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TRAVEL TIPS FOR WOMEN
Tips for women by women.


Worry Free Travel - What to do before you leave home on a long trip.

Once the trip is booked there is plenty to do before heading off from home.  Here's a short list to
make life easier.

How can friends/family reach you while you're away? ~ Get yourself set up with a yahoo or
hotmail email account that can be accessed from any computer anywhere in the world.  If you're
considering taking a cell phone/mobile/handy with you on your trip, make sure it will still work if
you are travelling outside of your own country.  Do this with your cell phone provider and double
check the information with them to make sure it is correct.  Other options are: rent a mobile
phone in the place you're visiting, use email as internet access is readily available in most places
and/or take a laptop with you (although internet cafe access weighs less).

How will you access your money while away? ~ Get used to internet banking before you
leave home so that when you're away you can still transfer money and pay bills.  Set up as
many items as possible to be charged directly to your bank account or credit card.  If you access
your bank account from a computer in an Internet cafe, make sure you clear the history after
your session to maintain security.  If you plan on withdrawing money from your debit or credit
card, check with your bank before leaving that your PIN is valid in the countries you will be
travelling to.  Also, ask your bank to waive PLUS-system withdrawal fees.

What to do in case of an emergency at home? ~ A good idea is to leave your family or
someone you trust your credit card number and the credit cards phone number.  If there is an
emergency, the credit card company can flag your account and when you next attempt to use
the card "emergency" will automatically display on the authorization machine and you will be
asked to contact the credit card provider.  If you have more than one credit card it's advisable to
carry two in the event you loose one or it doesn't work for any reason.

How do you keep valuables safe while away from home? ~ On arriving at your hotel use the
room safe, or if that is not available, ask the hotel if you can put your passport and other
valuables in their safe.  Another option is to use a money belt and split up your credit cards,
passport and travel documents so they're not all in one place on your person.  Leave your hotel
at the front desk when going out - in many countries it's not an option for you to take it with you
and they can be very strict about it.  When travelling by bus and train in Thailand a few years
back I used a money belt and a neck pouch and didn't keep anything valuable in my day pack or
luggage (there was a real threat of being gassed and robbed while on the local transport).  I
also taped a small plastic bag to my leg (under trousers) with the most important items.  This
may sound paranoid, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and was much more relaxed after taking
these precautions.

What if your passport or travel documents are stolen? ~ Leave a copy of your passport, airline
ticket, travel documents, credit/debit cards, etc., at home with someone you trust.  Take a copy
or two with you and keep it separate from the real items.

Should you buy travel insurance? ~ Yes, it's a really good idea.  Your insurance company will
provide you with a policy number and 1-800 number or number that you can call collect from
anywhere in the world.  Make sure you know what your insurance policy covers and if you need
to use it know the process.

Does anyone know where your will or life insurance policy is? ~ Good idea to make sure
someone you trust knows where these items are and can access them if necessary.

Can someone check on your home? ~ It's best if you can have someone stay at your home, but
if that's not possible then get someone to check on it every few days.  Inform your neighbours
of your trip and ask them to watch out for you.  A newspaper in the drive for a even a day is the
easiest way of advertising that you're away from home.

Should you book all your transportation before you go? ~ That depends on where you're
going and how you're travelling.  Do plan on booking your car rental before you leave if you live
in North America, it's much cheaper booking it from Canada than booking it directly upon arriving
in France or Italy or anyother European country.  If you're not planning on needing a car and
then you do decide to rent one once you're there, a good way to get a cheaper rate is to go
online and book it for a couple of days away and use your North American address.  For
example, while in France a couple of years ago, we saved more than 50% on our car rental by
going online and  contacting AutoEurope and using our address in the USA.  We emailed them
late on the Friday night and picked up the car Monday morning.  All done via email.

Now you can relax and have a great trip!

Contributed by Emma Wilson in San Francisco, USA.


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