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Travel Checklist – 17 Essential Things to Do Before a Trip

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Hooray, you’re off to travel the world!  Before you embark on your adventure, it’s important to go through this travel checklist first, so your trip will run smoothly after you leave:

VISAS

Research the visas you may need for the countries you plan on traveling to in advance, before you leave.  For some countries, you can easily get a visa on arrival at the border, but some countries require a visa to be obtained in advance.  Twice, a friend of mine was denied onboard a flight because he didn’t have the necessary visa to enter the country.  Don’t let this happen to you.

VACCINES

Research and get the necessary vaccines you need for traveling to certain regions.  For example, some countries won’t let you in without a Yellow Fever vaccine certificate.

TAKE DUKORAL

If you’re traveling in developing areas, taking Dukoral before your trip is essential on any travel checklist.  Dukoral is an over-the-counter oral vaccine that coats and protects your stomach from travelers’ diarrhea, E. coli and cholera.  Surprisingly, many travelers haven’t heard of Dukoral, but I absolutely swear by it and I’ve never had any major stomach issues while backpacking places like South and Central America, Mexico, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, where I regularly indulge in street meat, salad and fruit (while still using some precautions).  When I traveled to Egypt and India, the people who had taken Dukoral didn’t have stomach issues, while the people who did not take it got very sick and the trip was a lot less enjoyable for them. However, Dukoral cannot protect you against parasites, which have very different symptoms.

PROOF OF ONWARD TRAVEL

Some countries require proof of onward travel in order to enter.  If you don’t have a roundtrip flight already booked, use Best Onward Ticket where you can rent a flight ticket for $12US for proof of onward travel.  I started using this site after I flew to Indonesia a few years ago and they wouldn’t let me in until I bought a ticket out of Indonesia, even though I had a ticket going home from Bangkok in 3 weeks.

BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE

Travel insurance is an absolute must on any international travel checklist.  It offers a lot more than just medical protection – it covers you if your flight gets cancelled, a family member becomes ill or passes away and you have to return home, or if something gets stolen, breaks or if you get mugged.  And if you do get seriously ill or injured, it can save you thousands of dollars.  Travel insurance isn’t cheap, but it’s also not that expensive, considering what it can do for you if you get in trouble.

I use and recommend World Nomads for travel insurance.  They’re an affordable and reputable company and you can buy and renew an insurance policy quickly and easily online.  As a Canadian, I find their policies cover a lot more than the other insurance companies in Canada and for a cheaper price.

Also, check your credit card benefits, because my credit card covers 3 weeks of travel insurance for a trip as long as I book my flights on that credit card.

NOTIFY YOUR BANK AND CREDIT CARD

Let them know you’ll be traveling, or your cards could get blocked and you won’t be able to access your funds.

DEAL WITH YOUR BILLS

Pay your bills before you go and make sure you receive email notifications and have access to your accounts online so you don’t miss a payment.

DEAL WITH YOUR MAIL

Request a hold on your mail at the post office or get a friend or family member to drop by your place to collect it.

RESEARCH FOREIGN LAWS AND CUSTOMS

It’s important to know what will offend the local people and what could get you thrown in jail.  For example, kissing and holding hands are a no-no in many Middle Eastern countries; and bribing the police in South America is typically customary, except for Chile, where bribing police is a serious offence.  If you’re found with drugs in Thailand, you’ll go to jail for an undeterminable amount of time and in Malaysia and Singapore, the death penalty is enforced.  Unfortunately, in some countries, acts of homosexuality is illegal and if caught, prison is common and in some countries, the death penalty.  And your home country will not be able to help you out of these situations.

LEARN THE BASIC PHRASES 

Locals don’t expect you to be fluent in their language but knowing how to say “hello”, “goodbye” and “thank you” in their language goes a long way.

KEEP COPIES OF YOUR PASSPORT, VISAS AND CREDIT CARDS IN YOUR PHONE AND EMAIL

In the unfortunate event that these vitals go missing, it really helps to have backup copies on hand in order to make the process of replacing them run a lot smoother.  Email the scanned copies to yourself and/or keep the photocopies in a safe place.

DOWNLOAD THE MAPS.ME APP

And download the maps of the specific countries and cities you’ll be traveling to.  Maps.me is a really useful app because you can use it offline, while in airplane mode.  Save the address of your accommodation in Maps.me and Google Maps.  I also save specific sights I want to see, which also gives you an idea of distances.

GET THE DIRECTIONS TO YOUR ACCOMMODATION

Especially if you’ll be taking public transit from the airport.  You’ll also need the address for customs when entering the country and it’ll make finding your accommodation so much easier, especially when you’re exhausted and jet lagged.

CLEAN OUT YOUR FRIDGE AND TAKE OUT YOUR GARBAGE 

You don’t want to deal with the consequences of not doing this when you arrive home from your travels.  Think rotting garbage and, depending on the time of year and temperature, fruit fly infestation.

FULLY CHARGE ALL YOUR ELECTRONICS

And make your life easier.

CHECK THE TEMPERATURE OF YOUR DESTINATION(S)

Don’t assume that all cities and countries that are known to be scorching hot are always like this all year.  Places like Las Vegas, Delhi in India, Turkey, Mexico City, and Egypt cool down in the winter months, so the nights especially are cold with single digit temperatures (in Celsius).

DOWNLOAD A CURRENCY CONVERTER APP

I use XE Currency converter and I add all the currencies of the countries I’ll be visiting before I leave, as well as my country’s currency (the Canadian dollar), US dollars and Euros.  If you’ve uploaded the currencies you need, you can use the app offline.  It won’t have the current exchange in real time, but it will be close enough.  This is very helpful when you arrive to a country and have no clue what things cost or how much to take out of an ATM.  Many countries have currency in the thousands, so 10,000 could be worth $1, $10, $100, $1,000 or $10,000+.

Optional Extras

RESEARCH THE COUNTRY’S CUISINE AND NAMES OF DISHES 

Even if you speak the language, the names of dishes don’t often translate and it’s nice to know what the must-try dishes are or if a dish contains an allergen (or a pig’s head, if that’s not your thing).

MAKE A PERSONAL TRAVEL CHECKLIST 

So you don’t forget any of your personal essentials.

UNLOCK YOUR PHONE

Having a local SIM card is so incredibly helpful while traveling.  And if you’re traveling in places with weak wi-fi, it’s necessary, especially if you’re researching and making bookings as you go.

All done your travel checklist!  Now you’re organized and prepared, so your trip will run more smoothly 🙂

For further travel preparation recommendations, see 11 Important Things to Pack for a Trip 

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