We strongly recommend that you make a checklist of this very important list of things to do whenever you embark on international travel. Even though we travel extensively we always go through this pre-travel checklist.
If you are traveling internationally for the first time or just want to be sure you don’t forget anything important before your next international trip, here is a list of essential things to do before international travel.
Have a Valid Passport
Check the expiration date of your passport and whether there are any blank pages remaining. Just to be safe, check that your passport does not expire less than six months before your return date (some countries will not allow entry if your passport expiration date is less than 6 months before your departure date). If you don’t have a passport yet and are thinking of traveling abroad in the near future, make sure you apply for a passport as far in advance as possible.
Check Visa Requirements
Check to see if the country you are traveling to requires a visa. Apply for and obtain all required visas well in advance of your travel date.
Check on Vaccination Requirements
If you are traveling to less developed countries, visit your closest travel clinic to get any vaccines you need for your destination. In addition to vaccines, you might need malaria pills or a yellow fever shot depending on where you are traveling. It is recommended you get vaccines or medicines at least 4-6 weeks before your trip. The reason is that it takes some time for some vaccines to become effective.
Obtain Proper Driving Permit
This item is only for those planning on driving while overseas. An International Driving Permit is widely accepted in any country and you will be able to obtain one from your local AAA office. Please note that most countries accept any valid driver’s license these days. However, we recommend you obtain an International Driving Permit.
Take Travel Adapter
You will probably need an adapter plug in order to use your electronics in another country. If you travel a lot, it makes sense to buy a universal travel adapter.
Take your credit and debit cards
Make sure you travel with your credit and debit cards. It is a lot safer than carrying a great deal of cash with you. A debit card will always come in handy especially for using ATMs from other banks. Ideally, you should have at least 2 credit cards and 2 debit cards with you. While you can make do with one of each, we like to have 2 in case one is stolen, lost or the bank puts a hold on our account due to suspicious activity.
Of course one should also have some cash for incidentals. Your best bet is to obtain local currency at your point of entry. Remember not to get too much cash. If you need more, you could always go to a money changer or to a bank as a second option, due to price differences. Remember the cost of changing money at a hotel is usually quite high.
Inform your Bank/s
Make sure to contact all banks that have issued your credit, debit and ATM cards and let them know of your travel plans. If you do not let your bank know you will be traveling abroad, when they see foreign charges they could put a hold on your account for suspicious activity.
Obtain Travel Insurance
This step is most important. Check if your travel insurance covers you abroad. If not, research and purchase travel insurance before leaving your country. You can purchase medical insurance, trip cancellation insurance and more. At the very minimum, you should always purchase emergency evacuation insurance just in case something happens as paying for that would very costly.
Look into Options for Calling Home
These days, since most places one would stay at has Wi-Fi connectivity, using a free app such as WhatsApp, Viber or Skype would be your best bet. If you are unfamiliar with these apps, please obtain some coaching on how to use them and practice by calling friends before you leave. You will save a ton of money by using these apps.
Using your mobile whilst overseas may be expensive. It all depends on your service provider. Make sure you call them to find out what your best options are. Another option is to purchase a SIM card with data and voice connectivity when you get to your destination. This is only possible in some countries.
Share Your Travel Details
Make two copies each of your itinerary, hotel, flight and other confirmations, and your passport and visa. Share one set with someone at home that you consider your emergency contact. Take the other set with you, and make sure you keep this set separately from all your documents.
We like to print a hard copy of all our flight and hotel e-mail confirmations – that way we don’t have to rely on having Wi-Fi. Plus, it is good to have a paper version of your confirmations in case an immigration or other official requests copies of your plans.
Another thing we highly recommend you do, is to take a photo or make copies of your first passport page and visa and email it to yourself or store it in Dropbox or similar cloud storage option. That way if your passport is lost or stolen while you are in another country, it will be faster and easier to replace it.
Pay or Schedule Any Bills Due
Whenever we travel we like to prepay or schedule any bills that are due while we are away. We try to avoid logging into our bank or credit card accounts from free internet connections for security reasons plus we don’t want to miss a payment since we do not check our e-mails often.
Download All You Require
It is a good idea to download any books, movies, reading material or apps you need on your smartphone, e-reader and computer before you leave. You might need entertainment or reading material on your flight. Some apps can even be used offline so it is better to download them before you leave as it might be hard to find free Wi-Fi.
Pack All Essentials
Put together and check your packing list, in case you need to purchase anything before your trip. Make sure you fill your prescriptions and bring copies as well. As your travel date approaches double check the weather at your destination to make sure you don’t need to pack anything else. If you are checking in bags, pack all your carry on essentials in your carry-on bag.
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