This section is divided into 3 areas: Travel Tips, Dive Travel Packing List, and Travel

Insurance. Please see below and feel free to contact Dive and Travel Adventures

for more information!

Travel Tips

It is exciting and fun to travel. To get the most out of your adventure, here are a few tips:

** Think ahead about your destination and what you will need in terms of clothing and

wetsuit warmth. Ask about temperatures of the air and water.

** Think ahead about the type of place you are staying. If it is a resort, is it fancy or

casual? Is there a dress code at dinner? If you are diving off a live aboard, you’ll need

less formal clothing and more bathing suits and shorts!

** Think about your luggage. If it is older, it may weigh a lot. Shop around for luggage

that is lighter and the correct size for checked and carry-on. Your local dive shop will

have the newest, lightest luggage, that still protects your valuable dive gear.

** Check your airline’s website for checked and carry-on luggage regulations and weights.

If you have further questions, contact DATA. Luggage regulations change from time to time.

Some airlines offer free international checked luggage for 2 pieces under 50 lbs. each. Some

charge for the second piece, only. Check to see the weight/size restriction for your carry on

luggage.

** Identify your luggage with a luggage tag on the outside AND the inside. If the luggage

tag is missing on the outside, and your bag is delayed, it is easier to identify if there is

identification on the inside, too. Mark your luggage with a ribbon or something to identify

it when claiming it.

** Pack your medication, cameras, change of clothes, bathing suit, prescription glasses

(if you year contacts), mask, and anything you cannot do without upon arrival, IF your

luggage is delayed or you are stranded in an airport.

** Pack and use sunscreen, even in the morning and late afternoon. No fun to be burned!

Pack a first aid kit.

** Think about your dive gear. Does it need to be serviced? If so, do so 3 months in

advance of your trip, to be sure it is ready. Better to have it serviced, then to have a

problem at 50 ft. Also, check it out in the pool or lake before going on your trip after serviced

to be sure it is good to go.

** Practice your dive skills before you go in a pool or lake, especially if it has been a while

since diving. Your local dive shop may have “pool time” or you can ask a pool person if you

can practice. If it has been a really long time since diving, ask a dive shop about a

refresher course.

They are usually not very expensive, and well worth getting comfortable with your skills again.

** To rent locally or at destination? Typically, your local dive shop will have gear that is

better serviced and less used than your destination. Ask about their rental pricing and

compare to your dive destination. DATA can help you with this information. If you are

practicing in the pool, you can request to use the same type of gear that you’ll be renting.

** Get your body checked out (teeth, too), if needed, before your trip.

** Check the Center for Disease Control Website (www.cdc.gov) for recommended

suggested vaccinations before you travel. Is your tetanus shot up to date? It is suggested

that travelers have vaccinations for Hepatitis B and C, as well.

** Plan your budget for the trip. If you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, you’ll need

less money than if you only have breakfast included. Are you a shopper? Plan ahead for

your purchases. Also….read about credit cards, next!

** If you plan to use your credit cards, contact the company(s) of each card you are

using BEFORE you go. Let them know your travel dates and destination. If you do not, they

most likely will block your card, as it appears stolen. Identity theft is on the rise, and they

want to protect you. Also, ask your company if they charge a fee for exchanging your foreign

charges into U.S. currency.

** Leave your itinerary and emergency contact numbers with your family or friends while

gone, just in case.

** Keep some of your cash in a separate location in your purse or backpack, incase your

wallet is lost or stolen. Use your safe in your room for your valuable.

** Keep a copy of your passport picture page separate from your passport, in case it is lost

or stolen. It will be easier to get a replacement at the country’s U.S. Embassy with that

information.

** Relax. This is your vacation! Once you are beyond the borders of the U.S., cultures

are different. Many countries move much more slowly than we do. Time is about relationships,

not about the clock. Be patient. If something is bothering you, ask yourself if your

expectation is realistic OR if it is something to let go. If it is a problem, ask your group leader,

tour leader, dive shop, or hotel representative if they can help you. Patience and kindness are

the key. Be reasonable.

Enjoy!

If you have other tips, let us know!