Be it for business, holidays, family or some other emergency, the rise of international travel and South African’s increasing mobility has led to a high demand for a “go-bag”.<\/p>\n
According to\u00a0Theresa Szejwallo, MD for\u00a0Trafalgar and The Travel Corporation there are a number of items that South Africans need to include in their emergency travel bag.<\/p>\n
However, it really does depend on where you need to travel to and what sort of passport you have, she said, speaking to BusinessTech.<\/p>\n
“First and foremost an up-to-date passport with enough free pages is a minimum requirement for travel outside South Africa\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n
“For South African passport holders there are limits in terms of destinations we can just hop on a plane and visit.<\/p>\n
“For travel throughout Africa and to many countries in South America and some East Asian countries South African passport holders do not need visas.”<\/p>\n
She also urged travellers to include a\u00a0certified copy of your passport and South African drivers\/ID and\/or international drivers licence, a copy of any medical prescriptions, optical prescription, proof of residence, contact numbers of family and next of kin in your \u2018go-bag\u2019.<\/p>\n
Read:\u00a0South Africans can visit these 90 countries without a visa in 2017<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Costs on a shorter timeframe<\/strong><\/p>\n Szejwallo said that travellers will almost certainly be paying more should they decide to leave the country last minute.<\/p>\n “Airlines and hotels work on load and yield basis so it is likely that the closer you book to your actual departure\/arrival the more expensive the costs become,” she said.<\/p>\n “Sometimes it\u2019s possible to get a cheap seat but the opposite is more likely.”<\/p>\n She also warned that there was very little leeway options open to South Africans who are looking to enter a country that requires a visa.<\/p>\n “It is possible to apply for an emergency visa for some countries (e.g. in the case of a death in the family) but this may require absolute proof (death certificate) and it will come at a hefty cost,” she said.<\/p>\n Provided that work is not paying for the trip, there are also considerations of how easily you can access your money outside of the country, explained\u00a0Szejwallo.<\/p>\n
\n