THE TRAVEL COMPANY
Our best travel tips for the best golfing holidays
25 years and 142 tours of travel experience
to discuss any of these tips or to share your travel tips,
please send an email to
rob@bestgolfingholidays.com
1. Your airline booking
- make an early decision about possible dates to fly
- airfares may vary by day as well as time of day within your date range, so be as flexible as possible
- Establish which airlines fly the route you wish to fly.
- Check connection times if the flights are not direct. Long connections can be expensive if you do not have access to airport lounges
2. Travel insurance
- check in advance if you receive free travel insurance if you purchase your airline ticket and travel packages with your credit card.
- if you have a pre-condition check whether the insurance company covers that before you proceed.
- Many travel insurance companies insist that you do the paperwork for your insurance within 48 hours of purchasing your ticket in order to qualify for all the benefits on their policy
3. Visa application
- most countries issue their visas through their consulate and not at the Embassy
- visas for Europe usually need to be applied for at the consulate where you first land (port of entry) or at the consulate of the country where you will be staying the longest
- ensure that you have the necessary blank passport pages and passport validity after your return as listed on the consulate website for the country of application
- The consulate will list the required documents and supporting letters (eg hotel) for application. This includes your return airline ticket and proof of funds available for your stay. If just one is missing be ready to be sent home.
4. Credit cards and foreign exchange
- Spend time well in advance working out a budget for your trip. This includes food and refreshments, transport, entrances, shopping, entertainment, etc
- Decide which will be your primary card and which will your secondary card left safely in your room.
- Tell your bank you will be travelling, which countries you will be visiting and what large amounts they must clear for you.
- Keep the bank fraud and lost card numbers on 2 cards... one in your wallet and one in your suitcase
- Place the bulk of your budget on your secondary card so that you have what is needed for the day plus a buffer on your primary card.
- Transfer in the evenings before bed the amount you need on your primary card for the next day
5. Home security
- Home security while away is a personal decision, but it is essential that a friend / neighbour, family member knows you are away and how to reach you.
- Someone has to be your "go-to" contact if anything happens.....window broken and needing replacement is just a simple example.
6. At the airport
- Travellers can be divided into "get there early to avoid the queue" or, "the airline says 3 hours so that is what I shall do"
- I learned a long time ago to get to the airport ideally an hour in advance....I would rather be at the front of a growing queue for an hour than stand in a long queue for an hour. And if they open the counters early (which they often do) it's a bargain.
- If you have access to an airline lounge it is going to save you a lot of money for refreshments and it will give you access to more healthy food than they will be serving on the plane. Far better to have your meal on the ground....and you even get to choose what you want to have for the meal.
- when you checked in they gave you a boarding time.....it's now your decision to either join the queue early and board first, or wait to board last.
- My preference is again to join the queues early, get on board without a crush, have space above me for my hand luggage and get settled before the crowd jostles for space and end up having to stow their hand luggage elsewhere on the plane.
7. On the plane
- If your hand luggage has to be stowed away from your row, be sure it is placed ahead of you, as behind you will be impossible to get to when everyone is trying to disembark.
- If you do not need the pillow or blankets the airline provides, now is the time to ask the cabin crew to take it away
- Set your watch to the time at your destination as this will ensure you adapt mentally and physically to your destination and eases any jet lag you may experience. Try and sleep based on your the time on your watch, not your home time.
- be sure to select an aisle seat to the left of the aisle if you are right handed, as this allows freedom in the space of the aisle for your right arm when eating, drinking or making adjustment to your onboard entertainment system or even your mobile device (which must be in flight mode).
8. Day of arrival
- Keep the bank fraud/lost card numbers on 2 cards ... one in your wallet and one in your suitcase
- when checking in at your hotel, ask for a list of emergency numbers for the local area
- recharge all your devices, especially your mobile phone
- purchase a local sim card if you are on a longer stay not covered by your mobile contract. It avoids high roaming costs and I usually purchase limited airtime but a fair amount of data to cover navigation and online searches. (remember to record the PUK / PIN/ etc)
- go for a long walk to minimize jet lag and use the
walk to orientate yourself in your destination:
ATM / superette / restaurants / train / bus / etc
- Enjoy a light meal with little or no alcohol... you need to give your body all the chance for a good night's sleep.
9. Your first day
- Your body is till adapting to your new time zone, so be extra kind to it
- my tested routine is wake up at my usual time (on your watch, not your back home time) and immediately drink some liquid to keep the rehydration process going
- Make sure you have a good breakfast and do not be shy to eat more than your breakfast back home, as you are now away and are most certainly going to be more active and burn up those added calories.
- Walk a lot, it will get your body settled quicker
- Eat and head to bed according the time on your watch, not your time back home
For more information to ensure that you do not miss out on the very best golfing holidays, please contact
ROB CHAPLIN
The Travel Company
rob@bestgolfingholidays.com