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The recent political unrest in Thailand highlights the need to register yourself with the appropriate government department when going to an overseas country. In my case as an Australian I would go to the Smart Traveller website and register myself.

The reason you would want to do this is if a normal calm situation suddenly changes as has happened in Thailand and you need to be made aware of the situation or you may need assistance to return home. If you are registered the embassy in that country would be better able to serve you in your time of need.

Even when all is okay in the country you are visiting it is worthwhile registering as sometimes something may happen to loved ones at home and you may need to be contacted urgently.

Another highly reccommended thing to do when travelling overseas is to get travel insurance. A lot of people have the attitude that nothing will happen to them where they require travel insurance however you just never know what can go wrong. A recent example is where Australian journalist Matthew Hill fell critically ill in Beijing while covering the 2008 Olympics. He required a medical evacuation from Beijing. Without insurance this can be a costly exercise.

I recently returned from Beijing and was lucky enough to not need to call upon my travel insurance however I never considered going on vacation without first taking out a travel insurance policy.

I also recall another instance where I was working in Beijing. One of my colleagues fell ill and was in a serious condition that required hospitalisation. He was fit and strong and would have never expected this to happen. He had travel insurance and was well looked after in a western standard hospital. This was all thanks to travel insurance.

For people interested in travel registration you can learn more at the page I have on this website.

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According to the Australian Government Smart Traveller website as of 24 June 2008 you should not travel to the following countries:

• Afghanistan
• Burundi
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Comoros
• Iraq
• Somalia
• Sudan

Smartraveller.com.au is a website made for Australian travellers by the Australian Government. The information is not strictly only for Australians. People from other countries can benefit from reading the information they will find at Smart Traveller.

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With today’s modern airliners providing access to more for less the chances of getting a cheap flight have improved. If only the cost of oil would go down and then there would be some sensational prices.

Still it is affordable to travel the world to see exotic locations. It just takes some imagination and then you can see the places of your dreams.

What is the place you would love to see? Some travel experiences I know people are planning include a six week holiday in France. The friend of mine who is doing this would love to go to France in July this year and hire a car. From there he will travel to the places you don’t see if you go on a package tour. He is planning to find local guides that can show him the out of the way places in France. This will be a truly unique adventure.

Another friend is planning on a visit to Vietnam, once again the focus is seeing the places that not everyone will go to. It seems people are wanting more unique holiday experiences nowadays.

With this comes some risk so it pays to get travel insurance and also register with your countries local diplomatic mission in the country you plan to visit. See the travel registration article for more on this.

My family and I are also having a vacation this year. My wife is from Beijing, so we are going back for the month of August. We get to enjoy the great food available in China as well as take in some Olympic events. Just to be in Beijing at this time should be amazing. Hopefully the Tibet situation will not interfere too much with what should be a fantastic sporting event.

What are your plans for your next vacation? Do you want an overseas adventure or are happy to stay local? There is so much to see and do and with careful planning you can save yourself lots of cash and lots of hassles.