Things to check before you go:

Travel Documents – Passports & Visas

• Ensure your passport validity extends for at least six (6) months after date of return to Australia.
• Carry a photocopy of your passport and pages with relevant visas, separately from your passport, in case it is necessary to replace them en-route. 

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Credit Cards & Foreign Exchange

• Only carry as much cash as you feel comfortable with
• Always purchase a small amount of local currency for the country you are visiting so that when you arrive you have at least enough cash to get a taxi to your hotel and for a couple of meals. This gives you time to find an ATM or a money changer.
• Carry a photocopy of your credit cards separately from your actual cards incase it is necessary to cancel or replace them.
• Only use your credit cards in reputable hotels or shops.
• Never let anybody take your credit card out of your sight.
• We recommend purchasing a  Travelex Cash Passport card.  The Cash Passport card is the only prepaid travel money card that prepares you for the unexpected. With a free second card as backup, Travelex's own 24/7 Emergency Assistance Services and access to VISA's global network, Cash Passport is the safest way to take money overseas.

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Medication

• If essential medication is used while travelling, carry a photocopy of the doctor’s prescription for easy recognition by foreign doctors.
• Never take medication out of its original packaging.

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Insurance Tips

• If your luggage is damaged coming off a flight, report it to the relevant airline and seek compensation
• If you need to consult a doctor, pay the bill and claim on your return
• If you need hospitalisation, the insurance company will deal directly with the hospital
• If your luggage does not arrive on the same flight, you could be entitled to a cash amount from the airline to purchase basics. There is also provision for an insurance claim for extended delay of luggage.
• If anything is lost or stolen, report it to a local authority and ask for a copy of that report, to submit along with your claim. Keep all relevant receipts.

If you have credit card insurance or have purchased insurance through a company other than Harvey World Travel, we recommend you check the following:-

1. Do you have a policy number?
2. Does your policy have an excess? Is this excess per event?
3. Do you have 24 hour emergency assistance?
4. Have you received an emergency assistance card with the reverse charge phone numbers to call back to Australia 24/7?
5. Do you have unlimited cover for “Overseas Medical and Dental”, “Additional Expenses” and “Amendment or Cancellation Costs”?
6. Are you covered for any existing medical conditions? 
7. Do you have Insolvency Cover for Travel Providers?
8. Is your entire journey covered?
9. Are you under the maximum age limit?
10. Are you covered for activities such as Bungee Jumping, Abseiling, Ballooning, Parachuting, Paragliding or Gliding?
11. Are you covered for Hijacking or acts of Terrorism?
12. Is your luggage cover adequate for the items you are taking?

If you feel, after checking the above, that your cover is inadequate, please do not hesitate to contact us for a quote.

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Baggage Tips

• Make sure you use external tags (with name & address) as well as internal labels (in case external tags are removed)
• For couples, never pack one suitcase for one person and one for the other, but spilt belongings between the cases. If one case goes astray neither person is left without a change of clothes or necessities.

 

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Security

What can I take on a plane for International flights?

• Only small amounts of liquid substances such as drinks, creams, perfumes, sprays, gels and toothpaste (100 millilitres per container) will be permitted to be taken through the screening point onto international passenger aircraft as carry-on baggage. For more information, click here .
• These items will need to be placed in resealable transparent plastic bags, such as a freezer bag sold in most supermarkets, no larger than one litre, which much be screened separately. Larger amounts of liquids can still be carried in checked baggage.
• Exceptions will be made for passengers with medical conditions, or with baby food intended to be consumed on board. However, these items may be subject to additional security checks.
• Passengers may take on board items purchased after the screening point.

 

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Tourist Refund Scheme

The TRS enables you to claim a refund, subject to certain conditions, of the goods and services tax (GST) and wine equalisation tax (WET) that you pay on goods you buy in Australia.
To claim a refund you must:

• Spend $300 (GST inclusive) or more in the one store and get a single tax invoice
• Buy goods no more than 30 days before departure
• Wear or carry the goods on board the aircraft or ship and present them along with your original tax invoice, passport and international boarding pass to a Customs Officer at a TRS facility
• Claims at airports are available up to 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure of your flight.
• Claims at seaports should be made no earlier than 4 hours and no later than 1 hour prior to the scheduled departure time of the vessel.

The refund only applies to goods you take with you as hand luggage or wear.

For more information, click here .