Things to do before you leave Australia

A few things to do before you leave Australia

In all the excitement of heading overseas, it can be tough to think about all those sometimes boring things you should take care of before boarding the plane. To help you out, here are some things you might want to sort out while still in the land of sunshine, as it can be difficult to do so once you’ve departed. Other things may just be easier to organise ahead of time.

• Let your bank know that you’re going to be overseas. That way if you make any transactions outside of Australia, they will know it is you and not some dodgey dude who stole your card details. This way they won’t block transactions, and sometimes will even help you set up extra security, like a security token, so you can transfer money and pay bills securely overseas. You should probably do these 2 to 3 weeks prior to leaving, so that any security tokens or forms can be posted to you and received before your departure.

• Research and decide on how you will take your money with you overseas, whether it be in cash, travellers cheques, prepaid travel money cards, or credit cards. If you need money changed over into cash, try to order the currency you will need at least a week prior to departing, as going the day before you leave may be risky if the bank you go to may not have that currency in stock and will need to order it in. I decided to take some cash as well as load money onto a prepaid travel money card in Great British Pounds, Euros and Singapore Dollars. This is a much cheaper option in comparison to just withdrawing cash from your Australian account with your debit/cash card in terms of fees.
• Sort out your mobile phone plan or sim card. If you are on a plan, be sure to cancel it if you are not going to be using it for a few months, otherwise the bills will keep coming in – not a fun thing to think about and try to sort out while on holidays... Some providers also give you the option of keeping your number by transferring you from a plan to pay-as-you-go, all you have to do it load the sim with some credit, which you can use when you return home. I bought $50 of credit which will last 12 months, and just gave the sim to my mum to look after, that way she can top it up for me just before I get back (I’ll have been gone over 12 months), the $50 credit will roll over, and my number remains the same J If you are only away for a month or less, you may also have the option of your provider making your sim able to have global roaming, which may also be useful for the first few days you are overseas before you have a chance to buy a UK sim.
• Make sure that if your drivers licence is close to expiry that you renew it before leaving the country. You still can renew it while overseas, but it is a little trickier as you have to get a Justice of the Peace to sign documents. The form is available from your state or territory’s Department of Main Roads and Transport website.
• Make photocopies of your Passport, Visa, Drivers License (and other Identity cards), Birth Certificate and any other important documents you think you may need copies of while overseas. Give copies to your family or trusted friends back home, and carry a few more with you (obviously not all in the same bag, and in a secure place no one can take them from). If you lose your passport this will also make it easier to get a new one.
• Take extra passport sized photographs, they do come in handy, especially if you want to get a 16-25 Railpass (it gets you discounts on national rail services across the UK) among other things.
• Let the Australian Electoral Commission know you’ll be out of the country. If you need to vote, you still can do so, but if you don’t want to worry, filling out the form available from the web address below appropriately means you won’t be fined for failing to vote.

http://www.aec.gov.au/pdf/enrolment/forms/overseas/ER022Nw_0208.pdf

• Set up a Skype account. It is a great way to chat to people back home, make calls inexpensively, and you can also text mobile phones for a fraction of the cost. Skype is free to download and you can instant message and video friends and family around the world for free. Or if you want to you can buy credit to use towards text messaging or calling landlines and mobile phones. http://www.skype.com
• Book a hostel for at least the first few nights after you arrive. Hostels in London regularly are booked out over the weekends, and surprisingly sometimes during the week too. Save your feet and stress levels by booking ahead. A great website that my boyfriend and I found helpful and reliable iswww.hostelworld.com because all hostels and hotels are user-rated. You can see read people’s reviews and ratings, as well as the hostel’s location, availability, and you can even book through the site (10% deposit). I recommend checking if the hostel has a website as well, which is usually indicated on hostelworld, as sometimes it can be slightly cheaper to book through the hostel’s website.
• I highly recommend booking a hop-on hop-off bust tour around London for one of the first days you are in the city. It is the perfect way to get your bearings, and the brilliance of the scheme is that if you see something you’d like to go take a closer look at (eg. Big Ben), you just press the button and hop off at the nearest stop. The routes take you around to nearly all of the most famous and history dense sights, streets, and scenes in the middle of London, with either live or recorded commentary. You can begin any time of day (within the hours of operation) and your ticket is valid for 24 hours from when you first board one of the busses. Hop on and off as many times as you like! We went with the Big Bus Tours, however there are a few other similar companies as well. You can book your tickets before you go through STA or other travel agents, or just buy one on the day. Do be warned, it can be very popular in Summer, so try to book your ticket ahead or get on board early in the day if you are in London that time of year. http://www.bigbustours.com/eng/london/custompage.aspx?id=london_sightseeing_tour&gclid=
• Have a big gathering with your best mates to celebrate your upcoming adventure and to say goodbye, as well as letting your friends and family know how they can contact you overseas. One of the downsides to travelling and living overseas, is that the logistics of taking all your favourite people with you are huge and quite expensive, so having a bit of a send off event is a great way to gather a lot of them together in one place and say your goodbyes. It’s also a great excuse for a party so you can let loose and start getting really excited!