5 Tips for Travelling at Christmas

The month of December is upon us; Christmas is coming as is the inevitable stressful family get together.  At this time of year there isn’t anything better than spending time surrounded by our family but it can feel like a stressful situation here’s some tips for travelling and staying with extended family over this festive time. 

1) Organise ahead of time.

Christmas vacations are even harder to pack for than regulars ones.

With all those presents to remember make sure you leave plenty of time to pack, family holiday insurance should be sorted to relieve any possible dramas and be sure to wrap your gifts in advance so you can enjoy your time with your family as soon as you get to your destination.

2) Discuss ahead of time who is paying for what.

Avoid the awkwardness and arrange it ahead of time. If parents or grandparents are paying for the trip or putting everyone up show your appreciation by cooking a special meal or taking them out to eat. If you are the one putting everyone up or paying for the vacation make sure you tell everyone in advance exactly what you are willing to pay for, this will avoid any confusion. A great way to do this is to use a spread sheet that you share online.

3) Assign chores.

When holidaying with the whole family people tend to fall into their traditional roles. Children of the family (how ever old) tend to slip into that habit of leaving everything for their parents to do.  Just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean this should happen, everyone should have time to relax and not be constantly on his or her feet. Make a list of what has to be done each day and divide the responsibilities equally.

4) Don’t make it a tradition
It’s a definite temptation to make the Christmas holiday a tradition but making it annual can make what was a great experience turn into a holiday of resentment and more stress than fun. From year to year family situations can change and people have to visit the other sides of their family and new additions come in, so it may be better to make it every other year.

5) Always make time for yourself.

It doesn’t matter how close your family are it’s a pretty sure bet that you won’t all want to spend every minute together and that’s ok. Set aside some time each day to give yourself time to unwind and relax. Then make clear set times such as dinner, when everyone can rejoin the group and enjoy family time. 

Top 8 Winter Sun Destinations to Escape the Cold

While here in the UK winter has well and truly set in, elsewhere in the world it's heating up!

Thinking about escaping the cold climate? First you need to get organised, renew your annual travel insurance, dust off the trunks or bikini, find the scuba gear, and get yourself in the sunny frame of mind.

So shake off those winter blues and take a look at our top winter sun destinations.

1) South Africa Western Cape

South Africa’s Garden Route coastline is famous for its sheer natural beauty. Located between the Indian Ocean and the Outenigua Mountains, you can explore indigenous forests, giant yellow wood trees and beautiful flowers, and it’s a great place to explore by car. 

As well as the Garden Route, Cape Town has some fantastic beaches as well as some stunning scenery and incredible cuisine. The Western Cape has a Mediterranean climate and will be bathed in sunshine from October to March.

2) California

Great for a family holiday (don’t forget to get your family travel insurance before you leave) and known as the sunshine state, you’re sure to get some great weather. There’s so much to see from the cultural hub of San Francisco to the metropolitan madness of LA, there’s something for everyone.

Theme parks and beaches litter California and for the classic USA road trip, hire a convertible and hit the Pacific Coast road. State Route 1 runs 550 miles from Leggett all the way down to Malibu.

3) Bahamas

Bordering the western Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, Barbados is a tropical paradise all year round, with powdery white sand beaches, sparkling turquoise seas and clear blue skies. 

Barbados offers a wide variety of sights and activities that include everything from historic sites to tropical gardens and annual festivals and events. Green turtles and yellow-throated birds are some of the wonderful wildlife you can encounter. It’s a great place to go for a total de-stress and unwind.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, why not enter our competition to win a luxurious holiday to Barbados, thanks to our friends at Best At Travel and Elegant Hotels.

Win and you and a friend will stay 7 nights at Tamarind Resort on the west coast of Barbados. This gem of the Elegant Hotels group epitomises luxury holidaymaking and beachfront Bajan
style. 

The hotel features three excellent dining venues, including outdoor dining and lounge bar, and is complemented by a Sunday beach party blending freshly grilled favourites with swaying steel pan music. So enter now for you chance to win.

4) Laos

Laos is a mystical, historic mountainous haven. The city of Luang Prabang opened its doors to tourism in the 1980s and it’s a peaceful sanctuary for a winter getaway that has some amazing cuisine. 

Laos is so popular with tourists because of the relaxed style of living and for keeping the feel of the "original Asia" lost elsewhere. The weather system is relatively straight-forward compared with much of Asia; consisting of a dry season (October to late April) and a wet season (May to late September).

5) Sri Lanka

Located at the toe of India, Sri Lanka is a place that oozes culture. From its luscious cuisine to its fantastic traditional music, you can really get into experiencing a completely different culture. 

If beaches are your thing, there’s the coastal spots south of Colombo that have gorgeous and golden sand lapped by the Indian Ocean and there’s jungles to explore if your feeling more adventurous.

6) Bermuda

Although Bermuda is Caribbean in its climate and nature, it’s closer to the UK so not so long on the plane. The majority of Bermuda’s hotels can be found on the south shore of the island. 

With its pink beaches and vibrant coral reefs, it’s a great place for budding snorkelers. The Crystal caves are definitely worth a visit; you can explore the underground salt pools and impressive stalactites.

7) Thailand

For both backpackers and seekers of luxury a-like, Thailand is a great place for a winter break. The stunning landscape has so many hidden gems and the nightlife is legendary. 

With lots of companies now offering some great packages to Thailand that include a little bit of everything, it’s an ideal time to go have an adventure.

8) Canary islands

Want to go where it’s summer all year round? The Canary islands climate averages in the low 20s all year round and as well as the more well known islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote ) there are some beautiful, lesser known ones. La Palma is small, with a picturesque historic town, El Hierro which is a paradise for underwater diving, and the island of La Gomera, a great place to watch wildlife and explore the national park.

What’s your favourite winter sun destination to escape the cold?

Family Travel Tips: How to keep the kids entertained while on the move

As parents we all know how hard it is to keep children entertained on holidays.

You’ve found the perfect family-friendly accommodation, got your family travel insurance, packed for everyone and everything the kids could possibly fit into a bag is groaning at the seams, but there’s always a moment where one pipes up ‘I’m bored.’

Here’s our top 8 tips to keep them entertained while you’re on holiday:

1) I-Spy books are a great way to keep kids entertained if you’re travelling for long distances in the car or on a train. You can also play the classic I Spy game ("I spy with my little eye, something beginning with _____/ the colour of _____").


2) Audiobooks are great and easier to pack than a pile of kids’ books. Load up your iPod or tablet with all the favourites. There are many great free books available online here

3) Make your own ‘busy kit’ filled with paper, markers, stickers, quiet toys, puzzles and other little bits and bobs.

4) Create your own family story. Bring a stapled stack of paper with you and some crayons and write a bit of the story each. If your children are too young to write, get them to draw illustrations or make a comic book.

5) Bring some family-friendly films to watch and follow up with a quiz to make sure the kids concentrate. Ask them the questions once it’s over and provide a small prize for the winner.

6) Bring a Nintendo DS/ iPad. It may not be the most creative but there’s some great educational games on the DS and for iPad/iPhone that will keep your kids entertained. Also, most children’s TV shows have their own Apps and they’re usually really easy to use for kids from 18 months old.

7) Getting desperate? Try a bribery game! Mum or Dad sets a time limit (don’t make it too long) for how long we are going to keep quiet. Everyone who manages to go the whole time gets a reward. Use sparingly for maximum effectiveness.


8) Buy some disposable cameras and get the kids to take their own pictures while travelling to put in a journey scrapbook once you get back.


At Allianz Global Assistance, it’s our mission to help you on your journey and make it as stress-free as possible. Whether you’re looking for the best family holiday insurance or special cover for golf related travel, we’ve got the right insurance cover for you.

Do you have any other family travel tips to add to our list?

Top 5 Travel Planning Apps

At Allianz Global Assistance we’re here to help you on your journey and make it as stress-free as possible. So we’ve searched high and low to find the Top 5 Travel Planning Apps to make every aspect of your travels easier, so you return home with memories you’ll treasure forever.

1. MyTravel Checklist

As well as offering our wide range of travel insurance options - from family holiday insurance to annual travel insurance - we’ve also developed a free App to help you pack like a pro!

We all know that as amazing as the trip may be, the planning beforehand can be a stressful experience and our travel checklist app will help you get ready each time you pack for a trip.

You can install it straight onto your computer, tablet or smartphone and create and save customised packing lists for all of your upcoming trips—no matter where in the world you’re travelling.

You can email it, print it and save it so it can be accessed wherever you are in the world. It also gives you the ability to save multiple lists and suggests a list of essentials based on the variables you put into the widget.

Our travel checklist is perfect for the frequent traveller or even for the first time traveller and helps you concentrate on having a good time.

Get My Travel Checklist here


2. Skyscanner

Skyscanner is an incredibly popular flight comparison App. You can find the flight that suits your budget with millions of flights from over 1,000 airlines. Skyscanner allows you to filter searches by airlines, budget and flight times and displays prices in over 60 currencies. It too is a free App.

Find out more about the Skyscanner App here


3. City Maps 2Go

This App is an effective way to navigate yourself around unfamiliar cities, with information on everything from attractions to hotels.

Its best feature is the GPS tracking that works without the use of the Internet, helping you save money on all those expensive roaming charges!

Find out more about City Maps 2Go here


4. Touchnote

Putting a personal spin on the postcard, Touchnote is a great App that allows you to take holiday pictures and turn them instantly into postcards so you can send them to your friends and family.

Using a credit system it is a very reasonable way to send postcards from anywhere in the world.

Find out more about Touchnote here


5. World Lens

World Lens is one of the most useful up and coming travel Apps available.

For an instant translation, you hover your smartphone camera over the text you need translating and it will instantly translate it on the screen.

At the moment, it’s only available in limited languages but this is an innovative and very useful App to keep on your radar.

Find out more about World Lens here


Have you had experience using any of these Apps? Do you have any other favourite travel Apps to add to our list?

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to the Allianz Global Assistance Travel Insurance Blog!

We will use this blog to share useful information and our top tips to help you make the most of your travels - whether it be with the family, for business or a golf or winter sport adventure.

For a number of years, the Allianz Global Assistance Group of companies has been providing support and assistance to travellers around the world. Every year, millions of customers turn to us for travel protection, help, and advice, so we thought we'd share our best advice and top travel tips through this blog.

So please keep checking back for all the latest travel tips from our travel insurance team and we look forward to sharing our thoughts with you in the very near future.