making travel easier

We’ve been saying this a lot, lately: travel is more difficult than ever before. Extreme weather events occur with alarming frequency. Geopolitical tensions can disrupt travel and create security concerns. Problems with aircraft can cause large portions of an airline’s entire fleet to be grounded. Tour operators and airlines go out of business more often than you might think. And public health concerns can disrupt travel, as well.

Just in the last two weeks, we’ve had clients return early from their trips because of a family emergency at home, and because their itinerary was suddenly altered by their cruise line. We had a large group of students that needed to be re-routed because weather delays would have meant a missed connection. Media hype routinely overstates the impact of any particular travel-related event (Australia was not completely on fire), But the fact remains that a few simple steps can help you prepare for difficulties that you might encounter.

So, with that in mind, here are a few best practices for travel in this day and age:

• Pack 14 days of extra medication — In the event of unexpected travel delays and emergencies, bring additional prescription medication for at least two weeks beyond the length of your trip. Also you should bring a list of the names, strengths, and dosages of all medications in case refills are required.

•  Take a change of clothes and your toiletries in your carry-on bag — Packing light is always a good idea, but sometimes, a long trip makes it necessary to check a bag. If you’re on an itinerary that requires you to connect—and especially if you’re connecting more than once—pack in your carry-on what you might need to survive any delay for your flight or your luggage. When you suddenly find yourself having to spend a night without your checked bag, a clean change of clothes (or at least a tee-shirt, underwear and socks), and your own toothbrush, floss, razor, and other items can make all the difference.

• Provide an Emergency Contact — It is critical that you provide your emergency contacts to every travel provider on your itinerary. It’s good to provide one to your travel advisor, as well, but remember—unless you’re on one of our escorted trips where Tom, David or Erin are right there with you, we’re not the ones who are going to be closest to you in the event that something happens. And even when we are right there—if we’re traveling with you, we might be affected by your delays or other travel issues, too. We strongly recommend that you provide a validated emergency contact & phone number with the cruise lines, tour operators, hotels and airlines on your trip. We can help you do that, but remember—your emergency contact should not be traveling with you.

• Mobile phone instructions — You should enable an international travel plan inclusive of voice and data. Cell phones will not work the same in all countries without an international plan and Wi-Fi is not as available in many countries. An international plan will enable you to stay connected at a reasonable rate and ensure that you can be contacted, in case of an emergency.

• Purchase travel insurance — We recommend that all of our clients purchase a comprehensive travel insurance policy, or some other form of travel protection, not only to protect you from any losses stemming from unforeseeable circumstances during your vacation, but to give you confidence to make new plans with the "cancel for any reason" coverage if it’s offered by your insurance provider, tour operator or cruise line.

• Practice healthy travel habits — According to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the simplest and most effective way to prevent illness, is to take extra care to practice basic health habits, including:

• Washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds

• Taking advantage of hand sanitizer wherever it's available

• Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing using a tissue or your bent elbow

• Always dispose of a used tissue promptly and wash your hands afterwards

• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands

• Avoiding close contact with sick people

And, maybe it should go without saying, but it’s worth it to book your trip through a travel advisor. When we work with our clients to plan their vacations, we’re more than just a booking engine. Honestly, you can book travel online pretty easily. But when you let us plan and book your trip, we make sure that we’re using travel providers that we know and trust. And when something goes wrong on your trip, we’re there to run interference for you. You might not be able to get Expedia, Google or Travelocity on the phone, but we’ll respond to your call or email as quickly as we can, and we’ll figure out your best options right away.

So, if you’re thinking of travel, and you haven’t yet worked with a travel advisor, this might be a great time to reach out to us. Travel is hard, no matter what. But we can help make it easier.