Travelling With Babies: What You Need to Know

Travelling
With Babies: What You Need to Know
by Intelligent Travel

Most parents who would travel for the first time with their
babies are usually apprehensive, as it can be overwhelming and can cause a lot
of uncertainties due to several factors. The most common worry of parents when
travelling by air is if their baby can take the ear pressure, or how to make
their baby comfortable during the travel as well as the things they would need
to bring for their baby. Continue reading the article to get strategies for
making travel with your baby as smoothly as possible.

First, to relieve his ear pressure, make certain you plan the feedings for
takeoff and landing as that is the time when your baby will experience the most
ear pressure and swallowing can ease some of that.

Another issue would be how to make your baby comfortable during the travel. Books
are at all times a great distraction to your babies as they are focused on the
colorful images and this can also help you bond with your child which is also
one way to make your baby calm. You can also surprise him with a toy to keep
his attention diverted.

So this leads us to our final subject, what are the things you would need to
bring for your baby?

Here’s a checklist that will help you plan to travel with your babies for the
first time:

Use a lightweight stroller
Use one that is simple to put on, take off and easy to store away. An
umbrella-type of stroller is usually recommended for travel.

Bring a diaper bag
Bringing a diaper bag is essential for traveling. In your diaper bag make sure
to carry the following:

Diapers –
Depending on the number of hours your flight is, make sure to bring at least
one diaper for every two hours travel time. For a 4-hour flight, it is
recommended to bring three diapers.

Jacket – Always bring a jacket, as airports are usually cold.

Feeding bottles – Always gauge your child’s feeding habits and that will
determine how many bottles you would need to bring.

Sippy Cup – Sippy cup is used for water as your child might ask for a
snack in between hours.

Wipes – These are essential to use not only for diaper change but also
to clean hands and dirty surfaces.

Blanket – It is recommended that the type of blanket to bring is a
receiving blanket as those are usually light in material and comfortable for
babies.

Clothes – Extra clothing is a-must in case when your child needs a change.

Favorite snacks – This is just to make sure your child won’t get grumpy
when he’s hungry.

Pack the right things
Keep in mind to always pack lightly when travelling. However, this time, you
travel with your baby so you bring more stuff than usual. But make sure what
your luggage is within the allowable limit so you won’t have a problem with
excess baggage charges.

Here are some tips:  

• You will need enough diapers for the duration of your
  vacation. But, if you have an extra budget, you can also just buy more
  once you arrive.
• You will need to concern yourself about how to
  sterilize baby bottles; Check out microwave sterilizer bags for this.
• Calculate the amount of clothing your baby uses per day
  and apply that.
• Make sure to bring your own utensils and feeding bowls
  for your baby just to be on the safe side.
• You will need to pack several receiving blankets as it
  is proven to be useful in many ways.
• Pack medicines and toiletries in re-sealable plastic
  bags to avoid any leaks.
• Bring your child’s favorite toy.

In
conclusion, start preparing to pack a few days before your travel date so you
will have a hassle and worry free travel with your baby. Have fun and enjoy
your trip!

For more Travel Tips, visit Intelligent Travel.

The business travel compliance failure – Travel safety and duty of care

The business travel compliance failure- Travel safety and duty of care

 

Many businesses, managers and
travellers believe they have an effective travel compliance system in
place, when in fact what they have is just a travel conformity program.
This may sound like exactly the same thing, but the variance is
significant and the consequences could be dire for businesses and
travellers.

Travel Conformity

Conformity is uniform behaviour in accordance with socially accepted
conventions. Travel conformity is policy, standards and procedures
invented/created by management, departments or companies for the purpose
of having their people do what they want them to do. This includes such
practices as:

• Cheapest available fare
• Cheapest available hotel
• Preferred providers
• Managed booking channels
• Pre approval of travel/expenditure
• Capped spending on hotels, transport, accommodation, etc
• Administrative paperwork
• Acknowledgement of policy, procedure, etc

Travel Compliance

Compliance is the state or fact of according with or meeting rules
and standards, such as statutory regulations. Travel compliance is
development, implementation, management and verification of policy and
procedures [determined by federal, state or regulatory bodies] in
accordance with the specific, mandatory workplace/occupational
requirements. This includes elements such as:

• ISO 9001:2008
• ISO 1401:2004
• ISO 31000:2009
• ISO 27001
• FCPA
• AS/NZS 4801
• Codes of practice

It includes the acknowledgement, tracking and adherence to specific
work safe systems and requirements for permanent, temporary and
mobile/travel workplace environments.

Site Safety Forms: Checklist

Each site, location or work environment is required to have it’s own
unique compliance documentation, specific to the work undertaken and
individual/s engaged in work at this location. It is not a
“one-size-fits-all” option and must include aspects such as briefings,
inductions, verification, etc.

 

Workplace Health and Safety [WHS] Management System Audit Checklist

All forms, checklists, policies, procedures are a subset of an
overarching safe work system, verified and audited for consistence and
actual compliance. In accordance with the statutory requirements for
that specific law, regulation or standard.

 
 

Lone Worker, Remote and Traveller Policy

If you have travellers, lone workers or remote employment
environments, then you are likely required to have a policy and
supporting procedure, specific to these employment demands. This is not
administrative in nature, that is “Don’t spend more than $xx on accommodation“, “Travel declaration forms are to be complete and approved before travel” and so on, they are operational and prescriptive in terms of what must be done, who is responsible and what takes place at each stage.
If you don’t have this, you have a travel conformity system, not a travel compliance system.

Travel Safety Management

It doesn’t matter how detailed, prescriptive or inclusive you set
conformity travel policies or procedures are, if they are not mapped
against the relevant occupational/workplace health and safety
legislation, standards and compliance requirements, you don’t have a
travel safety management system in place. It is this deficit that will
result in injury or claims and are these statutory compliance
requirements that you will use as your defence or form part of the
prosecution/claim against your managers and/or business.
Business travellers are increasingly more aware of what their
entitlements are, the safe work standards required and options for
making claims or filing for compensation as a result of a business not
providing occupational safety systems that protect the employee, fulfill
their duty of care and apply equally to travel as it does to other
‘traditional’ workplace/occupational environments such as offices.
Unfortunately, less managers and travel agents/providers are aware of
this oversight or vulnerability.

5 Minute Test

Extract your existing “Travel Compliance” documentation for 2
separate trips. One from Sydney to New York, the other from Los Angeles
to London.

Is the documentation different for each location/journey?

Can you identify exactly which document or part thereof
is related to the statutory requirements for your business and safe work
systems?

Can you prove when the statutory requirement was last
checked/updated and the relating document checked against the date of
review terms of reference?

Is the documentation, content and outcome specific to the traveller undertaking the journey?

Is this content, briefing or induction documented against the task and individual?
 
Can your business at any point demonstrate the safe work
system [as per statutory requirements] specific to the destination, trip
and traveller?

If you answered YES to ALL of these questions, you have a Travel Compliance system, if you answered NO to ANY of these questions, you a Travel Conformity system 

See more at Intelligent Travel.

Travel Expense Management: Your Travel Safety Compliance or Negligence Report?

 

Has business travel expense
management become the new proof of travel safety and duty of care, or
negligence? What your business spends and where, along with travel
expenses claimed by your travellers contributes to your proof of
compliance/guilt.

Travel Safety Proof

Travel is not the only business activity that consumes or creates
expenditure across numerous verticals within a business, but it is still
one of the few that still overlooks the evidence created by the
activity and how it relates to workplace health and safety. In other
words, how you prioritise safety, what you spend and evidence of
compliance/negligence can all be found in business travel expense
reports. And this evidence or practice can be used for either legal
defence or prosecution if not correctly managed, not to mention the risk
business travellers are exposed to as a result.

 

Travel Safety Analysis

Consider a typical business travel event or journey, that consists of
3 days international travel, accommodation, business activities and
various sundries. Because all of this expenditure appears neatly on a
post-travel expense report or even a pre-travel approval forecast, we
can see where the money goes and the “value” of each item. This now
gives us a great insight into variations and costs for each product,
service or resource consumed within the journey. But this is where it
gets interesting. When it comes to health and safety, which is where the
notion of “duty of care” resides, there is consideration for whether a
cost for provision of safety and control measures was ‘acceptable’ or
prohibitive. For example, personal protective equipment [PPE] is used
the world over and while cost of purchase may vary due to economy of
scale or local procurement costs, you are unlikely to be found to be
compliant or genuinely contributing to health and safety of your
personnel if you gave them paper tissue hats and basketball shoes and
called it PPE for the purposes of safety and protection from hazards in
the environments where PPE is required. But what about travel safety?

Breadcrumbs Lead To…

Is there a formula, cost centre, expenditure tracking or investment
model for travel safety, for each and every journey made? Given that so
many other elements, from salary, business/commercial costs,
accommodation, flights, meals and even communications are tracked,
where/when is travel safety expenditure considered? Do you, as a
business, know exactly how much you spend, and on what and why, for
each business trip that is undertaken, as it relates to safety? Why not? You will be asked to demonstrate or prove it if contested, investigated or prosecuted.

Umbrella or One-Size-Fits-All Expenditure

You are facing a court of law and victims of a tragedy. You are
asked, in your defence, to explain why there was loss of life on your
business premises due to a fire, when the regulations require smoke
detectors, fire extinguishers and emergency exits. Your response is
“Well, we have invested a lot of money across the company and on average
we are happy that our business premises meet regulation and have the
necessary fixtures and resources required”. Simple photographic evidence
is then produced, that shows while your statement is factual as to
expenditure, the specific location in question had none of these
resources nor fixtures and the resulting fire lead to the death of those
trapped and unable to contain/fight the fire. Your response
[remembering that safety negligence cases are typically criminal in
nature] is “we have a company safety policy, we take it very seriously
and we have spent a lot of money to protect our premises and people,
perhaps just not in this case, at this location, for these specific
people, for that specific event”. Perhaps there are more instances of
these oversights, despite the all-up costs incurred? Do you see how
concerning and reckless this scenario is? Substitute this for business
travel, and many businesses have this very same exposure and risk due to
their “one-size=fits-all” approach, just not any specific person,
journey nor destination. Furthermore,  your business expense report
helps prove it as there isn’t even any costs for “PPE”, job specific
travel safety expenditure. This applies to travel insurance too.

Advice

As per safety regulations/legislation and risk management standards, relatively consistent around the world, apply travel safety on a “per person, per journey and per destination” basis.
Itemise your expenditure for each journey, and identify the exact
amount apportioned to travel health, safety, security and risk
management. Not in preparation for a legal defence but that is what is
actually required. If upon examination you discover that you are
spending just $1 for a million dollar asset [traveller, business
opportunity, etc], then you may find you have a significant single or
annual risk of loss, injury or litigation in the event of a negative
event. Regardless of how “duty of care” ready you think you
might be. As you can see, it is a pretty simple and straightforward
process for employees, victims and lawyers to “measure” just how
effective your travel safety or travel risk management systems really
are, which may also void your insurance for both the business and the
traveller. See more at Intelligent Travel.

Travel Insurance Top 10 Tips for These Holidays

With just over 6 weeks to go, Christmas tends to be the busiest travel time of the year, and also the most expensive!

For the thousands of Australians who will be travelling
overseas and domestically to visit friends and family this holiday
season – the good news according to travel insurance experts comparetravelinsurance.com.au is that there is still plenty of time to get a good deal on your travel insurance.

Natalie Ball, Director, Comparetravelinsurance.com.au says:
“We know travel insurance is the boring part of planning your holiday, but it is vital to have the right cover before you take off for the silly season. Rather
than just buying the cheapest – travellers should pick a policy that
has a good level of cover at a price that they can afford.
“The cost of travel insurance and cover levels varies between providers. Using a comparison website is a quick and easy way to save yourself some cash to splash on the fun stuff.”

There are plenty of ways you can save on your travel insurance without compromising on cover.  Comparetravelinsurance.com.au has some top tips to ensure you have a festive and frugal Christmas!

10 TOP WAYS TO SAVE ON YOUR TRAVEL INSURANCE THIS SILLY SEASON

1. Buy Travel Insurance Direct

To get the best deal – buy direct. If you book travel insurance with
an airline or travel agent you are likely to pay up to twice as much for
the convenience, compared to purchasing directly with a travel insurer.

2. Look for Holiday Discounts

Many travel insurers offer 10% off (or more) around Xmas time to
encourage sales, so keep your eyes out for some hot-off-the-press deals
to grab yourself a bargain. With Christmas just a few weeks away, now is
a great time to make the most of all the discounts you can find.

3. Compare Policies

Like any type of insurance you should always shop around to see what
deal you can get rather than buying the first policy you see. Comparison
websites are a convenient way to compare benefits and prices – saving
yourself both time and money!

4. Consider How Often You Go on Holiday

If you are a frequent traveller you should consider an annual
multi-trip policy to ensure you are covered all year round. You can
travel as many times as you like within a 12 month period rather than
buying a single trip policy each time you go away. The only catch is
that each trip will be limited to a maximum number of days ranging from
15 to 90 days depending upon the policy purchased.

5. Where are You Going?

Different insurers have different pricing levels for the same
countries. For example some may list Japan under Asia (Insure and Go),
and some may list it under Worldwide. Pick an insurer which classes your
destination in a cheaper region to save yourself a few bucks.

6. Length of Trip

Some insurer’s provide quotes based on the destination that you spend
the most amount of time in; others base quotes on the destination that
is the farthest away. If you’re travelling to lots of places and
spending the least amount of time in a faraway region, you can save by
finding an insurer that favours the ‘time spent’ option.

7. Level of Cover

There are many cover level options available for you to buy.  A Basic
policy (commonly referred to as medical only), Standard (or Essentials)
and Comprehensive (or Premium). You can save by working out what cover
you need for your trip. For example, a high level of medical cover is
vital no matter where you are travelling and is provided in most Basic
policies.  So if that is all you need cover for, go for Basics.  If you
have outlaid money on prepaid flights & accommodation, or are
travelling with expensive items, you should opt for a more comprehensive
policy that provides cover for cancellation and personal belongings. In
the scheme of things, travel insurance is a small price to pay for the
thousands of dollars you could lose if faced with an unexpected event.

8.Group Policies

If you’re travelling in a group (doesn’t matter if you’re friends,
family or business colleagues) you can often save by purchasing a group
policy, rather than lots of individual ones.

9. Loyalty Rewards

Check if you can get a discount from the insurance company you have
used before – it doesn’t just have to be travel insurance – it could be
the insurer you use for your car or home insurance.

10. Increase your Excess

You can pay less on your insurance premiums upfront by choosing to
increase the excess.  This is the amount that you may need to pay in the
event you make a claim.

Always Read the Small Print

A travel insurance policy is a legal document and it is vital that
all travellers read it before they purchase their policy. The policy
documentation (known as a Product Disclosure Statement) explains in
detail all the policy benefits and various inclusions and exclusions. If
there is any doubt around when you are covered and when you’re not, it
is advisable to contact the insurer to ensure you understand your
policy.

ABOUT COMPARE TRAVEL INSURANCE
Comparetravelinsurance.com.au
is Australia’s leading comparison site solely focused on travel
insurance.  We know travel insurance really well and want to help
Aussies save time, worry and loads of money. We provide unbiased travel
insurance information and compare a vast range of basic, mid-range and
comprehensive policies to ensure Aussie travellers get a great deal on
their travel insurance.  The site is suitable for singles, families,
backpackers, skiers and seniors, and provides cover for all destinations
and trip lengths.

Comparetravelinsruance.com.au compares
the following 22 travel insurance brands: 1Cover, 1st for Women, AIG,
American Express, Budget Direct, Citibank, Columbus Direct, Downunder,
Fast Cover, InsureandGo, iTrek, Kango Cover, Online Travel Insurance, On
Tour Insurance, Priceline Protects Insurance, Simply Travel Insurance,
Ski Insurance, Southern Cross Travel Insurance, Under 30, Virgin Money,
Webjet and Worldcare.

Comparisons are default ranked according to price and users have the
ability to sort by popular cover levels. All policies listed on www.comparetravelinsurance.com.au are underwritten by one the Australia’s leading underwriters and include a 24-hour emergency medical assistance helpline. See more at Intelligent Travel.

Ebola Travel Health and Safety Advice You Can Use By Intelligent Travel

If you travel, live overseas or manage either of these types of employees, then you need to watch this video. In this short educational video on Ebola, we give you professional travel health and safety advice you can use or share with your business. Topics covered include travel risk, how Ebola is spread, prevention measures and advice on whether you should travel or not. By the end of the video, you should have enough information for yourself and or the people you manage. Firstly, it’s important for everyone to understand that the majority of travelers and expatriates have a low risk of contracting the Ebola virus disease. The more you understand about the virus, the more you will come to understand that by taking a few simple personal health measures, your chances of contracting Ebola remain very low. Listen carefully while we explain why that is. The Ebola virus is only spread through human-to-human transmission, that is via direct contact with an infected person via blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and via surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. Those people in direct contact with infected Ebola patients such as healthcare and aid workers, family members nursing infected people, and those handling or touching the body of a deceased person are at high risk as a result. Ebola is not spread or transmitted through the air, via mosquitos or via general, non-contact proximity to other people. The Ebola virus requires direct human-to-human contact with an infected person or their body fluids such as vomit, diarrhea and blood. If you then touch your mouth, nose or eyes you can introduce the Ebola virus into your own body. The Ebola virus has an incubation period, that is, the time interval from infection with the virus to onset of symptoms is 2 to 21 days. Humans are not infectious until they develop symptoms. First symptoms are the sudden onset of fever fatigue, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding (e.g. oozing from the gums or blood in the stools). There is no publicly available vaccine for Ebola as yet. There is no specific medical treatment, however early early medical attention is essential to improve the chances of survival. Outbreaks of Ebola have been occurring in Africa over the past 40 years.The current outbreak is the largest ever to date and it kills on average 50% of those infected.Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks. The Ebola outbreaks occurs predominantly in Africa. The reasons for this are that African fruit bats are thought to be natural hosts for the virus, which in turn has spread to other wild animals. Secondly, due to the way the Ebola virus is spread, developing countries with less comprehensive medical infrastructure, high population density and poor sanitation are at greater risk. The most effective way to manage or stop an Ebola outbreak is to identify and separate people that have or may develop the Ebola virus and treat them directly. This way the do not infect others and the virus or epidemic is contained. This remains difficult to consistently put into practice in affected African countries. For that reason, many government authorities now advise to cancel all travel to significantly affected countries, unless absolutely necessary. As a result, many business and leisure systems within affected countries have stopped completely, or are operating at greatly reduced capacity. 

Even if you do travel to significantly affected areas, there is far less business or leisure activity taking place at present, as a result of the Ebola virus outbreak. If you must travel to Ebola affected countries or locations, you must consider the following:

• Local authorities are conducting health screening of all inbound and outbound travellers.
• This screening is causing significant changes and delays to routine travel.
• In some areas, all travel, even across borders, is restricted or suspended for now.
• Many other airports and local authorities are conducting health screening now too.
• This means that many parts of the world, especially key transit locations, are experiencing delays and changes as they try to prevent the spread of Ebola in their own cities or country.
• Suspected, sick, false results and fear mean that people that don’t even have Ebola are being screened, delayed and even quarantined for as little as a few hours to as long as a few weeks.
• If you’re sick, from the flu, a cold or just unwell, you could be mistaken for an infected Ebola sufferer or at least treated like one.
• Even the people you travel with can trigger restrictions or quarantine, with entire aircraft or hotels susceptible to quarantine measures for all.
• High temperature, fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and general appearance of being unwell could all result in enhanced screening or quarantine at any point in your journey.
• A sharp rise in Ebola cases, suspected cases and those seeking preventative treatment have overwhelmed many of the already poorly resourced hospitals and medical clinics in Ebola affected countries.
• There are still many other viruses and diseases that can cause serious illness or death that you may be exposed to while travelling.
• Vaccinations and medical precautions are not available or 100% effective for all other known viruses and diseases encountered while travelling.
• Evacuation from and affected Ebola country if you contract the virus is also unlikely, if not impossible.

Now that you understand the facts about the Ebola virus and how it is spread, use these simple yet effective steps to prevent infection:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water
• Carry hand sanitizer and use it frequently
• Do not touch your mouth, nose or eyes
• Avoid hospitals and medical clinics where Ebola patients may be or have been present
• Avoid personal homes and hotels where people are or have been sick
• Don’t touch or handle deceased Ebola people

If you get sick and you have not had direct exposure to an Ebola patient, it is very unlikely you will have Ebola, as you now understand. There are many other causes of fever, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Some can be serious and life threatening also, such as Malaria. Get prompt medical attention if required or in doubt. Get support when possible. Because of the significant impact and change the Ebola outbreaks are having in travel, ensure you do the following before travelling:

• Ensure you have had all your routine medical and dental checks or care before you travel
• Take enough medication for your entire trip
• Confirm your travel plans or flights. There may be recent changes or updates
• Check the requirements for entry and departure into each country you are visiting.
• Take a personal first aid kit.
• Stay informed and up to date for your specific trip and travel destination.

Intelligent Travel clients and customers have full access to our professional online, chat and on-call travel health, safety, security and risk management support as required.After your trip, monitor your health for 21 days. If you become sick, limit contact with other people, seek medical attention, and always mention your recent travel. If you travel, live overseas or manage either of these types of employees, then you should now know the essential facts about the Ebola virus. In this short educational video on Ebola, you received professional travel health and safety advice you can use or share with your business. Topics covered included travel risk, how Ebola is spread, prevention measures and advice on whether you should travel or not. – See more at Intelligent Travel.