Traveling overseas can seem like a daunting proposition, but by getting a few things squared away before you go, much of the perceived stresses can be alleviated.
I have created this pre-flight travel checklist to give you a fighting chance to remember them all. Keep a copy of the list electronically and use it jog your memory.
Are you fit to travel?
One of the first things that you need to sort out is your actual fitness to travel. Now I don’t mean that you need to be capable of running 5km in under 30 minutes, or anything like that. Otherwise, I’m stuck at home for a while yet.
No, what we’re looking at here is your state of health. Get a check up from your doctor if you need to, just to make sure that everything is in shape. The last thing you need is to start getting ill overseas. Apart from ruining your holiday, overseas health care may not be what you’re used to.
Medications
If you regularly take medications, then you will need to ensure that you have enough for the whole trip. Where possible keep them in their original packing. Alternatively, get your pharmacy to pre-package them into blister packs.
These packs have all the medications arranged into daily doses with full names labelled on the rear. They are also reasonably tough and well suited to the rough and tumble of travel.
Make sure you keep a copy of your prescriptions, and it is well worth getting a letter from your doctor. This should outline some basic health history, as well as the medications that are currently prescribed to you.
Prescriptions from your home doctor won’t work overseas, but the letter will help and overseas doctor, if your medications are lost. It’s also worth checking that your medications are legal in the country you’re visiting. Discuss this with your own doctor, and they may prescribe an alternative for you.
Immunizations
The obvious one these days in the Covid-19 vaccination. It seems clear that overseas travel in the foreseeable future will require this vaccination and possibly a booster shot. Make sure that you allow enough time to get the required shots and have the certificate saved either digitally or physically.
Depending on where you are going in the world, there are some places that still need other vaccinations. Discuss with your trip with your doctor to see if there are any other requirements.
Travel Insurance
As soon as you organize your airfares, then it’s time to book travel insurance. Don’t forget that this insurance also covers cancellations. So, if you break your leg and must cancel the trip, at least the insurance will cover any losses from the cancelled flights.
It’s worth shopping around for travel insurance. Certainly not all policies are equal. Spend some time on comparison websites to pick and choose the features you need. If you’re not going to be driving on the trip remove the hire car insurance. This will drop the cost significantly.
If you still want to use your existing health insurance provider because you trust them, that’s fine. Get some quotes and take them to your provider. Often, they will price match, if you are comparing with quotes that are like theirs.
Travel Documents
Here I am talking about Passports, Visa’s, Tickets and accommodation bookings.
Passports
In many cases you need to have at least 6 months validity on your passport to be allowed to enter countries. Presumably this is in case you get stuck there for an extended period. There are also several places who will not accept passports with any damage on it, even minor.
One thing that has caused several travelers to come unstuck is getting unofficial stamps in their passport. These might be stamps from special attractions. Getting a stamp from anyone other than an official immigration officer for a country, can render the passport invalid.
Visa’s
Visa’s are the approval that you get from a country, which allows you to travel there. To be honest these days you can travel to a lot of countries without needing a visa, so long as your stay is less than 90 days. Once you go over that time period then most countries will need you to apply.
Check the website for the country you are planning to travel to, to see what their requirements are. Remember that this is bureaucracy, so plan well in advance.
Tickets
You can purchase tickets at almost any time including the day of flying. I wouldn’t recommend this unless something has gone horribly wrong. Depending on where you are going there are often flight sales at different times of the year.
Personally, when I am planning a big family holiday with 8 or 9 people for 6 weeks or so. I start looking for tickets about 10-11 months out from departure date.
This might sound a long way out, but airlines tend to reward you with lower prices for locking in the flights early. The flights are usually released about 300 days before departure, so you can start looking then.
On the odd occasion when another family member has agreed to come along a few months later they normally have a higher ticket price. Quite often seat selection can be made early, so this is important if you want to keep your family together.
Accommodation
Obviously when you book accommodation will depend on where you’re going. The more popular the destination, the earlier you need to get in. Generally, I am looking at accommodation for big holidays about 6 months out.
This means that I still have a decent range to choose from and the prices are reasonable. The big hotel search engines also have free cancellation on most properties up to point, so if you change your mind, or something else comes up, you’re safe.
You can check out Booking.com here, or have a look through my site for recommendations.
International Driver’s License
An international driver’s license is issued by your local or state auto club. They are generally valid for 1 year and will cover all the classes of vehicle that you are licensed for at home.
Essentially, they are nothing more than a translation of your home license. This makes it easier for officials to read your license. Remember however, that you must carry your home country license as well.
Pets
What about your pets? I’m presuming that they’re not coming on holiday with you. Will they be able to stay with family or friends? What about putting them in kennels, or maybe getting a house sitter?
These are all valid options, but some may need to be organized well in advance. During popular holiday periods kennels and house sitters may book up fast.
Government Travel Updates
Most governments have a website that gives up to date travel advice. This advice can give you advance warning of civil unrest, health problems developing in the country, or perhaps a change of government that frowns on certain groups of people.
The government may in some cases recommend against, or even prohibit travel to certain countries. It pays to check the website to make sure all is well at the other end.
Along with this, is understanding the culture of the places you’re traveling to. What are the expected dress standards for example? Unfortunately, there are several places in the world where women must remain covered up. This may not be our way, but it’s their country, and their rules.
There may also be different rules for how you behave in public and interact with others. Read up on your destination and get an understanding of the customs before you get there.
Learn The Language
Okay, that’s a bit of a stretch. But it is certainly worthwhile picking up a couple of basic phrases. If you can give a basic greeting, and say please and thank you in their language, you will go a long way to opening doors.
Most people will figure out quickly that you can’t speak their language, but they appreciate the fact that you are trying. They will be more inclined to help you out, than if you just stand there loudly speaking at them in your native tongue.
Inform Your Bank
Always let your bank know that you are going overseas. Most banks these days monitor accounts for unusual activity. If they suddenly see strange transactions appearing in foreign countries, they may well presume that someone has hacked your card and cancel your card to protect you.
That can make things awkward. Especially if you don’t have a backup. Our bank has a form you can fill in which gives the dates that you are away, and the countries you’ll be traveling to.
While you’re there you can organize money for the trip. I generally like to have some cash on me as well as using a credit card, but you can sort your finances in a way that works for you.
Travel Accessories
There are a couple of travel accessories that I really like. The first is obvious. Do you have luggage locks? If you do, are they all keyed alike, or have the same combination. This makes it so much easier than carrying a bunch of keys or trying to remember a series of codes.
The next one is a passport holder. I love mine and it comes on every overseas trip. It is a small holder that I hang around my neck. There is enough room for a couple of passports, boarding passes and a pen.
It is convenient when traveling through border control points and leaves my hands free to deal with luggage.
The last item for me is a wallet. Now I normally have a wallet. But for holidays I have something much smaller that will fit comfortably in my front pocket. This is much safer than keeping a wallet in your back pocket. I also don’t carry as many cards when I’m on holiday, so the wallet doesn’t need as many pockets.
You may also consider money belts, eye shades, ear plugs, travel guides and no doubt the list could go on.
What about Your House?
There are a few things that you can do to ensure that your house is in good shape when you return.
Contact you post office and have a hold put on your mail. That way your mailbox isn’t overflowing, and advertising that the house is unoccupied. The cost is quite reasonable, and you can collect the mail when you return.
Depending on the time of year, you could organize some lawn care so that the gardens aren’t overgrown.
Unless you have someone staying in your house while you’re away, it pays to clean out your fridge. On a holiday of a decent length, most of the stuff will be expired anyway. Think of it as a spring clean.
While we’re about food. Consider cooking up some extra meals before you go and putting them in the freezer. That way when you get home you can just reheat a meal instead of having to cook something, especially as you’ve just cleaned the food out of the fridge.
Test Pack
I always like to have a test pack before I go. Well, to be honest I have a few test packs. It gets me in the mood for the holiday. It’s good to look over the list and see that everything fits.
This is also a good time to review your luggage. What are the luggage rules for your flight? A lot of low-cost airlines these days only allow carry on sized luggage. If you have a bag that’s’ too big it can cost you big at the check in counter.
If you would like a packing list, you can check mine out here.
Final Bits
Getting towards the end of the list now. On the night before, don’t forget to charge up all your devices, and find a way of stowing all your chargers. I personally use a pencil case, and this works well for me.
The last part I like to think of brings me back to the start. I like to make sure that I’m fit to travel. To do this I make sure that I am well hydrated, as the flight can really drop your hydration levels.
The last part is to plan to avoid jet lag. Try to get into a sleeping pattern that is closer to that of your destination. Also plan for when you will sleep on the plane, if at all.
Ideally you want to be waking up at the same time as the people at your destination. This will give you a much easier transition and get rid of some of that washed out feeling that jet lag brings along.
Well, that’s about all I’ve got for now. If I think of anything else I’ll add it in. Hopefully there’s a few bits and pieces in here that help you along the way and make your holiday more successful.
Cheers and happy travels