Travel Registration

Here is part one of an article I wrote at my travel website.

What You Need to Know About Travel Registration

Many travelers using cheap flights do not know about the travel registration service provided by governments around the world. The following article provides general information about travel registration services that governments provide to their citizens. This can be a life saver!!

What is the purpose of travel registration?

The purpose of travel registration is to allow governments to contact their citizens in the event of a disaster, emergency or other crisis. This is a free service. An example of when a traveler can benefit from this service was seen in the recent Israel/Lebanese conflict. Travelers that had taken the time to register with their government were able to be contacted by the local embassy and advised of evacuation plans.

What is Travel Registration?

Travel registration is a free service provided by many Governments for their citizens who are traveling on vacation in a foreign country or who live in a foreign country. Registration allows you to record details about your planned trip or to provide your address if you are living long term in a foreign country.

Travel Registration

If you are going to a foreign country on vacation you should seriously consider registering your trip details with your government. This helps the local embassy or consulate contact you if a situation arises where you need to be contacted in a hurry. For example someone back home may be sick and you need to get back urgently to see them. Or if there is a political situation like they are currently experiencing in Fiji you may need to be evacuated. If you have registered your embassy will contact with evacuation details. Another thing to mention is the need to keep an eye on the travel advice published on various government websites.

Speaking of Fiji the word in the press is that the army will take control of the country tomorrow morning. If this does happen it is a set back for the country as already tourist numbers are down due to the talk of a coup. It is a shame for the people of Fiji. Exactly one year today my family and I flew into Fiji for a holiday after we were able to find a cheap flight. The Fijian people are very friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Fiji. Our only regret was that we did not stay for a longer period.

Fiji - to visit or not?

News just in from Fiji is that an Australian Navy helicopter has crashed off the coast of Fiji. Early reports say 1 person has been killed with another missing. Another tragic loss for the Navy.

Crisis talks between military commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama and Fiji PM Laisenia Qarase have ended without a resolution to the ongoing crisis in Fiji. This does little to ease tension in the country. It also makes it difficult for thousands of tourists that may have booked holidays to Fiji. If you are flying into Nadi and then holidaying away from Suva it is probably safe to continue with travel plans.

The Australian Government is still worried about the situation as they are likely to evacuate families of diplomatic staff posted in Suva. Is this an overreaction or do they have inside information about the events that will unfold in the coming days.

Remember when travelling it is a good idea to check the government websites that provide travel advice. Links to the major countries that offer this advice can be found here.