Some insurance companies do not cover accidents if the rider was not wearing a helmet or did not have a current motorcycle licence. Funds can be placed on credit cards in Australia or transferred via Amex, Thomas Cook or Western Union, depending on whether there is a representative agency in the recipient country. If you lose your passport and valuables or are robbed, go to the nearest police station and obtain a police report. This will be required for a new passport and most insurance companies require a police report before processing insurance claims. You can obtain information on the security situation in countries you intend to visit from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Consular Information Service in Canberra or at an Australian Embassy or Consulate overseas.
Some countries require passports to be valid for six months after expiry of the visa.
Never carry packages or luggage for another person through Customs at airports, bus depots or across land borders. This ploy is used by drug traffickers to transport prohibited substances at no risk to themselves but great risk to the person carrying the package. Never drive someone else's vehicle through customs, or across a border. If travelling by train, especially overnight, secure your possessions and do not take sleeping pillsin some countries, gangs of thieves operate on trains and rob sleeping passengers. If travelling with friends, take turns sleeping in shifts.