if you travel abroad, there are other considerations to keep in mind. No foreign country wants undesirable insects, rodents, or diseases to infiltrate their population via border crossings.

Before reading further, remember that if you have outstanding police warrants or a criminal record, you should probably forget about foreign travel. Period.

What NOT to Take With You

Regulations vary by country. The snacks you pack for a domestic flight may not pass customs inspection for an overseas destination. Start with a good dose of ‘common sense’ and you will quickly realize why most of the items on the following list are not permitted:

Beer, wine, or other alcoholic beverages that have been opened

Pets without appropriate vaccination certificates

Native wildlife

Weapons or toys and other items that look like weapons

Big game bagged while on your safari or hunting trip

Prescription drugs without an accompanying doctor’s prescription

Drugs, vitamins, or nutritional supplements with unreadable labels

Illegal drugs or paraphernalia – DEATH PENALTY in some countries

Potted houseplants, seeds, soil, pebbles, or sand

Natural products like seashells, pieces of coral reef, whalebone

Uncooked pork, poultry, beef, and other meat or animal products

Unprocessed or uncooked vegetables, fruits, tubers, roots, etc.

Hay, straw, oats, and similar items

Any other natural products that may harbor diseases or pests

Fireworks and incendiary devices

Clothing and souvenirs manufactured with any of the above products

Some prohibited articles may be allowed with appropriate permits or certification. If you don’t know for sure – don’t pack them or bring them back home with you.

What you MUST Take With You

Imagine your chagrin should you go through customs on your return trip and discover that you must pay duty on your laptop computer, digital camera, and jewelry – even though you purchased them in your own country prior to your trip. Yes, it can – and does – happen. Protect yourself!

Pack copies of documents such as sales receipts, credit card statements, insurance policies, and appraisals for all valuable items to prove ownership and purchase date – especially for anything that looks like new.

No receipts or paperwork? Take a picture of each item next to a newspaper that plainly displays a readable date. Note the serial number(s) with each photo. Keep all photos and paperwork in a safe place along with your passport and other important documents. They will be invaluable when you fill in customs declarations – both leaving and returning.

Do Your Homework

Spend some time doing research on the internet before you travel. You should be able to find a government or embassy website that provides the regulations online. Do searches such as:

customs regulations France

customs regulations Spain

customs regulations Brazil

customs regulations USA

Advance investigation may save you considerable time, money, and effort as you pass through each border crossing.

Be aware! The resulting peace of mind will make your holiday much more enjoyable.

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.

Kathy Steinemann
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/planning-to-travel-abroad-leave-these-items-at-home-136105.html

Travel Insurance Review...

Choose The Travel Insurance That is Right For You

It is something that we all need if we are planning to take a trip overseas. Travel insurance will cover most costs in the event of a delayed or canceled trip, death or illness and lost baggage.

The situations that are commonly covered by Travel Insurance are emergency medical assistance, death, a canceled trip and damaged baggage. You can generally take out travel insurance for any or all of these options, although it may not always be necessary. Make sure you understand exactly what your policy does and does not cover.

If you are traveling overseas, always check your existing medical insurance to see whether it covers you away from home – you may not need to take out extra travel insurance. And you may not need to take out as much travel insurance if you have a major credit card – most credit cards include some kind of basic travel or trip cancellation insurance.

So if you do need travel insurance, where do you get it from? Most cruise lines, travel agents, airlines and tour companies will provide adequate and comprehensive travel insurance. If you are taking a cruise, it may be easier to let the cruise line handle it – they may also be able to offer you a lower rate as they can buy group rate coverage.

Some insurance won’t cover pre-existing medical conditions or participation in dangerous activities such as skiing or mountaineering. Decide whether you need this type of insurance before you travel – most insurance companies won’t allow you to add so-called dangerous sports coverage to your policy once you are actually there.

The cost of travel insurance can be a lot higher if you are traveling to certain countries that are considered to be risky or unsafe. These “travel advisories” are maintained on a list by the US Department of State. American citizens are still forbidden to travel to Cuba and obtaining travel insurance to go there is almost impossible.

Some insurance policies will cover acts of terrorism while other policies won’t – always check the small print or contact your insurance company if the policy isn’t clear. Check whether your policy covers you in the event of natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes – especially if you are traveling to certain parts of the world.

If you are traveling to a country where riots, civil disturbances, strikes or other outbreaks are likely to affect your travel plans, look for travel insurance that specifically covers those possibilities – many policies exclude them.

And airlines reserves the right to cancel your flight and offer you a full refund in the event of civil war, hostilities, riots or other things determined to be “acts of God”. As far as lost luggage is concerned, airlines insure your luggage against loss or damage to some degree – you can take out extra insurance if you want to.

If you are traveling as part of a group – often defined in the travel industry as 10 people or more – it is almost certainly easier and cheaper to take out group travel insurance. As long as your group is traveling together, it should qualify.

And so-called “family plans” are often less expensive when it comes to travel insurance for families traveling together – family may include extended family such as cousins, grandparents and various in-laws.

Like most insurance products – travel insurance can be confusing. It’s certainly worth taking out the right insurance – at the right price – so you can actually enjoy that long awaited trip.

Casey Yew
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/choose-the-travel-insurance-that-is-right-for-you-83156.html