The Only International Travel Checklist You Need

Download our printable international travel checklist PDF and then you can relax and enjoy the anticipation of the journey! Combine this international travel checklist with our ultimate packing checklist and no foreign travel will ever phase you. You may also want to check out our flight booking hacks, too. Get ready to travel abroad and enjoy your travel plans!

The Ultimate International Travel Checklist

Here’s what I know about travel. Having an international travel checklist helps more than you can imagine.

I’ve travelled to over 60 countries so far – on my own, with a baby, with a toddler, with colleagues and with a husband. On business trips, weekends away, extended sabbaticals and two week holidays. All different, all required detailed preparation.

Over the years, I’ve learned everything the hard way. By nature, I’m a last minute, free spirited kinda girl and that’s why I need a comprehensive travel preparation checklist more than anything. If I do get a last minute invitation, I want to be ready to take it. If I am planning a trip of a lifetime, I don’t want to mess it up. 

This is the only pre-travel checklist you’ll ever need.

Don’t make my mistakes. Prepare on, my friend!

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6 – 8 weeks before you travel abroad

The first priority on your international travel checklist should be sorting our your paperwork and taking care of any health requirements.  These can take time to arrange from authorities who don’t like being flexible. Get in early and get it done. These are important things!

Start everything early. Apologies if you’re reading this too late. Just hop in wherever you can and let’s make the most of it, eh? 

Check your passport

Yes, OK, so you’ve probably realised you have to have one. But have you checked the expiry date? Do you know how many blank pages are left and how many you need?  Some countries require a certain number of blank pages for their visas or require passport validity for up to six months or more. I’ve seen people turned away at check-in as a result of these very points.

• Passport in date (with six months to go)
• With enough blank pages
• With a digital copy somewhere in case it gets lost

Arrange visas

Leave yourself plenty of time to check the visa situation. Some embassies require in-person visits and can hold your passport for weeks at a time for processing. If you are visiting multiple countries on one trip, it could take 6 – 8 weeks to get all the visas you need. Pay close attention to the details: India, for example, requires a different shape “passport photo” than everywhere else. You can usually arrange all the visas you need yourself but it can sometimes be easier to use a visa agency on your behalf. 

Read the small print, fill in the forms meticulously, and don’t stress about actually having the passport photo taken. 

• Check your visa requirements from the UK through the UK government Foreign Travel Advice section here.

Check Covid requirements

Now is a good time to start checking the covid entry requirements and planning for any Covid tests or travel documents and paperwork that you will require. Although most places have now dropped testing requirements, not everywhere has.

Double check the entry requirements frequently, though. They change rapidly.

Buy travel insurance as soon as you book

Yes, I used to do this en route to the airport. But now I’m (ahem) older, the medical questionnaire takes longer…

In all seriousness, book your travel insurance at the same time as you make your first arrangement or payment for anything. Plus, if you travel more than once or twice a year it probably makes sense for you to take out an annual travel insurance policy. 

Write a packing list

• Write a packing list for everything you think you may need. You can always whittle it down later. But some things take a while to find, buy, arrange and pick up. 
• I have a packing list saved as a template on my hard drive. Over the years it has become an all-purpose guide to work trips, wedding trips, family trips, the lot.
• I have also have a separate list for each bag. This sounds OTT when you’re young and carefree but becomes essential when you’re tired and a parent. One page for hand luggage for babies, one for hand luggage for adults, one for the first suitcase to unpack, one for the second. Remove stress about what goes where for airport security by factoring it into your packing list.
• Each bag has a section for different items: toiletries, clothes, entertainment, medicine, sportswear, electronics, first aid kit etc.
• We have packing lists for several situations, from packing lists for cycling holidays to packing lists for hiking.

Shop ahead of time

Yes, you can buy a lot of things at the airport but it does make it more stressful to cram in weeks of shopping while you can hear your flight being called… In particular, focus on…

• Prescription glasses, sunglasses and contact lenses.
• Special toiletries for sensitive skin or smaller versions of the brand you love .
• Power banks for phones and other electrical devices. 
• Breast pads, pumps, sterilising equipment if you’re travelling with a baby. Check out the full list of essential baby gear here (plus what you don’t need.)
• Specialist gear, like the kind you need for hiking holidays or cycling holidays.
• Parents – check out toys that make it easier to fly with a toddler. And gifts for children who travel.

Visit a travel clinic

• Some vaccines take months to work and may be in short supply. Visit for advice and to buy drugs you may need, such as antimalarials. 
• See your doctor anyway if you have complex medical needs. You may need to arrange for extra medication, sharps boxes and so on. 
• Check the latest guidelines if you are or think you may be pregnant. There are health risks you should be aware of before you book.

Remember everyday bills

• Do you have enough money in your account to meet your ongoing bills while you’re away? It’s stressful dealing with utility companies and overdrafts on the road. Sort it before you go.
• Also, look into the credit card rates vs debit card rates before you go so that you don’t get hit with nasty foreign transaction fees and charges. I swear by the website Money Saving Expert for keeping up to date with this.
• I also love the travel currency card Monzo for similar reasons. Ration your credit cards. Don’t take them all with you but do take one as a spare. You MAY need to contact credit card companies before you travel. Different companies have different policies on this but it’s worth looking into before you leave home for your trip abroad.

Book or cancel appointments

• Do you need to book pets into kennels?
• Find someone to water the plants?
• Let your child’s nursery know they won’t be coming?
• Arrange someone else to do the liftshare or car pool?
• Draw up a plan for how your colleagues will manage your work while you’re away. If you work for yourself, think through how you will manage that. 

Plan your itinerary

Depending on what’s going on, you may not need to do much of this. If you’re at work or on a tour, most things are taken care of. But if you’re doing it all from scratch then please promise me you’ll at least do this: check for any major sporting or corporate events in the area for the dates you have in mind.

You can work around most things. But you don’t want to end up feeling like Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem because everyone else got organised before you. 

Book airport transfers and parking in advance for better deals

These can be completed at the last minute so it’s not a disaster if you forget. Buy you can often arrange much better deals if you book in advance. Also, some parking spaces or concierge services do fill up. I’d recommend checking with Get Your Guide as the first port of all. Although they’re best known for their day trips and tours, it’s also really easy to book a transfer from the airport to your hotel with them.

Buy your guidebook

I still love a paper travel book for trip planning. Many publishers offer books in paper and eBook format so that you can enjoy the feel of paper at home but then go without the weight when on the road. They’re also great if you want to learn more about the history, culture and food of the place you’re visiting.

A month before the trip

Write a leaving the house list

Write this out in advance so that you have time to get things done. 

I have a page for things that need to be done around the house if you’re going to be leaving it empty.

Things like empty the bins, check the doors and windows are locked, let the neighbours know and so on.

In the old days, this would have included cancel the newspapers and milk delivery but, you know. It’s the 21st century now. Set up the thermostat so you can control it remotely from your phone instead?!

Download travel apps

These days, we have technology. Let’s use it! Here is my list of what I believe to be the best travel apps for Europe. Few on my list are travel apps in the niche sense but they’re all fantastic and I use them when I travel all the time. And, as a bonus point, even though there are seven of them, they fit onto a single phone.

Change foreign currency in advance

Exchange rates at the airport are the worst deals around – that is, apart from those on standard debit cards. To get around this problem, pre-order your cash before you travel and look into getting the best credit card deal for extra transactions abroad. 

Sketch out what to wear

One of the best tips I learned from someone else, was to sketch out your itinerary and note down an outfit for each occasion. You don’t have to stick to this rigid way of wearing, but it does help you think about what you’ll need and when. It’s like meal planning for clothes.

Think logically about what you will realistically wear and what is going to be practical. If you’re doing anything “new” for you, such as heading on a cycling or walking holiday or dipping down below minus 27 degrees, it helps to check out a specialist list first.

One year, I learned that sunscreen itself freezes. A handy tip for daylight excursions in the blisteringly cold Arctic Circle.

Buy the right suitcase for the job

Make sure that your luggage works not only for the flight but also for the circumstances you’ll find on the ground. Will you have transfers? Need to roll your suitcase across rough ground or squeeze it into a small plane? Check the airline requirements and think about whether you’ll have to carry your luggage for any distance at all or lift it on or off trains. See our guide to finding the best cabin luggage for women.

A week before

“Lost luggage” proof your packing

There isn’t much you can do to stop an airline losing your luggage. There ARE things you can do to prevent that from spoiling your trip. For some destinations, it’s not that important. But if you have flight connections or are travelling to somewhere remote or with a really different climate, then check out this article on packing your carry on essentials, from eye masks to flight socks and travel adapters.

Organise your travel documents

A good old plastic folder works well but I’ve also got a zip-around leather one that has kept me company over the years.

And, obviously, have electronic backups as well. Of tickets, accommodation, passport, insurance, visas… everything. It’s also useful to pack a photocopy of your passport and top credit cards in your main suitcase. That way, if someone snatches your bag or picks your pocket, you still have the vital information at hand. Pack a few emergency bank notes there as well. 

Tell your neighbours

Ask them to look out for your post and any suspicious noises coming from within your home while you’re away. Consider giving them a spare key so that they can deal with any mountains of post and spot any leaks or damage.

Check your phone tariff

Roaming charges can be terrifying. I once was charged over $500 in Japan for someone calling me. It was a wrong number. I’m still bitter! While that’s quite an extreme example, cell phone and mobile charges can be huge. 

At the time of writing, EU citizens can use their phones in EU countries. For everyone else, check the fine print. You may be better off buying a SIM card on the ground. In which case, research this first. Some countries need photo ID and your phone should be unlocked. The unlocking part is easier to arrange when you’re in your home country and can speak the language.

Download audiobooks and movies

Chances are, you’ll want some entertainment while on the road. Don’t forget to download audiobooks, TV series and movies to your phone, tablet or laptop. I’d highly recommend trying Audible. You can sign up for free for 30 days and cancel after that – perfect for a trip abroad!

The night before

On the night before your trip, hand write a list and put it by the front door for all those last minute things you need to do. You’re nearly at the end of your international travel checklist and ready to actually travel!

• Turn down the heating
• Pick up your phone and charger
• Empty the bins
• Close all the windows
• Set an alarm (clock to wake you up and a security alarm if you have one)

At the airport

We’re nearly at the end of your checklist for overseas travel. Adventure awaits! There’s just a few more points…

Arrive early

Listen to the advice and get there at least two hours before you fly. There’s always someone stressed at check-in, at security, at the car park… It doesn’t need to be you.

Leave plenty of time and then if things go wrong (or you realise you left the car seat in the car, the tickets on the bus, your wallet in the bar…?!) there’s still time to fix things. Not that things like that have ever happened to me or anyone I know. Oh no. Well, maybe. A little bit.

Add a little luxury

The following suggestions don’t form an essential part of your international travel checklist. But they can make the experience so much nicer.

• You can arrange priority queues at security, first class tickets for the train and lounge access in the terminal. 
• Increasingly, airports are offering pay-per-use lounges and pay-per-access priority lanes at security.

If those aren’t an option, then look for a swish restaurant at the airport, particularly on higher floors or away from the main thoroughfare. Most people avoid them (because they don’t have the time) and so they’re frequently quieter, calmer and a whole lot more pleasant!

Find your gate early

I’ve been stung by this more than once. Your boarding pass says “Gate 5” and your favourite coffee shop is at Gate 4. So you make yourself comfortable, settle in. Read a book, check instagram, dream of doing nothing. Whatever.

But when boarding time approaches, you realise that Gate 5 is actually in a separate terminal hidden under a police-guarded tunnel of menace with queues bigger than discount shops on Boxing Day. Argh!

Cast an eye on your gate before you settle anywhere. Airport navigation is not always as easy as it seems.

Download your free pre-trip checklist

Take a deep breath and get everything done when you this free travel checklist PDF. 

Bookmark your international travel checklist for later

Bookmark your checklist for international travel on Pinterest and have it handy for reference later.

More travel resources (including packing lists)

Add to your international travel checklist with the following travel tips and guides:

• The ultimate travel packing list with printable
• Long haul flight essentials to rediscover the love of flying
• The best suitcases for carry on for all occasions
• Road trip essentials for grown ups and children
• The best flight booking hacks for savvy travellers
• Level8 Luggage Review: The Russian Doll Suitcase with A Difference
• Your essential self-catering checklist
• 31 luxury travel tips for your next trip