Overseas Travel

Guidelines

What to carry
General

Items

Clothes
Shaving Kit / Makeup Kit / Toiletries Items
Ready to make Food items (eg. MTR food items)
General Medicines (make sure that these are clearly labeled
and cannot be confused with illegal drugs or dangerous
materials)
Note: Do not get any open medicines. It must be wrapped
properly.
Electronic Goods such as Mobile, Walkman, MP3 Player,
Camera, Handy cam.

Note: The electricity supply in the UK is 240 volts alternating at a frequency

of 50 Hertz. Check if any electrical goods you bring can work at this voltage
(otherwise you will need to buy a transformer).Plugs in the UK may be
different from those in your country; you may need to buy an adaptor plug
in the UK.

Note: Those carrying Laptops please carry an International

standard adaptor plug.

What not to carry

Items

which signifies or denotes Terror /

Violence
Pointed

or bladed items which can cause injury

such as Knife, Blades, Needle, Scissors etc.
Explosive material such as Match box
Narcotic Drugs
Electrical Iron as there is differences in the
Voltages.

Arrival at Domestic Airport

Be

ready to put your baggage through the X-ray machine. Take off
anything that is metal and put it into your Hand bag before you get
to the front of the line. Going through security will be much quicker
if you prepare ahead of time.
Incase Security officers find perishable food items such as Pickle
etc and they want to throw that please allow them to do so. Dont
argue with them.
Present your Airline tickets at appropriate counters of the Airways
in order to get the Boarding Passes.
Check-in the Check-in baggage with the Airway. Please be aware
that once you check-in the bag you will be able to receive the bag
only at the destination.
Note : Retain all your boarding passes until you return back to India.

Arrival at Domestic Airport

Everyone

has to pass through a Security Check

in order to board the flight at the time of boarding.
Generally Security Check will be done before 1hr
of boarding. Cooperate with the airport
personnel.

When

boarding the flight keep ready your

Boarding pass, Tickets. When flying from one
Domestic Airport to another Airport in India we
need to present only the boarding pass & tickets.
There is no need of Passport at this moment.
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Baggage
Baggage

can be broadly classified into 2 types.

Check-in Luggage
Hand/Cabin Luggage

Luggage

Limits

Check-in Luggage 20 kg.

Hand Luggage 7 kg.

Note : Apart from Hand Luggage of 7kg you can carry

Laptop along with you, which is not measured in limits of
Luggage.

Baggage
Check-in

Luggage can have necessary items such as

Clothes, Shaving Kit, Makeup Items, Food Items etc.
Hand baggage can contain necessary documents such as
Passport, Official documents etc.
Remember to keep key travel documents in your hand luggage. These
include:
1.Your passport, travel ticket and insurance documents.
2.UK contact details.
3.Money, credit cards and traveler's Cheque (keep a separate record of
the numbers, in case they are lost or stolen).
4.Any maps you need to reach your accommodation (you can buy local
maps when you are in the UK), plus pen and paper.
5. Electronic items such as Mobile, Camera, MP3 Player, Walkman etc.
Note: Please take a Photocopy of all documents and put in a
separate File to be kept in a Hand Baggage.

Flying from International Airport to UK

At

the International Airport we need to again go through rigorous

Security Checks just like what we encountered at Domestic
Airport.
Keep ready your Passport in order to show to the officials.
Immigration check will done at the International airport before
boarding the International Flight.
Immigration officers will ask the reason of your travel. Keep a
watch on the Passport/Visa when the Immigration Officer is
stamping the same. There is a possibility of tampering with the
Visa.
Please be aware of timings of the connecting Flights. Some times
there will be a delay of a day or just 20-30 min difference between
landing flight and connecting flight. Be careful.

Inside the Flight

Mobile

phones should be switched off at all times.

Smoking is strictly prohibited inside the Flight.
Food served can be Non-veg as well as Vegetarian.
Drinks such as Fruit Juice, Beer and Wine will also be
served.

Note : Avoid having Non-vegetarian Food.

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Arrival at UK Airport
You

are mostly likely to arrive in the UK at the

two largest international airports in London:
Heathrow and
Gatwick airport.
London Heathrow Airport

The

airport is about 15 miles west of the city. Terminal 4

is quite a distance away from Terminal 1/2/3. When you
are leaving London at the Heathrow Airport, please make
sure the terminal for your flight.
Note : Please be aware of Terminals as all the terminals
are quite far from each terminal.

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Arrival at UK Airport
Again

we might have to pass through some more security

checks at UK Airport.
Keep ready your Passport.
Immigration Check : Immigration officer will ask to show the
Passport. Immigration authorities will ask you the reason why
you are entering UK. Dont get into Panic situation.Please
listen carefully to the officer and reply them with polite manner.
Smoking Zones are provided at Airports for Smokers. Please
locate the Smoking Zones and smoke only in Smoking Zones.
Note : Always keep a Photocopy of Passport and Visa when you
move around in UK in your wallet or Hand Bag.

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Customs
are 2 channels you need to pass at Airport once you land in

There

UK

Green Channel - If you have nothing to declare (i.e., within the duty-free limits),
you may pass the Green Channel
Red Channel If you have duty/tax paid items

Duty-free

items

200 cigarettes or 50 cigars

2 litres wine or 1 litres spirits
60cc/ml perfume

Goods

obtained duty/tax paid

300 cigarette or 75 cigars

5 litres wine or 1.5 litres spirits
90cc/ml perfume
Note : Avoid carrying wine.

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General Tips
Don't

carry things too much - you will buy more things while you
are in the UK
Make sure that every bag is labeled with a contact address and
telephone number both in the UK and in your home country (in
case it is lost), but be careful that the address cannot be seen
easily.
Make a list of what you have packed in each bag (in case it is
lost), as well as a list of important numbers (passport number,
insurance number, traveler's cheque's numbers, credit card
number) and contact addresses and telephone numbers.
Expect that your bag will be opened for inspection, so evaluate
whether an object could be scrutinized by airport security. Cooperate with the security personnel. Do not go into any argument
mode with them.
Avoid extra luggage as you might have to pay to Airlines for Extra
Baggage what you carry.

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General Tips
Keep

a Photocopy of Passport, Visa and Tickets in the

Hand Baggage. Keep a copy of same at your home as
well with your parents.
Keep a pair of clothes in Hand Baggage for emergency
purpose.
Avoid putting Foreign-currency, Travelers Cheque in
Check-in bag. Keep it in Hand bag. Keep some foreign
currency in your Wallet.
Get all the contact details of UK.
Please check the date and time from the ticket. Specially
connecting flight timings. Date and time mentioned on the
tickets are local timings.
Know about the time zones. Generally there will be
watches showing different time zones at the Airports.
British Standard time is 4.5 hrs behind of IST time.
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Acceptable Behavior in UK
The

British are said to be reserved in manners, dress

and speech. They are famous for politeness, selfdiscipline and especially for sense of humour. Basic
politeness (please, thank-you, excuse me) is expected.

Punctuality

: British people place considerable value on

punctuality.
Introduction

and Greeting : It is proper to shake hands

with everyone to whom you are introduced, both men
and women.
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Do's (Taboos) in UK
Do

stand in line: In UK they like to form orderly queues (standing

in line) and wait patiently for your turn e.g. boarding a bus. It is
usual to queue when required, and expected that you will take
your correct turn and not push in front. 'Queue jumping' is
frowned upon.
Do say "Excuse Me": If someone is blocking your way and you
would like them to move say excuse me and they will move out of
your way.
Do say "Please" and "Thank-you": It is very good manners to say
"please" and "thank-you". It is considered rude if you don't. You
will notice in UK that they say 'thank you' a lot.
Do cover your Mouth: When yawning or coughing always cover
your mouth with your hand.

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Do's (Taboos) in UK
Do

Shake Hands: When you are first introduced to

someone, shake their right hand with your own
right hand.

Do

say sorry: If you accidentally bump into

someone, say 'sorry'. They probably will too, even if
it was your fault! This is a habit and can be seen as
very amusing by an 'outsider'.

Do

Smile: A smiling face is a welcoming face.

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Don'ts in UK
Do

not greet people with a kiss:They only kiss people who are
close friends and relatives.
Avoid talking loudly in public.
It is impolite to stare at anyone in public : Privacy is highly
regarded.
Do not pick your nose in public: British people get disgusted by
this.
Do not spit : Spitting in the street is considered to be very bad
mannered.
Do not burp in public :You may feel better by burping loudly after
eating or drinking, but other people will not!. If you can not stop a
burp from bursting out, then cover your mouth with your hand
and say 'excuse me' afterwards.
It is impolite to speak with your mouth full of food.
Do not ask personal or intimate questions : They like privacy.
Please do not ask questions such as "How much money do you
earn?" "How much do you weigh?" or "Why aren't you married?".

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Money Saving Tips

The

currency in the UK is pounds sterling (). One

pounds=100pence (p). Coins come as 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p
and 1. Notes come as 5, 10, 20, 50.

Banks

open 9:30am-4:30pm. You may change currency and

cash traveler's cheques at any high street banks (Baraclays,
Lloyds, Midland, National Westminster, Royal Bank of
Scotland and Bank of Scotland). You will find that you can
draw cash with your own bank cards from most Cash point
machines which can be found outside most bank branches
and near Underground stations.

You

can also change currency at Bureaux de Change in most

of the tourist areas from 8am-10pm. However, banks usually
offer better rates (but have minimum commissions).

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Leaving UK
Most

of us will purchase some electronic or gift items in UK.

We can get the VAT (Value Added Tax) paid during the purchase
of these goods refunded at Airports.
Visitors who live outside the European Community and leave
within 3 months can claim back the VAT (value added tax currently 17.5%) charged on most goods sold in the UK.
To claim VAT, you need to fill in VAT 407 refund form from the
store, have it stamped by the VAT refund officer at the airport or
port.
Note: There are separate counters at Airports for claiming VAT. So
incase if you have purchased any goods please be present at the
Airport in advance before the Flight boarding in order to claim the VAT.

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Links to some useful sites

http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Prepare/Packing.htm
http://www.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/social.htm
http://www.smallworldgrr.com/tips.html
http://www.atg.wa.gov/teenconsumer/pages/transportation
/airtravelguidelines.htm
http://www.heathrow.co.uk/
http://familydoctor.org/455.xml

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Any Questions ?

Thank You