New MSE Print out Travel guide

trawden

telling your credit card companies is a must.i email a spreadsheet (protected) to myself with all contact tel nos for the companies and inc numbers, expiry dates etc

also list items in your suitcase (may seem silly, but if you case gets lost, it is so much easier to give the list than try to remember everything you have to claim for). Keep reciepts for all newly bought goods.

leave flight details, insurance details etc etc with someone at home. Just in case there is a plane crash, theyre not left wondering if your on it and can take immediate action.

walrusoflove

I have heard it said that some people have had their credit cards cancelled after informing the company they were due to travel abroad as the company thought they were scammers!

Love the luggage list idea (and I now religiously keep receipts for everything I buy)

How about emergency services (999) numbers for the most common destinations (or a space to insert it?)

FH_Brit

What to do in an Emergency (Mediucal - Road Accident - Legal (arrest)
Best ways to take money (Cash/Credit Cards/Trav. Cheques etc)
Where/how to find local help (Insurance helplines - British Embassy/Consulate)
Local Laws (drinking ages, driving differencies, smoking,)

Skunkworker

Probably need a common part and a paste in country-specific section to cover local laws, embassy number,etc.

For common part:
What an embassy/counsel can/can't do for you (as you don't want to find your assumptions tested after you've been arrested)
Duty Free limits
The UK numbers for International assistance to passport office, FCO, etc. (to dial from abroad if you don't have the local embassy number)

For country-specific pages:
- local language words for hello, excuse me, please, thank you, beer (to save hassling the first taxi driver in each new country for language lessons)
- local tipping guide
- national holidays (so you don't end up in a non-tourist non-english speaking city in Thailand without anywhere to stay on what turns out to be the local equivalent of Christmas Eve... for example)

cagsy

If you're going on a Multi Centre Holiday which involves several flights and destinations, or if you're going on a cruise with several ports of call, attach a small copy of your itinerary to your luggage. This way if your luggage goes astray at the airport, it can be delivered to you wherever you are. The info can be added to a card and laminated.

This proved invaluable to me when I flew to Texas for a Transatlantic cruise and my luggage was left behind at Heathrow. It was delivered a few days later to the ship whilst it was docked in Bermuda. I also keep a copy of my itinerary inside the case on top of my clothing incase the card goes astray.

Also scan the back pages of your passport and email it to yourself just before you go away. This way if your passport is stolen or goes missing, you can retrieve the information quickly.

You can do the same with credit card numbers, insurance documents etc for quick and easy retrieval of information.

patrick0

Perhaps you could have a web page where we choose the banks we have accounts with and the destinations we're travelling to and then generate a page based on that.

Definitely the contact numbers for the actual bank departments that deal with blocked cards. It cost me a fortune in global roaming charges calling the LTSB customer service centre to find out why my debit card had been blocked. All the Customer Service staff there had no clue that a card could be automatically blocked (they couldn't even see from their account screen that it was blocked). After ~8 calls I managed to find someone with a clue. They transferred me to a blocked cards Dept who unblocked it instantly.

Worth having a list of the contact numbers for the stolen cards depts too.

And details of odd passport rules for the destinations you're travelling to - eg. some countries require you to ahve 6 months left on your passport before allowing entry. Or countries that won't allow you entry if you have a cursed Israeli stamp in your passport.

And UK Embassy/High Commission numbers.

And perhaps laws specific to the country you're travelling to - eg. no kissing in Dubai and no jaywalking in some countries.

originalkat

If you are travelling abroad with children and you are not their parent, take a letter from their parent giving you permission to take them out of the UK. Give full names and contact details of everyone concerned and dates you will be away. I am taking my grand daughter to Canada to visit her father and expected to need a permission letter but the airline said it wasn't necessary. I find this very strange that you can just take a child out of the country. if they are not yours. Iwill 'be prepared' I don't want to be stopped at the immigration desk suspected of abducting a child!!

Moss5

My passport contains a printed text document with full next of kin details and my holiday address and contact details.
I then scan the document and send it to my mobile phone.
My mobile also has scanned copies of passport/credit cards (back & front)/driving licence.
This 'belt & braces' approach is a result of a bag-snatch on the way to Alicante airport. Lost tickets and passports, but still had key to hire-car and was able to get to Consulate for issue of temporary travel documents.
My wife no longer carries a handbag.

Stenson_Bubble

Name, home and holiday addresses, and home and mobile phone numbers and/or email addresses inside all luggage in case the outside tags are ripped off.

I don't save anything on my phone - that too can be stolen. All passport, ticket, driving licence, bank cards (not PINs), packing list, etc details are emailed to myself, my husband, my daughter, and filed in my ISP filing cabinet for easy access from any computer.

Incapuppy

Depending on where you are going, you may wish to register with LOCATE

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/Locate