Travelling is great. Whether it’s a road trip within your own borders or a transatlantic adventure, the act of getting out and exploring is something we all enjoy doing. But, before you can relax and have a care-free experience, you need to protect yourself and anyone that’s with you. Basically, the aim of travelling is to see new places, have fun, and escape the stresses of daily life. However, you can only be stress-less by getting your affairs in order before you go travelling. In today’s tech-first world, the internet has the prevention and solution to almost any problem. With this in mind, we’ve outlined the travel essentials you need to know before you pack your bags.
Know Your Flight Rights
If you’re planning a trip abroad, one of the most stressful hurdles you need to overcome is the flight. Just getting to the airport, making it through security on time, and boarding the plane are stressful enough. However, when delays strike and you’re stuck not knowing whether you’re going to fly, things get even worse. Fortunately, you’ve got rights. The team at Flightright are experts in all things travel-related. Using their 10 years’ of experience, the team not only fight for your travel rights in court (with a 99% success rate), they’re on hand to arm you with knowledge. When it comes to delays and flight cancellation compensation, their advice is evidence.
Collect proof of expenses related to your trip, alternative ticket costs and, of course, flight details. As long as you’re able to provide evidence on demand, you’re entitled to compensation of up to €600/$660 per person for delayed and cancelled flights. As you’d expect, getting something back from an airline isn’t easy. However, there are laws in place to protect you. So, by simply knowing that you’re entitled to compensation, without affecting your right to fly, you can sit and wait without any stress.
Be Sure to Insure
Although you don’t need travel insurance to claim compensation for delayed/cancelled flights, you will need it if anything else goes wrong. Medical coverage is the obvious expense you’ll need travel insurance for. However, the best policies will cover a variety of potential problems. MoneySuperMarket is just one comparison site that allows you to scan through dozens of insurance options. Perhaps the most important thing you need to consider when you’re purchasing insurance is what could go wrong. Standard policies will cover medical expense, personal liability, emergency assistance, and lost baggage.
However, what the average scheme won’t cover are things like extreme sports, pre-existing medical conditions, and natural disasters. Obviously, if you’re going skiing, this means you’ll need to take out extra cover. Additionally, if you’re going to a place that’s known for its tropical weather, such as Thailand during the stormy season (April to October), you might want to bolt on extra cover. Again, it all comes down to knowledge.
If you’re armed with the right information, you can react accordingly in all situations. What’s more, you can protect yourself from things before they go wrong. Even if you can’t stop every eventuality, you can at least be ready for them. That’s the best way to have a stress-free experience and get maximum enjoyment from your travels.
