Whisking the family away for a dream trip to a sunny destination?

Whether you’re going on an adventure of a lifetime, a bustling city tour or a dreamy beach getaway, it’s important to make sure you and your family travel worry-free. The last thing you want on vacation is something to go wrong and ruin your family’s plans.

Give yourself enough time to prepare well in advance and ensure that you’ve covered all of your bases before travelling with the family.

Here are 7 tips for worry-free travel

Passports

Make sure all of your passports are valid and won’t expire while you are away! I remember booking a trip but then not realizing that my son’s passport already expired – young children’s passports expire within five years.

Travel Documents

You’ll obviously need to have original documents with you but it’s a good idea to have copies of all of your travel documents elsewhere. I suggest scanning and emailing your travel documents, passport, itinerary and insurance policy to yourself and to a family member.

Travel insurance

You don’t want to think that something bad could happen while on vacation but you need to be covered in the event something does. Even if it’s a simple visit to the emergency for a child’s ear infection, not having travel insurance could cost you thousands of dollars. Make sure you book your travel insurance ahead of time, at least for medical/emergency, and consider buying coverage for trip cancellation.

Vaccinations

The last thing you want on vacation is to get sick or contract any viruses or infections. Make sure all of your family’s immunizations are up to date and ask your doctor if your children have had all of their shots of Twinrix, for example, which protects against Hepatitis A and B.

Data/roaming plan

I’ve heard stories of people coming back from vacation to a cell phone bill costing thousands of dollars. Do your research before leaving on your trip and secure a data/roaming plan with your cell phone provider.

Check the Fine Print

When booking your travel or activity, always check the fine print. If you’re doing something risky on a trip like bungee jumping or scuba diving, check that the operators have legitimate qualifications and a good safety record first, and be sure that the instructors are qualified.

Carry Light and Smart

Don’t bring all of your bank, credit and identification cards in your wallet or purse. Keep at least one in a different place, such as in the hotel room safe. If you lose all of your cards while travelling, it is very difficult to get replacements.

Personalize your luggage so that it’s easy to spot at baggage claims. Don’t pack 10 pairs of shoes either – do you really need to bring all of that?! Pack light and bring just the essentials.

Wear a cross-body purse so that your belongings are always near your body. Don’t bring expensive jewellery while on vacation either and have some money in the local currency on hand.

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This post was brought to you by WIND Mobile via Glam Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of WIND Mobile.