Travelling alone is fraught with risk, and the risk multiplies when you go abroad with your family. Aside from making sure the family travel insurance you”re getting is up to par, there are a few things you must do in order to keep the journey as safe, convenient, and headache-free as possible.
Be Familiar with the Quirks of your Destination
You must know the local customs and laws of the country or city where you”re going to stay. The least you can do is read a dependable guide-book (assuming you”ve already purchased a good family travel insurance coverage) and familiarise yourself with what you can and cannot do in your destination. Total ignorance of local laws and customs can end in you ending up paying a huge sum, or even facing jail! When you”re with your family, this can turn a holiday into a total nightmare. You should also consult with your government”s travel advice regarding your country of destination, especially concerning the political situation””you don”t want to find yourself in the middle of a civil war.
Document Management
People lose important travel documents””in fact, it happens all the time. And while you can’t foretell the future, there are concrete steps you can take to ensure that any loss will be manageable and have very little impact (if any) on your family”s overall travel experience. Aside from getting sufficient family travel insurance coverage, there are a few simple steps to stay ahead of the situation. Foremost is managing your documents. Don”t put all your eggs in one basket, so to speak. Make two or more copies of your important travel and identity documents, including those of the family members who are travelling with you, and keep them in separate bags, including in your carry-on luggage. This serves as a safeguard against lost luggage.
Keep Everyone Informed
Unless you”re on a secret espionage mission to retrieve sensitive political information, you should not go to a foreign country and keep your whereabouts unknown to your friends and family. This matter becomes much more important when family members are travelling with you””you simply must ensure their safety and well-being at all times during your journey. This means, aside from getting good family travel insurance, you should leave copies of your itinerary””as helpfully detailed as possible””with a close neighbour, relatives, friends, or anyone else who cares.
In this age of mobile phones and the Internet it is easier to keep tabs on a person”s whereabouts””there are many websites that offer a free service as well as Android or Apple apps that can be downloaded to do just that. But the point is this: by keeping your loved ones updated about where you are at any given time in your schedule, if anything happens it will only be hours (and not weeks and months) before a friend starts asking questions about where you and your family might be.