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Take out the correct travel insurance
and ensure it provides suitable and adequate cover for your trip.
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Ensure that all the exterior doors
and windows
of your home are equipped with good quality locks/methods of
secure closing.
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If possible, arrange for someone to
check on your home when you're away. This will ensure that any
problems such as leaks etc are spotted quickly and action taken.
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Place some of the lights inside
your home on variable timing devices to give a lived-in
appearance.
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Check that your home
owners/contents policy is up to date and that any expensive
items you may be taking on your trip are insured.
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Ensure that passports and visa are
up to date and valid.
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Make a list of travellers cheques
and photocopy important travel documents including airline or
any other tickets, passport, visa and vaccination records. Put
them in your suitcase and hand luggage and leave a copy at home.
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Ensure that your travel or private
health insurance policy provides adequate medical cover – in
Europe, a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) may not cover
all of your hospital bills. EHIC can provide free or reduced
cost treatment in European Economic Area countries (EEA) or
Switzerland. However, only state-provided treatment is covered
with this – and this may not cover all of the things that you
would expect to receive free of charge with the NHS. As a
result, travellers are often left with a large percentage of
their medical bill. Use EHIC alongside your policy for
added benefit - when you make a claim on your policy,
and have used your EHIC to reduce the cost of your treatment, we
will waive the excess on your medical claim.
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Check that your EHIC is still
valid. The EHIC replaces form E111 from 1st January 2006. If
your old E111 form has an expiry date of 31st December 2005 at
the bottom, it’s valid until that date. If there’s no expiry
date, you’ll need to apply for a new EHIC. Visit the Department
of Health website for further details on how to apply.
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It is important that you have all
the necessary vaccinations for the country you are visiting.
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If you are travelling to an 'at
risk' area, visit www.fco.org.uk. This knowledge can help you
assess the risks and take any necessary precautions during your
stay.
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Give your travel plans, hotel
details and arrival/departure dates to at least two people you
can trust.
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When packing, do not put valuables
in 'checked-in' baggage.
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Cancel milk and newspaper
deliveries.
