Check Dept of Foreign Affairs before flight

A recent article in the Vancouver Sun advised me that Canadians pay about $2.7 BILLION as year to run the Department of Foreign Affairs. So take a moment to check out the International Travel website that is tied in with them www.voyage.gc.ca

Take advantage and discover what political and social battles might be brewing. What you don't want to see is "avoid all travel" - that is the highest alert followed by "exercise a degree of caution".

The other disturbing mention in the article was that you need to read the fine print (please pass the magnifying glass and some caffeine so I can make my way through it) as some travel insurances will not cover you if there is social unrest or terrorism or even natural events. There may even be a 10 day warning if the Cdn govern't issues a travel advisory to leave a country, where the policy will withdraw its support.

Mind you there are emergency assistance phone numbers and they should be able to give you some help in suggestions on how to get out - and it gives you a greater chance if you have contacted them if you do need to get costs covered for medical care, missed connecting flights and other things that can happen to you.

One last thing: if you are going somewhere exotic / third world/ unexplore do registered with the Dept of Foreign Affairs - at least they will have a half a chance of tracking you down. Mind you I've never registered so I'm not sure how easy or not it is. One of these days.