Can you actually believe its August already? If you have been a follower for a while you may know I am away to Andorra for 3 weeks on the 20th of August. We have been planning this trip for so long it seemed like it would never come. Whilst I was doing all my planning I thought it would be a good idea to share with you my 5 things to do when planning a longer trip.
1. First, I need Medical travel insurance. I have to buy medical travel insurance as like a lot of people. I have a pre consisting medical condition. I have asthma and IBS. I have a friend who once went on holiday. She just bought whatever travel insurance was the cheapest and she didn't put much thought into the cover. She did not specify that like me she has asthma. I bet you know where I am going. She had her first asthma attack in years and ended up in an A&E department in the USA. This was a huge costly mistake as her insurance did not pay for her treatment. As you can imagine the bill was massive. This has made me super cautious when I buy my travel insurance to make sure I am more than covered if the worst happened.
2. Check your Passport. Some countries have different rules about passports for the USA you need a minimum of 6 months left on your passport from the date you exit the country. Funny story. Well now it is funny, it was not at the time. I was travelling on our honeymoon. We did not go straight on our honeymoon due to my husbands holidays at work. I did not realise I had not changed my name on my passport. I booked our honeymoon before the wedding and booked it in my married name. Luckily my husband checked our documents a few days before we left and noticed my error. After a few nerve-racking phone calls and an admin fee, my name was changed and we could still take our trip. So don't be like me check your passport.
3. Check with your doctor. There are a few reasons to check in with your doctor before you travel. firstly do you need any vaccinations for the country you are travelling too? It is always recommended to make sure your tetanus injection is up to date. If it is recommended, I always get the malaria vaccination. You have to pay for this privately as it is not covered by the NHS but it is worth its weight in gold. Oxford Travel Vaccination Centre is an excellent independent travel clinic if you need any vaccines. Does anyone else think about when Cheryl Chole had malaria?
Whilst at the doctors you can stock up on any regular medication and check if it is legal in your country you travelling to. It is always recommended to have the prescription of your medicines with you. You can also request that your doctor write a letter on headed paper with a list of medications you take to save any hassle.
4. I am going to Andorra in our van conversion. If like me you are driving abroad there are a few things to get done. We have had a full service and check done on our van. We had to change the timing belt and water pump. It was not quite due but it is better to be safe than sorry. This is also the time to check out what the difference in the driving laws are in the country you are going to. For instance, there is a lot of items you need to have in your vehicle in France like a high-vis vest and full spare bulb kit. As we are travelling through France we must comply with the laws of the country. Also, a quick call to your motor insurance to make sure you are covered or to add on the cover for travelling in Europe and your vehicle all set to go.
5. Documents. We have talked about our passports, but when you travel there are so many important documents you need to take with you from flight tickets to your hotel voucher. I like to have a copy of our documents in all sets of luggage. This is also great if your luggage goes missing as it can easily be sent back to you. I also leave a copy of the important documents left at home with my Inlaws. Just in case there is an emergency they have copies and it makes it easy to access them. I also include copies of our birth certificates and medical and car insurance in the bundle I give them. You just don't know what might happen so it is always better to be prepared.
MissLJBeauty*
