Sunday, 25 August 2013

Top 4 tips for international expat travellers.

If you're flying on holiday there is a chance you have a holiday rep to meet you at your end destination and transport to and from the airport.

If you're travelling on business, you're likely to have your ticket booked for you and met at the other end or at least have car hire waiting for you on expenses.

If like me you're an expat, travelling to your home country on a regular basis, you're likely to have none of that available to you.

Tonight I'm taking a direct flight, but ususally due to the cost of the flights, I travel via Dubai.

Here are my top 4 tips to survive International travel as an expat.

1. Make sure if travelling through another country that you have either local currency or £'s/$'s for a cup of coffee. Hubby travels business class so gets to use the lounge and he didn't understand my frustration of arriving in Dubai with only Rand's and Pound coins. I had to go find a fellow British travel and ask him to change £10 in coins into a note as they won't take coins at Dubai airport. However they did give me the change half in the local currency and half in British coins....go figure.

2. That said re money, make sure you have a Pound coin on you when you arrive in the UK, they charge for the trollies and trust me, after a 12 hour flight or 2 x 8 hour flights, your need for a trolley is great.

3. When I arrive in the UK I have only 2 people that can collect me from either Birmingham or London airports and they have done many times, but I don't want to keep pushing my luck and as this is a bank holiday in the UK, I've booked my train travel in advance, be warned though, tickets can't be collected from Heathrow, so it's a tube first into Paddington.

4. Allow yourself time when you land to get your bearings, freshen up and grab a coffee, swop your sim cards and top your phone up. Some UK mobile companies won't let you top up online outside the UK.

2 comments:

  1. Hi...Thanks for sharing this information and your article is so impressive, help full to all regarding online clients.
    Arun Panchariya in Dubai

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  2. I too get to travel the 'hard way' without hubby as his QANTAS club benefit recipient. It would do these hubbies a bit of good to rough it just for once every now and then, to remember what it's like for the other half! Shame about needing to pay for a trolley when you get off the flight:( Last thing you need when you've had a long flight etc. In Australia, they do it the reverse-free trolleys when you arrive but coins for trolleys when you leave. That's much easier to take I think!

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