1) Check the details on the ticket and prepare the documents
Once the ticket has been purchased, it is advisable to check that the data corresponds to the request and especially that, in case you have to travel with a vehicle, the data relating to the car or motorbike coincide with those on the vehicle registration document and on the document and on the identity of the passenger driver. Any discrepancies must be promptly reported to ticket office. It is therefore necessary to prepare the aforementioned documents to take with you, making sure that they are valid.
2) Check the marine weather conditions to foresee the eventual suspension of the races
Bad weather conditions rarely prevent ferries from traveling, while hydrofoils and catamarans are more sensitive to rough/rough seas. In any case, the decision on whether to depart or not is up to the ship’s captain and it must be considered that he will generally carry out this assessment only a few hours before departure. In some circumstances the day before. In case of adverse weather conditions it is therefore good to prepare for the possibility of not leaving with the booked ship. In these cases there will be a full refund of the cost of the ticket or re-routing on another vehicle of the same company.
Book a ferry
3) Go to boarding well in advance
Although the check-in procedures are not as strict as those required to board an airliner, it is necessary to go to boarding well in advance so as to have the time to comfortably carry out the control process of travel documents and consequent issue of boarding passes necessary to get on the vehicle. Generally we talk about at least 1 hour before in case you have to board a vehicle and half an hour if you are on foot . In any case, the times are well specified by the shipping companies on the travel documents and in the navigation terms and conditions.
4) Be ready for a digital detox
The internet on the high seas, especially as the distance from the coast increases, may very likely not work. Furthermore, not all naval units have their own Wi-Fi network. So get ready to put smartphones or other devices aside unless you intend to continue using them even offline. It can be the right time for a digital detox: an unintentional detoxification from the digital.
5) Dress like an “onion”
Before embarking on a sea trip, it is advisable to dress like an “onion”, that is with layered clothing. In fact, in the hydrofoil it can happen that the air conditioning activated in the summer months is very powerful and you paradoxically need a jacket, considering also that on fast boats it is not possible to go to outdoor areas while sailing. Instead, even during the non-summer months, a sunny day on the outer deck of the ferry may make it necessary to uncover up to the shirt, also bearing in mind the intensification of the sun’s rays due to reflections on the water.
