Organising Your Holiday

• When planning your holiday, check the visa requirements of your destination. A good website for this is the Department of Foreign Trade (DFAT): www.dfat.gov.au.
• Take out the appropriate travel insurance. Consider where you will be travelling to, the types of activities you will be undertaking and what valuables you will be carrying with you (camera equipment, laptop, etc.). Make sure that your insurance policy covers everything you will be doing.
• Read up on the hotels you intend to be staying at. Where are they? Do they fit all of your criteria? What have other guests thought of the property? A handy website to visit for this is Tripadvisor: www.tripadvisor.com.au.
• Check with your airline carrier your baggage allowances for departure and arrival. For some destinations, carriers have different entry and exit baggage limits.
• Make a visit to your doctor to check if any vaccinations are required or recommended. Remember that health travel warnings are updated regularly.

Before You Depart

• Organise your foreign currency and the cards you are taking overseas with you. It’s also handy to have small denominations of cash available for food and small items in between connecting flights or when you first land.
• Write down important contact numbers of your bank, insurance and relevant government agencies to take with you.
• Read up on the weather and customs of your destination before you pack.
• Practice some common phrases to help you get around if your destination primarily uses a language other than English. Lists are easily available online.
• Check to see if tipping is mandatory in the country you are going to and how much is expected.
• It’s a good idea to compile an itinerary of all your flight details, hotel addresses and city maps. Photocopy your passport, itinerary and credit card numbers so if anything is lost, someone at home can help you organise replacements.
• Ensure you review the check-in times for airports and hotels to ensure you leave enough time for queues, delays and customs. Many airlines now offer online check-in.
• Check the voltage and type of power supply overseas to ensure any electronic items you take can be used/plugged in overseas. Visit Zelows online or instore to view our range of travel adaptors.
• Contact any home delivery services you may have and cancel/suspend any deliveries such as milk or newspapers.
• Contact your telecommunications provider and enquire about your options for phoning home while you’re overseas. Preparing this prior to leaving could save you the shock of a huge phone bill when you return.

Adaptors and Accessories

Zelows stocks a large range of Korjo and Go Travel accessories, all designed to make travelling easier and safer.

Here in Australia our appliances work off 240 volts of electricity, but this is not the case in all countries overseas. You can still enjoy the comforts of home when you are away by using adaptors which allow you to use your hairdryer, shaver, travel iron or jug whilst overseas.

Useful links:
http://www.passport.gov.au/
http://dfat.gov.au/
http://visa.com.au
http://smartraveller.gov.au/
http://tripadvisor.com.au/
http://weatherchannel.com.au