Heading overseas for schoolies?

With low cost airfare and accommodation packages, overseas vacation destinations are increasingly well-liked for a Schoolies celebration. Cautious parents will make certain that their kids have travel insurance coverage – but some of the typical policy exclusions could see a low cost overseas holiday turn into a very costly nightmare.

Exclusions are a required part of insurances, but it is important for travellers to read and note the fine print of their policy documents, like the things that they are not covered for, just before they board the plane.

Some frequent exclusions that each Schoolies and all other travelers need to be aware of include:

• Claims arising directly or indirectly from utilizing alcohol


• Injuries sustained due to a motor cycle/moped/scooter accident if the rider does not have a valid Australian motorcycle license


• Acting illegally or breaking any government prohibition or regulation. Even failing to get the right stamp in your passport could be a significant situation


• Property loss or personal injury sustained by not acting in a accountable way to defend oneself and your home


• Booking travel via an unlicensed travel agent.

Although sensational incidents at times make the news, a lot of methods in which we can endure loss are really mundane. An uninsured loss could be as straightforward as leaving your wallet in your beach bag although you have a fast swim. Or much more seriously, jumping on the back of a moped with a friend who doesn’t hold an Australian motorcycle license. The costs of health-related interest overseas and the expenses of becoming repatriated can be crippling.

Price is no explanation to shun insurance coverage: CANSTAR’s most current  Travel Insurance Star Ratings located that  the average premium covering 10 days for a single individual travelling to Bali was only $ 78. An average premium for Japan was $ 101 and Thailand was $ 92. It’s a little quantity of money  - so make certain that you do have cover and that you study the fine print as properly.

CANSTAR’s Travel Insurance Star Ratings is an invaluable starting point for keen travellers. The complete Travel Insurance coverage Star Ratings report and final results are accessible here.

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Heading overseas for schoolies?

Are you transferring cash overseas this Christmas?

Speak with anybody who has transferred income overseas and you will rapidly discover out that it’s a entire diverse ball game to your normal account transfer. There are so a lot of much more variables to consider. You have exchange rates, transfer fees, recipient fees and if you are unlucky you may possibly even be hit with yet another charge just by enquiring how the transfer is coming along!

I located out all about this when a couple of years ago I had to transfer some cash overseas to a loved ones member. I just went through my everyday bank and was in the end surprised at how much it cost me. It wasn’t just the costs either, it was the exchange price that was the heavy cost-hitter. It genuinely does spend to do your investigation when seeking to transfer cash overseas. In fact, it can pay a lot.

In our 2014 International Income Transfer star rating report, we evaluate the highest and lowest exchange prices that we surveyed more than a 4-week period and have calculated what that potentially indicates in dollar terms. We also give you an concept as to how significantly the transfer is going to price you in costs.

We have also for the second year undertaken a complete evaluation of the international

cash transfer offerings in Australia and identified those who are providing outstanding worth. If you are organizing on travelling, or require to send cash overseas for any other purpose (and there are lots of reasons), it is certainly worth a read.

Are you transferring cash overseas this Christmas?

Are you transferring funds overseas this Christmas?

Speak with anyone who has transferred cash overseas and you will speedily discover out that it is a entire distinct ball game to your standard account transfer. There are so several a lot more variables to take into account. You have exchange rates, transfer charges, recipient fees and if you are unlucky you might even be hit with yet another fee just by enquiring how the transfer is coming along!

I identified out all about this when a few years ago I had to transfer some funds overseas to a loved ones member. I just went through my every day bank and was in the end shocked at how significantly it expense me. It wasn’t just the charges either, it was the exchange rate that was the heavy expense-hitter. It genuinely does pay to do your analysis when searching to transfer cash overseas. In reality, it can pay a lot.

In our 2014 International Income Transfer star rating report, we evaluate the highest and lowest exchange prices that we surveyed over a 4-week period and have calculated what that potentially implies in dollar terms. We also give you an concept as to how significantly the transfer is going to expense you in costs.

We have also for the second year undertaken a extensive analysis of the international

money transfer offerings in Australia and identified these who are providing outstanding worth. If you’re preparing on travelling, or require to send cash overseas for any other reason (and there are plenty of factors), it is certainly worth a study.

Are you transferring funds overseas this Christmas?

Are you transferring money overseas this Christmas?

Speak with anyone who has transferred money overseas and you will speedily locate out that it is a entire diverse ball game to your common account transfer. There are so a lot of more elements to consider. You have exchange rates, transfer fees, recipient fees and if you are unlucky you could even be hit with another fee just by enquiring how the transfer is coming along!

I identified out all about this when a few years ago I had to transfer some money overseas to a loved ones member. I just went through my daily bank and was in the end shocked at how a lot it price me. It wasn’t just the costs either, it was the exchange rate that was the heavy cost-hitter. It genuinely does spend to do your study when hunting to transfer funds overseas. In fact, it can pay a lot.

In our 2014 International Funds Transfer star rating report, we examine the highest and lowest exchange rates that we surveyed over a 4-week period and have calculated what that potentially means in dollar terms. We also give you an concept as to how considerably the transfer is going to expense you in fees.

We have also for the second year undertaken a complete evaluation of the international

income transfer offerings in Australia and identified those who are supplying outstanding value. If you’re organizing on travelling, or want to send funds overseas for any other purpose (and there are lots of motives), it is undoubtedly worth a read.

Are you transferring money overseas this Christmas?

Are you transferring money overseas this Christmas?

Speak with any person who has transferred money overseas and you will rapidly locate out that it is a entire distinct ball game to your standard account transfer. There are so a lot of far more variables to contemplate. You have exchange prices, transfer charges, recipient charges and if you are unlucky you might even be hit with an additional fee just by enquiring how the transfer is coming along!

I identified out all about this when a couple of years ago I had to transfer some cash overseas to a loved ones member. I just went by means of my every day bank and was in the end shocked at how much it cost me. It wasn’t just the costs either, it was the exchange rate that was the heavy cost-hitter. It really does spend to do your analysis when hunting to transfer funds overseas. In truth, it can spend a lot.

In our 2014 International Funds Transfer star rating report, we evaluate the highest and lowest exchange rates that we surveyed more than a 4-week period and have calculated what that potentially indicates in dollar terms. We also give you an concept as to how a lot the transfer is going to price you in fees.

We have also for the second year undertaken a comprehensive evaluation of the international

funds transfer offerings in Australia and identified these who are providing outstanding worth. If you are arranging on travelling, or require to send funds overseas for any other explanation (and there are a lot of causes), it’s surely worth a read.

Are you transferring money overseas this Christmas?

What are the fees to transfer income overseas?

In order to transfer money overseas, and depending on what type of funds transfer service you use, you could be charged a combination of charges. If you need to transfer cash routinely, these can add up rapidly – so it pays to do your homework. Some of the widespread charges to watch out for consist of:

A sending fee – This can go beneath a lot of names but is basically the fee that your monetary institution will charge in order to send the cash – either through a bank branch or on the internet – to an overseas account.

A receiving fee – Economic institutions might also charge you for the privilege of receiving funds from overseas into the nominated bank account.

Cancellation fee – You may also be charged cancellation costs if the transaction requirements to be cancelled for any explanation.

An amendment charge – Similarly, if a change of payment particulars is required, there might be a expense attached.

An enquiry fee – Need to you need to follow up with your bank to guarantee that the funds arrived safety, this may possibly elicit one more charge.

In its recent International Money Transfers star ratings assessment, CANSTAR found the following minimum, maximum and typical fees on the items assessed for the rating:

	Sending fee		Cancellation charge	Amendment charge	Enquiry charge
	On the internet	Branch
Minimum	$ 20	$ 20
Maximum	$ 30	$ 35	$ 32	$ 30	$ 30
Typical	$ 21.46	$ 27.87	$ 25.50	$ 23.29	$ 25.58

Source: Canstar International Cash Transfer star ratings 2014 

And finally…

Yet another fee to watch out for is the charge charged to send cash from a single institution to a entirely various a single. Fees are easy to predict if the income transfer is sent and received by distinct branches of the exact same bank. They are much more difficult to unravel if your bank sends to a third celebration.

It is hard to give examples of these fees, as they differ significantly between institutions. Becoming aware and asking about this charge beforehand is the most sensible approach.

What are the fees to transfer income overseas?

What are the costs to transfer income overseas?

In order to transfer money overseas, and depending on what type of money transfer service you use, you may be charged a combination of fees. If you need to transfer money regularly, these can add up fast – so it pays to do your homework. Some of the common fees to watch out for include:

A sending fee – This can go under many names but is essentially the fee that your financial institution will charge in order to send the money – either via a bank branch or online – to an overseas account.

A receiving fee – Financial institutions may also charge you for the privilege of receiving funds from overseas into the nominated bank account.

Cancellation fee – You might also be charged cancellation fees if the transaction needs to be cancelled for any reason.

An amendment fee – Similarly, if a change of payment details is required, there may be a cost attached.

An enquiry fee – Should you need to follow up with your bank to ensure that the funds arrived safety, this may elicit another fee.

In its recent International Money Transfers star ratings assessment, CANSTAR found the following minimum, maximum and average fees on the products assessed for the rating:

	Sending fee		Cancellation fee	Amendment fee	Enquiry fee
	Online	Branch
Minimum	$ 20	$ 20	0	0	0
Maximum	$ 30	$ 35	$ 32	$ 30	$ 30
Average	$ 21.46	$ 27.87	$ 25.50	$ 23.29	$ 25.58

Source: Canstar International Money Transfer star ratings 2014 

And finally…

Another fee to watch out for is the fee charged to send money from one institution to a completely different one. Fees are easy to predict if the money transfer is sent and received by different branches of the same bank. They are much more difficult to unravel if your bank sends to a third party.

It’s difficult to give examples of these fees, as they vary greatly between institutions. Being aware and asking about this fee beforehand is the most sensible approach.

What are the costs to transfer income overseas?

What are the fees to transfer cash overseas?

In order to transfer money overseas, and depending on what kind of funds transfer service you use, you might be charged a combination of charges. If you need to have to transfer funds regularly, these can add up rapidly – so it pays to do your homework. Some of the widespread costs to watch out for contain:

A sending charge – This can go under many names but is basically the charge that your monetary institution will charge in order to send the cash – either through a bank branch or online – to an overseas account.

A getting charge – Financial institutions could also charge you for the privilege of receiving funds from overseas into the nominated bank account.

Cancellation fee – You may possibly also be charged cancellation costs if the transaction wants to be cancelled for any reason.

An amendment charge – Similarly, if a change of payment specifics is required, there might be a cost attached.

An enquiry fee – Must you require to stick to up with your bank to ensure that the funds arrived security, this may possibly elicit another charge.

In its current International Income Transfers star ratings assessment, CANSTAR discovered the following minimum, maximum and typical costs on the items assessed for the rating:

	Sending charge		Cancellation fee	Amendment fee	Enquiry charge
	On the web	Branch
Minimum	$ 20	$ 20
Maximum	$ 30	$ 35	$ 32	$ 30	$ 30
Typical	$ 21.46	$ 27.87	$ 25.50	$ 23.29	$ 25.58

Source: Canstar International Money Transfer star ratings 2014 

And finally…

An additional charge to watch out for is the fee charged to send money from one institution to a totally distinct one. Fees are simple to predict if the income transfer is sent and received by diverse branches of the same bank. They are considerably more hard to unravel if your bank sends to a third celebration.

It is difficult to give examples of these fees, as they vary tremendously amongst institutions. Being aware and asking about this charge beforehand is the most sensible strategy.

What are the fees to transfer cash overseas?

Third generation Kia Sorento set for overseas premiere

The all-new Kia Sorento was unveiled in Korea on August 28 (local time) with a unique blend of style, practicality and technology, which builds on the success of the outgoing model. The new CUV’;s smoother, swept-back profile and deeply sculpted surfaces introduce a higher level of sophistication for the third-generation model, delivering a premium look and feel, with more space and numerous innovative features.

The designers of the third generation Kia Sorento named their inspiration for the new car as ‘Stree2lf’;. Although the styling changes are evolutionary, they subtly alter the character of the new Sorento, highlighting its sleek, sinuous, profile, while creating a sophisticated appearance and ensuring the new model has a bolder on-the-road presence.

The front of the new Sorento incorporates long, wrap-around headlamps and more prominent fog-lamps, as well as a larger, more upright ‘tiger-nose’; grille, with a distinctive 3-dimensional diamond pattern, first featured on the 2013 Kia Cross GT concept.

In profile, the new model retains the Sorento’;s hallmark long bonnet and characteristic wide D-pillar, but a lower roofline, higher beltline and swept-back shape give the car a more dramatic, muscular stance.

The rear of the car features more prominent ‘shoulders’; and a highly sculpted registration plate surround. The latter is made possible by the introduction of new laser welding manufacturing techniques – a first for a Kia model – which renders weld lines invisible, meaning the Sorento can do without the traditional (joint-masking) garnish on the tailgate.

The sleeker look of the new Sorento is enhanced by its increased length (+95 mm to 4,780 mm)**, reduced height (down 15 mm to 1,685 mm) and extra width (+5 mm to 1,890 mm).

The exterior styling of the new car was led by Kia’;s Namyang design studio in Korea, with significant input from the brand’;s Frankfurt, Germany and Irvine, California design studios.

‘Modern and wide’; theme for interior styling

Inside the all-new Sorento is where some of the most significant improvements are to be found. Interior styling was led by the brand’;s European design team, based in Frankfurt, and Kia’;s designers have created a more sophisticated, more luxurious cabin, featuring significantly higher quality materials.

The styling of the cabin follows a ‘modern and wide’; theme, providing the interior with a stable, horizontal layout and appearance. This width is echoed in the wider instrument cluster, interior garnish and the wrap-around shape of the dashboard which extends into the door trims. A higher proportion of soft-touch materials and leather creates a modern luxury feel to the cabin and gives the new Sorento a genuine premium vehicle ambience.

One of the most distinctive interior styling features is the Swiss watch-inspired user interface, which incorporates Kia’;s latest HMI (human-machine interface) technologies, surrounded by new silver-look border.

The flowing contours of the dashboard were inspired by the ‘flexible volume of the human body’;, rising to incorporate the driver’;s instrument binnacle. The smoothly-styled design curve in the doors, which leads from the audio speakers up to the SUV-style grab handles, also endows the cabin with a more luxurious, sophisticated appearance.

For Europe and general markets***, customers will be able to specify the interior in either single-tone (Saturn Black) or 2-tone (Saturn Black + Stone) color schemes with cloth or leather trim. Additionally, brown or light gray color schemes in leather trim will be offered as an option.

Comfort, convenience and new technologies

Compared to the previous-generation model, the increased exterior dimensions and the extended wheelbase (+80 mm to 2,780 mm) have liberated additional space in the cabin of the new car.

Although the roofline is 15 mm lower, repositioned seat cushions ensure increased headroom for occupants in all 3 rows, who will also enjoy greater legroom. Cargo space also increases, with a longer cargo bay floor (up by 87 mm), and capacity with the third row seats folded flat up 17.5 percent, from 515 to 605 liters (VDA). The new Sorento also features a new under-floor tonneau cover storage compartment.

Available in 5- or 7-seat versions, the new Sorento features 40/20/40 second row split folding for improved versatility, with a higher folding center armrest. The second row seats of the 7-seat version are equipped with ‘remote folding’; controlled by 2 levers in the side of the cargo bay.

The new Sorento debuts a number of new, advanced on-board technologies to improve convenience and further enhance the ownership experience. Depending on market, new available features will include: an Around-View Monitor with 4 cameras helping the driver to manoeuver when parking and a Smart Power Tailgate. This system opens the tailgate automatically when the key is ‘sensed’; in close proximity to the trunk, so owners can slide their shopping bags or heavy objects straight into the vehicle.

Enhanced refinement

Throughout the development of the new Sorento, Kia engineers also focused on strengthening the bodyshell structure and improving NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) characteristics to increase refinement and create a tranquil travelling environment that is as sophisticated as the new model’;s styling.

The increased torsional rigidity of the new bodyshell (up by 14 percent compared to the outgoing model) provides an excellent foundation for both enhanced refinement and improved safety.

NVH-reducing measures adopted for the new Sorento include new soundproofing material for the transmission tunnel, a 29 percent thicker dashboard soundproofing panel (increased from 0.7 mm to 0.9 mm), larger engine and transmission mounts for greater powertrain refinement and, for diesel models, a new DPF cover and an acoustic shield integrated into the engine’;s timing chain cover. Cabin noise is reduced by 3-to-6 percent, depending on driving conditions.

Improved powertrains, ride and handling

To match consumers’; rising expectations, Kia engineers worked to improve every aspect of the new Sorento’;s driving experience, creating upgrades for the engines, steering and suspension.

5 engines are available with the new Sorento*, depending on country, offering power outputs ranging from 172 to 270 ps. These include a 2.4-liter gasoline direct injection (GDI) unit, 2.4-liter and 3.3-liter multi-point injection (MPI) engines, and revised 2.0-liter and 2.2-liter ‘R’; turbo-diesel units.

When developing the new Sorento, a key focus for the Kia chassis engineering team was achieving improvements in ride comfort, high-speed stability and handling response to match the leaps forward in interior quality and NVH.

The fully-independent suspension retains the format of the outgoing model (MacPherson Struts at the front and Kia’;s multi-link system at the rear), but features a range of modifications.

At the rear, the subframe supporting the suspension has larger bushings to better isolate it from the cabin and the larger shock absorbers are now mounted vertically behind the axle line, improving body control motion.

These changes, together with the longer wheelbase, deliver a more compliant ride, with a more progressive response to bumps in the road, making the new Sorento a very comfortable place in which to spend time on longer journeys.

At the front, an all-new electric motor-driven power steering system (R-MDPS), available as either standard or optional equipment depending on country, is mounted directly onto the steering rack – rather than the steering column as on the outgoing model. This provides greater steering feel and quicker response, ensuring that new Sorento will be among the more agile and sporty vehicles in its segment, without sacrificing the ride quality that customers expect from a luxurious SUV.

Better passive and active safety

The structure of the new Sorento is significantly stronger, thanks in large part to the more widespread use of ultra-high tensile steel. The previous-generation model was made up of 24.4 percent ultra-high tensile steel (UHTS), while the bodyshell of the new model consists of 52.7 percent UHTS, aiding the integrity of the car’;s core structure in the event of an impact and also improving torsional rigidity.

The stronger steel has been used to reinforce the wheel arches, tailgate surround and rear-wheel surround.

The new Sorento also features more than twice as much ultra-strong hot-stamped steel as the outgoing model, up from 4.1 percent to 10.1 percent in the new model, greatly strengthening the A- and B-pillars.

Buyers of the new Sorento will be able to choose from a wealth of ‘active’; safety technologies – depending on market. Available systems will include: ASCC (Adaptive Smart Cruise Control); LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System), which emits an audible alert when the driver strays from the chosen lane without using indicators; FCW (Front Collision Warning); BSD (Blind-Spot Detection); LCA (Lane Change Assist); RCTA (Rear Cross-Traffic Alert), which warns against other cars driving behind the Sorento in car parks; and SLIF (Speed Limit Information Function), which displays the speed limit in the driver’;s instrument cluster based on cameras detecting roadside signs.

Paris Motor Show Overseas Premiere

Following its unveiling in Korea, the all-new Kia Sorento will make its European premiere on Thursday 2 October at the 2014 Paris Motor Show.

Editor’;s notes:

* Engine range specified in this release covers Europe and general markets only. The powertrain line-up for North America will be announced at a later date.

** Vehicle length dimensions are for the European specification model.

***’;General markets’; include the regions of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Asia (excluding China and Korea), the Pacific, Middle East and Africa

Also view:

Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety

Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer

Third generation Kia Sorento set for overseas premiere