What you need to know about New Zealand visa requirements

nz_visaIf your are intending to travel to New Zealand (and of course drive one of Transfercar’s fantastic free relocation vehicles), or in fact anywhere, the first thing you need to know is what the visa requirements are for that country.

To enter New Zealand you must have a passport valid for 3 months after the date of your intended departure.

You must also be carrying an onward/return ticket to a country you have permission to enter.

British Citizens and passport holders are entitled to enter New Zealand for up to 6 months and do not require a visa or visitor’s permit.

Citizens of Australia are also exempt from having to obtain visitor permits when holidaying in New Zealand.

Passport holders from the following countries do not need to apply for visitor visas or permits, and may visit New Zealand for up to 3 months:

Read the full article at Fourcorners.co.nz

Driving in New Zealand

I’ve had many questions from our Transfercar drivers about what licence they need to drive our vehicles. Here is aroad great article about New Zealand driving regulations that will answer many of your queries.

International Driving Licences and Permits

You can legally drive in New Zealand for up to 12 months if you have either a current driver’s licence from your home country or an International Driving Permit (IDP). After 12 months you are required to convert to a New Zealand licence. This applies to each visit to New Zealand.

In New Zealand all drivers, including visitors from other countries, must carry their licence or permit at all times when driving. You will only be able to drive the same types of vehicles you are licensed to drive in your home country. The common legal age to rent a car in New Zealand is 21 years.

Read more at newzealand.com

Annoying animals across the globe

This is an interesting article from Stuff.co.nz and one I would love to hear more about from Transfercar’s readers and drivers.  Post your comments here or on Facebook and tell us what your craziest/scariest or just weirdest animal experience was while travelling!

cute squirrels“Aw, isn’t it cute?”

That, right there, is the officially accepted response to any animal contact the world over. Animals are cute. They’re there to be photographed, adored, and occasionally fed.

But you know what? Not all animals are cute, or adorable, or even nice. Some of them are a rank pain in the butt.

When you travel, you come into contact with all sorts of animals you never even dreamed existed. Some of them are amazing creatures that you’ll be telling friends about for the rest of your life.

Some of them just annoy the hell out of you.

Read the full article here……..

Your guide to travelling on a budget

Even on a limited budget, you can still have a great holiday with your friends or family. You just need to put a little bbqbeachextra thought into every dollar you plan to spend.

Here’s some tips that can guide you while planning a vacation without breaking the bank.

Go on a local holiday

Why not check out some of the local attractions. Sometimes some of the most beautiful places are right in your back yard. You don’t always need to go and book expensive plane tickets. First, there’s always this website for cheaper ones. And, instead you can have a ‘staycation’. Go hiking, have a movie night or a barbeque with family and friends. Another great idea is to have night-time picnics: something that’s great on hot summer nights.

Take a road trip

Another example of an inexpensive family vacation is taking a campervan or car and going on a road trip. Here is where relocation vehicles such as Transfercar’s free rental car listings come in handy. They are free and often come with a tank of gas, insurance and ferry crossing if relevant.

sandyfeetAvoid peak seasons

If you’re set on going overseas you can still make vacationing on a budget possible by avoiding peak seasons. Most airlines usually have very high rates during particular months of the year, so you should refrain from booking flights during those times.

Book Early

You’re more likely to save money by booking flights and accommodation early.

Book Online

Often discounts and the best deals will be offered for booking online.

Subscribe

Subscribe to travel related newsletters or websites so that you know about sales before they happen. Often, you can sign up for promotional emails as well. If you sign up for these, the companies will email you with discounts and deals.

Package deals

Book your flights and hotels together. Package deals will save you money.

Fees

Make sure you keep an eye on extra fees when making bookings. More times than not, cheap deals will be compensated with extra fees.

Buy food at the supermarket

Avoid spending large amounts of money on takeaway food. Buying at the supermarket will not only save you money but will be much better for your health.

Happy and safe travelling!

NZers can cope with new turning law – instructor

Something interesting for Transfercar drivers!!!

Written By Rachel Morton

The right hand rule is something New Zealanders have lived with for more than 30 years and while it’s entrenched in our driving habits one driving instructor says we’ll cope just fine.

“There will be times in the initial part where they will need to concentrate, so it’s always, if in doubt hang about and think it out,” says Passrite Driving Academy instructor Fred Bardon.

Nobody’s more relieved by the changes than rental car companies who hire cars and camper vans to visitors from overseas who aren’t familiar with New Zealand’s unique rule.

Read the full article care of TV3 News….

Holidaying tragedies, Oprah and Me.

OK one of my many ‘privileges’ of working from home is watching Oprah during lunch most afternoon =)

Just last week saw this very unfortunate and interesting episode of an unfortunate incident on a cruise liner, which made me want to share some very important tips

In the case of any ‘unfortunate incident’ overseas, along with the thing u would normally do make sure you also
1. contact the local embassy of your country, this MUST be done along with contacting the local police
2. if its something very tragic it could be most practical to return home, for investigation purposes rather than continuing with your holiday.

Its really sad these things happen, I just hope and pray stuff like this stays in the news – I’d hate to consider something like this happen to me or anyone for that matter, especially on a holiday.

You can read more about the story here.