Meet Ruby: She's going to New Zealand

Checking government information online

Ruby knows she can find out more about travelling to New Zealand on the Australian Government’s Smart Traveller site.

She puts https://smartraveller.gov.au into her web browser’s search bar and waits for the site to load.

When the website appears, she uses the search function to look for information about New Zealand. She notes the latest travel rules and advice, and confirms she will be able to travel to New Zealand when she wants to this year.

Ruby renews her passport

Since she travelled last, Ruby’s passport has expired, so she needs to get a new one.

Fortunately, since her passport is only a few months out of date she can use her old passport and driver’s licence to apply for a new one online.

She uses the https://www.passports.gov.au website to lodge and track her passport application, and organise any interviews she needs to do as a part of the application process.

Buying travel insurance

After her new passport arrives, Ruby is ready to organise travel insurance. She will actually pay for it once she knows the dates of her flights, but for now she will research which insurance provider she wants to use and get all the information together.

Ruby uses a comparison website to compare travel insurance options. She finds a plan that provides greater lost luggage cover than others, and uses her browser’s Bookmark feature to save the travel insurance website for later.

Checking vaccination records

Ruby has received the COVID-19 vaccine, so can travel without having to quarantine. She also checks with her myGov account that her other vaccinations are all up to date. And while she’s pretty certain she doesn’t need any special vaccinations for New Zealand, she checks https://smartraveller.gov.au to be safe.

You can learn more about how to use myGov to keep track of your health records in the Introduction to myGov topic.

Organising international mobile coverage

Ruby calls her mobile phone provider and asks about her options when travelling to New Zealand.

While buying a SIM when she lands in NZ will be cheaper, she chooses her carrier’s international roaming option instead. The fees are reasonable, and she’ll get an amount of data to use while she’s away. Plus, her friends and family will still be able to call her on her Aussie number.

eSafety tip

International roaming costs vary depending on the country you are visiting. Some countries will be very expensive, and it’s much more cost effective to buy a local SIM.

When you travel, you can limit the amount of data your phone uses by turning off the data function in your phone’s settings, and use hotel Wi-Fi for sending emails and photos at the end of the day.

Ruby subscribes to Smart Traveller

So she can stay alert to anything that happens while she’s overseas, Ruby gives her email address and mobile number to the Smart Traveller website.

This means that during her trip, if travel conditions change or the Australian Government wants to let citizens know about something, Ruby will receive an email or text message to her mobile device.

Well done!

You’ve completed the Meet Ruby: She’s going to New Zealand activity. You’ve now learned about some of the things Ruby needed to consider before even booking her holiday.

Up next, you can get some key tips s for booking a trip as you follow along with the Ruby plans and books her holiday activity.