Australia Post is fast becoming a serious player in the travel market, establishing itself as a one-stop-shop for many holiday must-haves. And for a growing number of jet-setting Aussies, the first stop on their itinerary may well be their nearest post office.

Whether it’s an African safari or a family trip to Disneyland, holiday planning would have at least included a trip to the travel agent, the bank and the local photo-processing lab for that dreaded passport photo.

Australia Post, which has a strong market given that more than 1million Australians visit their outlets each day and it processes up to one million passport applications annually, is ramping up its travel-related services and has this week added to its travel stable, the Travelex Cash Passport.

Travelex’s Graham Perry said the pre-paid travel money card was now more accessible than ever before.

“With more than 3,200 Australia Post outlets offering the Travelex Cash Passport, travellers can simply pop into a local outlet and pre-load their holiday funds onto a Cash Passport - on the spot,” says Mr Perry.

“The card can be used at any Visa ATM around the world, and because Cash Passport is available in Euro, US Dollars and British Pounds, travellers can lock in their exchange rate and avoid currency fluctuations. With the Australian dollar hitting record levels, Perry adds that now is a good time to lock in your rate on a Cash Passport from Australia Post.

“Anyone irrespective of their age can choose to load their travel funds onto a Cash Passport at a moment’s notice,” he said.

According to Mr Terry Stephens, Australia Post Financial Services Group Manager, Australians are travelling internationally in unprecedented numbers and Australia Post is now a vital stop before heading overseas.

“Last year Australians took more than 4.8 million international trips and in January alone more than 420,000 of us headed overseas*. A great trip requires careful planning and all it takes is just one post office visit to sort out a host of critical travel needs. ” Stephens said

Stephens adds “It is the destination for passport applications and renewals, passport photos, picking up some travel accessories and tourist guides, purchasing overseas calling cards and, from now, arranging Australia’s leading pre-paid travel money card.”

“And for reasons of personal security, travellers should also remember to arrange for their mail to be held or redirected.”

“An overflowing mail box, or worse still, the risk of identity fraud, can be easily avoided with some simple holiday planning. Long after the holiday, it’s about remembering a trip for all the right reasons,” Stephens said.

*ABS - Overseas Arrivals & Departures trend figures

Ends

Notes to Editors

For further information please contact:

Caren Dunn
Peer Group
Tel: +61 2 9253 4100

Matt Pollard
Australia Post
Tel: +61 3 9204 5362

About Travelex

Travelex is the world’s largest foreign exchange specialist, with offices in 35 countries, more than 700 retail branches and 16,000 commercial customers. As the world’s largest and most automated provider of outsourced travel money and related fulfilment services, Travelex processes over 3 million orders annually for banks, financial institutions and travel agencies. Travelex offers its customers a full range of delivery channel options including telephone and web-based ordering.

For more information, visit www.travelex.com.