Tips

Common Mistakes on Travel Documents

Easily preventable, these travelling document blunders could cost you your entire vacation!

By Claire Newell /

Credit: Flickr/meddygarnet

Carefully check that your name on your travel tickets matches your travel documentation

Getting your travel documents in order before you leave can save money and unnecessary hassle during your trip

Sometimes even the smallest mistake in your travel documents can cost you to fix or potentially end your holiday before it’s begun.  

Here are some of the most common mistakes on documentation you’ll want to avoid:

  • Not using your legal name. For example ‘Bob’ instead of Robert or ‘Bill” instead of William. Tickets need to match government issued ID.

  • Using your newly married name when your name has not been legally changed yet.

  • Having enough time on your passport. For example, travelling without six months’ validity on passport to places that require it like Cuba, Costa Rica, or Bali.

  • Assuming a passport is enough documentation and forgetting that some countries also require a visa.

  • Single parents travelling with kids and forgetting to get a notarized letter from the other parent giving permission to take the kids out of the country.

Hopefully, the next time you travel you’ll have all your documentation in order but just in case, don’t forget to double-check your tickets and re-confirm all reservations.

Founder and president of Travel Best Bets, Claire Newell has appeared on The Today Show, Fox & Friends, Good Day New York, ABC Morning News – Chicago, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and CNN Radio, and is the official travel consultant for Global TV. She has been a spokesperson for Disney’s www.family.com, and featured in promotions for the Vancouver International Airport and the Canadian Tourism Commission. Newell has authored or been featured in articles for Success, Professional Woman, Today’s Parent, Readers Digest and for various newspapers. She is the best selling author of Travel Best Bests – An Insider’s Guide to Taking Your Best Trips, Ever and has just finished her second book.
 
This wife and mother of two has also launched two lines of luggage & travel accessories. Visit www.clairenewell.com for more information.