INSURANCE PROGRAMS: Passport to Ministry^®

Travel Tips

Passport to Ministry^® can help you if you get into trouble on a foreign mission trip, but there are steps you can take to prevent problems from arising. Here are some tips to help preserve your security and peace of mind while traveling outside the United States.

Our Mission is Protecting Yours.^®

Pre-Trip Planning

Documents:

• A new passport law went into effect at the beginning of 2007. The new law, which is a result of increased homeland security, requires travelers—including U.S. citizens—who arrive in the U.S. by air from any part of the Western Hemisphere to present a passport upon entry. This means that travelers who fly into our country from such destinations as Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, and the Caribbean must have a valid passport.
• Make copies of your passport, credit cards, driver's license, vaccination certification, airline tickets and traveler's checks. Leave them with someone you trust who has a fax machine. This will help you replace your documents in case they are lost or stolen.
• Photocopy your travel arrangements and leave them with a friend or relative so you can be reached in case of an emergency.
• If you're planning to drive, get an international driver's license before you leave. It's required for traveling on some of the better quality roads, and many foreign car rental services insist on one.

Health:

• Check about vaccinations for the country you are traveling to. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers information on the health standards and immunization requirements for various geographic regions.
• World Health Organization provides details of vaccine-related entry requirements for several countries, types of malaria risks, frequent updates on disease risks, and news of disease outbreaks.
• Eat yogurt for two weeks before you leave. This builds up friendly bacteria in your system, which enables you to tolerate more foods and drinks.

Packing:

• Take a first-aid kit, including bandages, Q-tips, eye drops, earplugs, wet wipes, antibiotic cream, and medications for allergies, colds, and pains.
• Use plastic pill bottles as containers for such small items as cotton balls, safety pins, rings, or earrings.
• Take a travel alarm clock or a stop watch with an alarm for your wake-up calls.
• Bring adapters for electrical appliances.

Luggage:

• Attach a brightly-colored piece of fabric to the handle for quick identification.
• Use your business address, rather than your home address, on the luggage tags.
• Though most luggage comes with locks to help secure zippers and latches, these locks tend to be flimsy and easily broken into. Instead, use electrician ties, available at home improvement stores, to secure your luggage. They're very tough, and if they've been cut off, you will know that someone has tampered wtih your luggage.

While You Travel

Communication:

• Be aware of how you gesture while communicating in the country you're visiting. Gestures may have different meanings in other countries than they do in the United States.
  
  Example: In Bulgaria, nodding your head means "no," and shaking your head from side to side means "yes."
• Avoid using slang or jargon that might be misunderstood or mystifying in another country.
  
  Example: Avoid using phrases such as "he's a bear," "to each his own," or "you're right on the money."

Supplies:

• Carry power bars, apples, and other handy foods with you in case your transportation is delayed.
• Carry valuables in concealed inside pockets or in a sturdy bag with the strap across your chest.

Helpful Web Sites

Customs:

• The U.S. Customs Service Web site offers guidelines on transferring prescription drugs across borders, mailing items to the United States from abroad, declarations and exemptions of items purchased abroad, and items barred from the United States.
• The U.S. State Department offers a variety of resources, including travel warnings and advisories to keep you abreast of regions to avoid, as well as passport and visa information. Whether you need to apply for a new passport or renew an existing one, the U.S.Department of State’s passport website can help answer “how to” questions, including where to apply, what documentation is required, how long the process takes, and more.
• Getting Through Customs, a Web site for international business travelers, offers tips on clothing, courtesy, and customs that can help you avoid faux pas on foreign soil.

Health:

• Travel Health Online provides a wealth of useful information for international travelers. The site includes general information, specific health concerns and risks, and immunization recommendations for nearly every country.
  
  The site also includes a brief description of many travel-related illnesses and ways to protect yourself from them, as well as links to relevant U.S. State Department Publications. It's a very comprehensive travel-health site.
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers information on the health standards and immunization requirements for various geographic regions. The CDC also issues health advisories to consider before traveling to certain areas.
• The World Health Organization Web site contains details of several countries' offical vaccine-related entry requirements, areas and types of malaria risk in individual countries, frequent updates on disease risks, and news of disease outbreaks important to international travelers.

Get a Quote: For a free, no-obligation quote on foreign travel insurance, contact your Brotherhood Mutual agent, contact us, or visit our online premium calculator.

Get the Details: Visit our Program Details page to learn more information about Passport to Ministry, our foreign travel insurance program, and its three options for coverage and assistance services.