A
vacation is supposed to be a blast. You board the ship, check all
your problems at the gangway and have the time of your life – but
reality shouldn’t be disregarded.
Here
are five important cruise documents to take with you while on
vacation.
1.
Passport Page and Photo Copy. Everyone should take the first
page of their passport and make a copy of it – keeping the copy
separate from the passport itself. Making a copy of the first page
and having a photo will make it easier to get a new passport from the
consulate if something should happen.
2.
Drivers License. No everyone wants to walk off the ship with
their passport, but everyone wants off the ship. Even though you
technically don’t need your driver’s license to get off the ship
(you can use your passport), it’s a lot lighter and smaller than
your passport. Leave your passport locked up in your safe so you
don’t lose it. You may want to consider keeping that passport photo
copy with you.
3.
Bank Paperwork. Things do happen and you may need to contact
your bank if you lose your card or if you think your bankcard may get
compromised. In 2012 when I was in Honduras, my bank card got
compromised and someone tried to buy an $800 airline ticket to
Europe. Luckily the bank caught it – endings aren’t always that
pleasant. Carry your bank phone number and account numbers in a
secure place.
4.
Emergency Numbers. Simple enough. Make sure you have all
your contacts back home in case something happens. Put them on a
business card in your wallet, backpack or whatever you carry around
with you. Also, on your phone make sure you have folks labeled where
if something happens and a complete stranger needs to pick up your
phone they will not have any issues identifying mom, dad, sister, and
so on.
5.
Travel Insurance Policy.
A travel
insurance policy is
very important. As I am writing this there’s a tropical storm off
our coast and my flight to Dallas has been delayed two hours and
possibly longer. I am going to Juneau, Alaska with two down-line
connections. Besides flight issues, if you need to be medically
evacuated from your ship back home you can expect a bill from $20,000
up to $250,000 dollars, depending on where are you and the distance
home. If you don’t purchase a policy, promise me you’ll at least
check it out and not totally pass it up.
These
are just five tips that come top of mind when it comes to important
cruise documents. Remember to think your vacation through — it
involves more than just throwing some clothes into a suitcase.
