Big OE hints and tips

Big OE hints and tips - ASIA AND AFRICA

 TIP #1: Travel cheap! If you are a student or under 26 years old - grab an ISIC or IYTC card. The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) and the International Youth Travel Card (IYTC) are your tickets to the best travel deals on the planet. Check out www.isiccard.co.nz for more details.

TIP #2: If you are planning to be away for a while - ensure that you have a reliable person back in Aotearoa that will send you all those staples (Minties, Chocolate Fish, Perky Nana's).

TIP #3: Purchase an A-Z of the city that you are staying in as soon as you arrive - it will become your best friend!

TIP #4: Before you depart, ensure that your passport is valid and not going to expire whilst you are overseas. Some countries require that your passport be valid for at least 6 months after your period of stay.

TIP #5: If you are planning on working whilst on your Big OE, make sure you have organised the correct visa before you depart. Leave plenty of time to organise your visas as some can take up to 3 months to organise!

TIP #6: Make sure you have had all the correct vaccinations for your Big OE destination. Some vaccinations need to be administered up to 6 months before arrival, so get organised early. See your GP or Travel Doctor for more information.

TIP #7: We don't want to scare you but things can happen. Getting sick in remote areas of Asia, Africa or the Middle East can be costly. Organise Travel Insurance before you depart and make sure it covers repatriation (getting you home in an emergency).

TIP #8: While the world is a beautiful place, we recognise the fact that it is a changing one. With the current political climate, we should be aware of some of the more dangerous places to visit at this time. Keep abreast of the latest government information on travel warnings and precautions. Visit the web site below for the MFAT travel advisory information: http://safetravel.govt.nz/

TIP #9: Photocopy all your important documents (passport, tickets, visas, credit cards) and leave a copy with your family or friends in New Zealand. This will be a saviour if you happen to lose anything and need to replace it.

TIP #10: Carry empty duty free bags with you. If you happen to have too much luggage, fill them up with your extra stuff and carry them onto the plane with your carry-on luggage.

TIP #11: If you want to take your perfume and moisturiser on the flight with you then you need to know that any liquids and creams that you take on board with you as part of your carry-on luggage must be in containers no larger than 100mls.  They also need to be presented at security checks seperately in a 1 litre transparent resealable plastic bag.  To find out more about these rules speak to your STA Travel adviser.

TIP #12: Take a photo of all your belongings that you are taking on your OE before you depart NZ. Just incase your bag gets stolen or lost, this will help when it comes to making a travel insurance claim.

TIP #13: Carry extra dental floss with you. Not only handy for dental hygiene, dental floss can come in handy if your shoe lace breaks or if you need a clothes line in a hurry.