Making Sure you Have the Correct Documents to Travel
When booking a holiday you need to ensure that you have all the documents you need or that you have plenty of time to get them. Airlines and holidays companies will not refund you for your holiday if you are unable to travel due to not having the right documentation.
If you live in the EU then you may not need a passport to travel to other countries within the passport-free Schengen Area, these include the countries Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Other EU countries not included in the list above do require you to have a valid passport to travel and this is where some people fall down. When booking your holiday be sure to ask the travel agent all about documents you need and if you do not have a passport then double check as to if you will need one.
Another important document to take with you is travel insurance which should include a medical cover. Unlike the UK many countries will not offer free healthcare and should you need to go into a hospital the bill can very quickly rack up into the thousands if not hundreds of thousands. Without holiday insurance you may not get the medical care you need.