27 Things to Do Before Traveling Abroad
Are you getting ready for an international trip? In this blog post, we've covered all the essential things to do before traveling abroad. Here's our tried and tested list of important things you should arrange to do before you go on holiday.
Planning a trip can be overwhelming, especially if you are about to set off for your first international journey. There are so many things that must be done and sorted before traveling abroad.
And we are now not talking about obvious things such as creating a travel itinerary and booking accommodation, but about practical stuff.
About things that maybe have never crossed your mind that need to be taken care of before you start your trip.
As we've been traveling the world for a while now, we developed our system, a checklist of things we always do before traveling abroad.
Some of the things are really essential and super-important, without them any international trip would not be possible, while some of them are just small touches that we find necessary.
Not sure what type of person you are, but we prefer to write everything down.
Making mental notes is fine too, but it feels much better when we can one by one tick off every single task we know is necessary to do before traveling abroad.
Because no matter how many times we had done the planning and preparation before, the excitement before the next adventure is still the same, and we are afraid we could forget something important.
Always remember, that good planning affects your future travel experience, and it really does not pay off to skip this part.
Creating a checklist of things to do before traveling abroad is equally important whether you are preparing for a few weeks of vacation, or long-term travel.
The planning part starts right after you decide what will be your next destination.
Based on this fact, you will have to arrange a few things even months ahead, such as visas, and then the last final touches only a couple of days or even hours before your departure.
We are not ourselves the type of travelers who arrange everything well in advance, but on the other hand, we also do not like leaving things until the last moment.
Simply put, we prefer the middle ground, and when it comes down to it, we can be very practical and organized.
If you are looking for advice on things to do arrange when traveling abroad, you've come to the right place. In this travel guide, we will share with you the most essential things you should always check and do before any international trip.
MAKE SURE YOU HAVE VALID PASSPORT
If you want to travel internationally, you need to have a valid passport. Of course, there are exceptions, for example for the citizens of the European Union who travel within the Schengen Area, but still, we always prefer having a passport with us when traveling abroad.
Your passport should be always valid for at least six months after your return date, and there should be free pages left for a new stamp.
Most of the passports are valid for ten years, so we know it is easy to consider all the time that the document is valid, and you can use it anytime, but still, it is worth to check it from time to time, especially if you are setting off a long-awaited journey.
In case your passport is about to expire, the renewal process should be the first thing you are going to do before traveling abroad.
The application process usually takes several weeks, but in case you really messed up and need your passport quickly, do not panic.
Not sure how does it work exactly in your country, but in the Czech Republic, there is an option to speed up the process, that's only more costly.
We believe it must work similarly in your country, in case a person needs to travel last minute.
HAVE YOUR DOCUMENTS READY
Except for a passport, there are more documents you should have ready before traveling internationally.
We never leave without valid ID and driver's license.
If you plan on driving in Jordan or any other foreign country, a driver's license is a must, but we usually take it with us just in case.
If you know that you will self-drive in your dreamed destination, find information about whether it is compulsory having an international driver's license or whether your regular one would be enough.
MAKE COPIES OF YOUR DOCUMENTS AND RESERVATIONS
Even though we live in a digital age, you won't make a mistake when you photocopy all your documents such as passport, ID, driver's license, and all your bookings such as flight tickets, hotel, and car reservations.
We really hope that everything on your vacation will go as planned, but unexpected things happen, and having a backup of your documents in a foreign country is very important.
Someone can steal your passport, or your hotel reservation can get lost, so it is always good to have proof.
We also recommend you save all the documents on your mobile phone, but when traveling there is often no access to electricity, your battery can be flat, or in the worst-case scenario, you might lose your phone.
That's why we think it is essential to have everything on paper as well.
OBTAIN VISAS IF NECESSARY
The world is getting more and more connected, but it does not mean you do not need visas when traveling internationally. Always check well in advance if your nationality needs a visa or is exempted.
The process of getting a visa is different for every country and often even for every nationality, so we recommend you to check it out carefully.
When we wanted to travel to Azerbaijan a few years back, we had to go personally to the embassy in Prague several times.
On the other hand in Thailand, we were able to get visas on arrival at the airport.
For the US road trip, we applied online for ESTA in advance from the comfort of our home.
The situation with a visa can always change, so even when your friend visited the country you want to travel to before, it is essential to see the most up-to-date information.
When arranging your visa, always make sure you fill in the right dates and find out for how long the permission to stay in the country lasts.
When we were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we went to the embassy and applied there for a visa to Vietnam, and we wrongly assumed that the visa for a month will last 31 days.
We bought flight tickets from Vietnam accordingly, only to find out later we got the visa only for 30 days, and we had to pay an extra fee for changing the date of our flight tickets to leave the country day earlier.
Do not forget that if your flight is not direct, you may need a transit visa as well.
BOOK ENTRANCE TICKETS IN ADVANCE
Even before you start planning your itinerary, and before your plan is final, we believe you already know the top attractions you would like to visit in a country where you travel, the attractions that had sold you the destination.
Remember, that in the time of overtourism, many countries try to protect their cultural and natural highlights, and in many cases, it is necessary to book entrance tickets well in advance.
Of course, no traveler wants to book tickets six months or even a year before the journey, but often there is no other way.
We believe you do not want to arrive in high season in Peru and find out there is no ticket available for Machu Picchu or Inca Trail.
Or you do not want to spend hours on planning hiking in New Zealand without doing at least one of the Great Walks such as Milford Track or Routeburn Track in the end.
GET VACCINATED
It is compulsory to know the vaccination requirements for your final destination. You can go to a local vaccination center or travel clinic, or try to find relevant information on your own.
From our personal experience, the clerks in the centers wanted us to get more shots that we found necessary.
In case you find out that you need a vaccination, you should make an appointment at least several weeks before your departure.
When we were traveling to South America and Central America, it was compulsory to have a vaccination against yellow fever, but at that time there was a global shortage of yellow fever vaccines, and we had a really hard time finding a clinic to get our shot on time.
Also, if you plan on traveling to destinations with the occurrence of diseases such as malaria, stock up on medicine and take the pills when necessary.
We believe you do not want to bring home anything but photos and memories.
When we talk about health and medicine, it should go without saying that you must pack with you the medicine you use on a daily basis.
GET TRAVEL INSURANCE
Well, we hope our readers are responsible, and no one ever leaves home without travel insurance, but we also know it is easy to get too excited because of the upcoming adventure and forget about the essential stuff.
That's why we will repeat it again. One of the most important things to do before traveling abroad is to have the right travel insurance.
There's always a chance that you get sick, suffer injury, lose your suitcase, your trip gets canceled, or your backpack will be stolen.
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers to cover their trip essentials, including sports and adventure activities.
SafetyWing is affordable travel insurance for backpackers, long-term travelers, and digital nomads.
Travel smarter and safer!
Of course, the same as you, we hope that your trip will go smoothly, but unexpected things happen, and if you travel frequently, you should not take your chances. Not having travel insurance can ruin your life and bank account forever.
When choosing the right travel insurance, it is always necessary to know what it covers, especially if you plan on hiking in the altitude, for example in Nepal.
The basic plans usually do not cover helicopter service, so make sure your plan covers all activities you plan on doing.
CHECK TRAVEL WARNINGS
Before you travel, always keep an eye on travel warnings. You should always know what is the safety situation in your destination before you even book the trip, but this can always change.
Every country has a website for its citizens where you can find travel warnings and advice on how to behave when you decide to travel to a country despite the warning and something bad happens.
Even though we do not like using Tripadvisor that much, we found the forums quite helpful when it comes to safety as many travelers use it on a daily basis, so the information was up-to-date and more authentic.
We used it mostly when traveling to countries such as Nicaragua and El Salvador as these places have lately had safety issues.
However, sometimes the situation can be changing from day to day, so you will need even more accurate source of information.
In this case, we found out, that Twitter helps a lot.
Follow the trending hashtags, check them daily, and stay safe!
On our last trip to Iceland, there was some stronger seismic activity happening in the north of the country, so make sure to follow the local weather warnings as well.
TAKE CARE ABOUT YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENTS
Always keep in mind that even when you leave your country, your everyday life and responsibilities do not stop.
If you pay rent, car, internet, and other services monthly, make sure you set automatic payments in your online banking, so your payments do not get delayed, and you do not end up in debt.
In case you are leaving for a longer period of time, make sure you will have access to your online banking abroad - most of the banks nowadays have mobile apps, which makes traveling much easier.
If you are setting off for a long-term trip, which will take months or more, make sure that you terminate all the contracts in time and settle all your outstanding bills.
CHECK FOR FESTIVALS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
To be in a foreign country during festivals and significant public holidays can be an awesome adventure as you can see many celebrations and it is the way how to get many authentic experiences.
On the other hand, it can complicate things. Shops might be closed, hours limited, streets can be flooded by people, or prices may skyrocket.
That's why, before arranging your trip, we recommend you to search for public holidays and other regular events in the country where you are headed.
It was great to be in Vietnam during the celebrations of New Year's Eve, but everything was much pricier, and we had a feeling that locals tried to take advantage of us even when the day was long over.
Or arriving at Antigua in Guatemala during the Easter was amazing experience, though it took us quite some time to find a hostel.
As we are now planning our trip to Israel, we would rather avoid Jewish holidays in the fall, not mentioning that getting around the country on Friday afternoons and Saturdays may be quite difficult in general.
Simply put, it is good to know what you can expect in a foreign country during your visit.
READ PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE DESTINATION
For me, one of the most exciting things to do before traveling abroad is reading practical information about the destination we are going to visit soon.
What should you know?
Well, no one will help you with the research, but nowadays there are so many travel books, travel blogs like ours, and information on the internet, that it is much easier to find a thing you want to know in a few clicks.
We recommend you to search for weather information first. Many countries have throughout the year several distinct seasons.
This brings us to information on what to pack, how to get around the country, what currency will you need, what is the capital city, safety information, religion, and so on.
Even though we know that some people travel spontaneously, the more you know about the destination, the less unpleasant surprises you can expect on your trip.
There are so many small details that can affect your trip both positively or negatively, and even though we know you will learn a lot of things on the road, there is nothing bad on being well-prepared.
For instance, did you know, that it’s perfectly safe to drink tap water in the Czech Republic?
It might seem like a small and unimportant detail, but even the smallest details can improve your overall travel experience.
LET YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY KNOW ABOUT YOUR PLANS
We are confident that traveling will change your life for the better, but we cannot pretend that moving from one place to another in a foreign country is completely safe.
That's why you should always tell someone about your plans and share your travel itinerary.
Tell your friends or family member your exact plans, and develop a system on how to communicate.
Today it is much easier to be in touch with others via messaging apps or email, and the internet is often available in remote places where you would have not expected this kind of service.
A short message every other day that you are ok is a great way how to ensure your safety.
In case you do not want to bother anyone with your travel plans, register to your country's system, so someone from an embassy can assist you in case of an emergency.
It is always better when someone at least approximately knows your whereabouts.
CHECK THE RESTRICTIONS ON LUGGAGE
Before you finally start packing for the trip, it is necessary to figure out what you can take with you. If you are traveling by car, that's pretty easy, and you can go wild.
When traveling by plane, you must check airlines' conditions and what is included in your ticket plan.
Lowcost companies usually do not have checked luggage included in the rate and you need to pay extra for it.
Make sure you know the limits of your carry on luggage and checked luggage as well.
We noticed that limits for the carry on luggage are not sometimes that strict, so when you travel for a short vacation to Southeast Asia or to a country where you do not need that much equipment, you might not need the checked luggage at all.
Said that, your carry-on luggage should fit in the overhead bin.
This is also a great tip if you are looking for how to save money.
PACK YOUR BACKPACK
Many travelers hate this part of preparation for a trip, but one of the essential things you must do before your trip is packing a backpack.
Try to be reasonable, and pack only things you need.
If you are looking for more tips on this topic, we've written a post where we share things we never leave home without.
Packing is very individual, and what to pack also depends on your final destination.
Try to pack as light as possible. It is easy to overpack, especially if you are preparing for the first international trip ever, but you will get better eventually.
As we are quite organized (or at least we think so), we usually write down a list of things we want to take with us several weeks before our journey, and we keep updating it in time until it is perfect and nothing important is missing.
PREPARE YOUR ELECTRONICS
Long gone are days when people traveled abroad without electronics. The very nature of our job is unmerciful when it comes to electronics, that's why we often travel with laptops, camera, many SD cards, spare batteries, phones, or power bank.
But we actually think that a lot of travelers pack very similar equipment as we do.
Before you set off for your trip, make sure all your electronics are fully charged as the travel days are usually long.
Make sure you have a backpack or dry sacks where you can keep your valuables safe.
Electrical outlets are often different in the world than in your country, so make sure you have the right travel adapter, so you can always charge your stuff.
NOTIFY YOUR BANK
To make sure that you will have access to your money even abroad, do not forget to notify your bank about your plans.
Even though many people think it is not necessary, we actually do it every time as it happened to us a couple of times that our bank blocked the card.
One time it was in Nepal when we needed to withdraw enough cash for a two-week Annapurna Circuit trek.
The second time our card was blocked in Rio de Janeiro, and we only found that out when we needed to call Uber to get to our hostel, and we could not pay for it.
It really sucked, as we had no idea how to get back to the center by public transport.
Based on our experience, notifying bank is one of the things we never fail to do before traveling abroad.
We know that the bank tried to protect us as these transactions seemed suspicious, but at that time having a credit card blocked was the last thing we needed.
That's why today we never forget to make a quick call before the trip.
PREPARE YOUR FINANCES
When you travel abroad, you should always make sure you saved enough money for traveling and won't run out of money during the trip. Change your limit on the card so you can use it to its full potential in case of an emergency.
Some cards do not work in a foreign country, so we recommend you to have at least one extra card with you just in case.
If you travel frequently, you probably already have a credit card with no foreign transaction fee. If not, apply for this card right now.
Lately, we do not exchange money, but we usually withdraw cash at the airport right after arrival. It largely depends on our destination.
When we travel to a country where using credit cards is not the norm, we make sure we have enough cash, especially when we travel to a place without ATMs.
But when it is possible, we prefer paying with a credit card.
HAVE EMERGENCY CASH WITH YOU
When talking about money, here's one more our tip. We always carry emergency cash with us when traveling.
It is money we cannot touch unless something happens. It is a kind of insurance, in case we get stuck somewhere, in case we run out of money, or we need help.
We do not keep this money in the wallet, to ensure we will not spend it.
We recommend you to carry emergency cash with you as well, but it is only up to you how much it is going to be.
We usually have 150 USD per person. Yes, we have dollars even in the countries where a dollar is not an official currency because, based on our experience, everyone likes US dollars in the pocket.
GIVE YOUR APARTMENT KEYS TO SOMEONE YOU CAN TRUST
No matter how long you plan on traveling, you should always give the emergency keys of your apartment to someone you can trust.
Not only friends or family can from time to time water your plants or take care of your mail, but it is very important to have someone who has access to your flat in case something happens in the building.
BOOK SERVICES IN FOREIGN COUNTRY
It is always a question whether it is necessary to book services in a foreign country in advance or do it on the spot.
It actually depends on what kind of traveler you are, and what kind of trip this is. If you are heading for a one or two-week Costa Rica holiday, we strongly suggest you reserving accommodation and transport in advance.
Of course, you can always leave some room for improvisation.
If you travel long-term, for several months, it is not possible to book everything as plans change often on the road, and you should book only overly popular places where it would be hard to get without an early booking.
Make sure you are making a reservation for the right dates, that a hotel is in a convenient location, and when booking a transport, always consider possible delays.
Simply, your itinerary should not be too tight.
In case you are not sure whether you will be able to make it to your hotel on the day of your original reservation, it is always better to make refundable reservations.
PLAN YOUR ITINERARY
One of my favorite things to do before traveling abroad is creating an itinerary.
Planning a perfect itinerary is not an easy task, and it ofter requires time and a lot of research, but the result is usually worth the effort.
Search online, look at suggested itineraries in guidebooks - we prefer Lonely Planet guidebooks - read forums on the internet, and of course, make the final decision according to your interests.
If you prefer mountains, but everyone else spends days on the beach, it does not mean you must do the same.
If you are rather an adventure traveler, and you prefer being flexible, it is absolutely ok to travel on a vague itinerary. Traveling without a strict itinerary is much easier when you travel long-term.
It was different when we knew we had unlimited time in South America and Central America (we planned our time there almost day by day), or when we had only a week in Jordan, where we, on the other hand, followed a very carefully planned itinerary to see as much as possible in the limited amount of time.
If you really cannot stand planned schedules and travel itineraries, we recommend you plan at least your first and last day.
It is very helpful to know after arrival how to get from the airport, and where you are going to spend the night.
ARRANGE PET SITTER
If you have a pet, but you still want to travel, it is necessary to arrange a pet sitter. Pet sitting is a huge favor, and you should think it through well in advance, surely before you book your trip.
You can ask someone in your family, but in case no one is available, check out paid services that are increasingly popular. Of course, you can combine pet sitting with house sitting as well.
House sitting is a perfect option for people who are looking for someone to take care of their home and pets while away and for travelers seeking a place to stay for a while.
WATER YOUR PLANTS
If you have plants in your apartment, you must make sure that someone will take care of them.
In our flat, we have only plants that can live quite long without water, but had we had more demanding plants, it would have been much harder.
In case your flat looks like a green oasis, and you are going away for some time, it is necessary to find a plant sitter (in an optimal world it would have been the same person who has keys to your apartment) or move the plants to your friend's house while you are away.
REMOVE PERISHABLE FOOD FROM YOUR FRIDGE, THROW AWAY GARBAGE
We want you to have a pleasant holiday, but also smooth arrival back home.
Therefore, you should never forget to remove perishable food from your fridge and also throw away garbage just before you leave your home.
We believe you want to return to a nice and clean apartment, not to a smelly dump.
CHECK-IN FOR A FLIGHT ONLINE
These days it is quite typical to check-in for a flight online. Most of the flight companies allow this feature, often it is even compulsory.
The online system usually opens a few days before the flight, and it is one of those steps that will save you time at the airport later.
Check-in for a flight online is also one of the moments when you should realize that your departure is really getting nearer, and you should check if you have all the must-have things ready for the trip.
DOWNLOAD IMPORTANT TRAVEL APPS
Maps.me, Google Translate, weather forecast apps, or Google Maps, are only a few apps we cannot imagine our life without.
We really like offline apps when traveling, because the signal is often not available when we need it the most.
You will most likely figure out what apps you need on the go, but Uber or any local transport app is a must.
If you are planning on traveling to the Czech Republic, we can only recommend you IDOS app, that will help you to get around Prague by public transport.
LEARN LOCAL PHRASES
When we landed in Colombia, it did not take us long until we realized how a big mistake is that we do not know a single word in Spanish.
Since we gained this bitter experience, we never travel abroad without learning at least a few key phrases in the local language.
Download an online dictionary on your phone, and you can then learn the basics at the airport, or later on the road.
It is also an amazing and commendable way to kill time while waiting for transport in a foreign country.
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
