The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently advises against all but essential international travel. No doubt this will have caused significant disruption to your forthcoming travel plans. Be encouraged - this restriction will be temporary and we expect that overseas travel will continue again in the summer. I have no doubt, we will all be needing some sunshine and a break from this unfolding saga. So, in the meantime, perhaps consider using this pause to put a bit more planning into that trip:
- Check you have all the right healthcare information for your chosen destination
- Ensure you have any antimalarials and vaccinations required for the trip
- Check your insurance dates and cover
- Check what luggage you are planning to take with you
- Small medical kit
- Personal medicines
- Visa's and passports - are they still in date?
- Scan them and email them to yourself, so you have copy on-line
- A number of different ways of obtaining money
- Sun cream, insect repellent, soap and a nail-brush
- Check the destination country - are there any healthcare restrictions or ongoing issues?
For those travelling for longer:
- Revisit your trip itinerary. Is everything still in place:
- Transport
- Accommodation
- Activities
And finally, ask yourself the 'what if..?' questions:
- What if things don't go to plan whilst I'm away
- Contact details for insurance and next-of-kin
- What local healthcare facilities are there?
- What if I loose my wallet or passport
- Always have US$100 hidden somewhere. This is an emergency fund that you should aim to bring back. It is not for sending on souvenirs
- Communication - have you got a phone that accepts local SIM cards?
It looks like we are all going to have plenty of time on our hands in the forthcoming months. Lets use this time wisely to plan an even more awesome adventure than before.