Going overseas on a holiday is fun and exciting but it can be stressful if you’ve never been before and sometimes, even if you have. Being stressed out will spoil your fun and enjoyment, so here are 5 tips to help prevent hassle when you travel on your next overseas holiday.

• Get all the formalities out of the way early on. These include
• Your passport: when things are straightforward, it takes around 3 weeks to get a passport, but allow for delays.  If you have one already check the expiry date because some governments require it to be at least 6 months away and if it’s not they won’t let you in.
• Visa:  While many countries don’t require a visa, many more do and this applies to countries that you are just travelling through as well as those you intend to stay in. Your travel agency should be able to help you.
• Credit card: Before you leave, go to the bank and let them know where you are going. This will prevent them from freezing what they consider to be suspicious activities on the card. Also find out what fees apply to overseas transactions.
• Take out travel insurance that also covers you for travel in Australia, just in case you have an accident getting to the ship or plane. It can be used if your goods get lost or stolen, if the airline goes on strike and you have to stay longer and for sickness or accidental injury and you need a doctor or emergency dentist.

Last month, two Thai nationals were arrested at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali after attempts were made to smuggle over one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine out of the country.

Prakob Seetasang, an electrician, and Radisson Phenlamat, a tattooist, were arrested on May 13 after customs officers grew suspicious of irregularities on their screening equipment.

Both men were subjected to a belongings search, before they were taken to the BIMC Hospital in Kuta, Badung for body and X-ray scans. The X-rays revealed that foreign objects were contained in the digestive tracts of both men.

Officials stated that the foreign objects were narcotics the men had attempted to conceal by swallowing them. Once removed, 100 bags of crystal meth, known as shabu in Bali, were recovered – weighing 1.08 kilograms. The meth had a local street value of IDR 1.48 billion, or a little under AUD 150,000, and would serve a market of around 5,000 people.

The customs chief at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Himawan Indarjano, said the ‘swallow’ method is a difficult one. It both endangers the smugglers and is challenging to detect. However, it appears smuggling is not something new to either Prakob or Radisson.

There are many foreigners who have started up a business in Bali, including Australians. It is easy to think you don’t need a website in such a place, since there will be a lot of foot traffic going past your business, but making the most of every opportunity should be an important part of your business, so make sure you consult a professional digital agency to get advice on web design and SEO for your business.

That way your web designer will be able to create the best kind of website to suit your particular business model and you may be surprised at the extra business it brings in. If you are an Australian, contacting an seo company based in Australia that knows a bit about Bali may be the best way forward.  At least you’ll be able to understand the accent and they’ll be able to understand what you want, especially since much of your custom is likely to come from Aussie tourists.

If you don’t have a business in Bali, but are considering one, make sure you choose something that is a good fit for your skills. For instance, if you can’t dive you wouldn’t make a good dive instructor.  It could be: –