Are you travelling abroad this year but not sure how to plan your trip? Fret not! We have got you covered with a plan and a list of essential things to pack for travelling abroad.
International travel, whether for work or leisure, requires you to plan ahead. This includes arranging your documents, making your booking and buying travel insurance, among other things.
Let’s set off on the journey to update your packing list for overseas travel.
A Complete International Trip Checklist
● Mandatory Documents
Check your travel documents well in advance before the trip.
Travel documents are your government IDs provided to you to certify and validate your travel as safe. Since these documents deem you eligible for international travel and are essential in your packing list for overseas travel, you must verify their status beforehand to avoid any hassle during travel.
- Verify the validity of your passport, i.e., renew it if it has expired.
- Apply for a valid visa for the concerned country under the correct category.
- Ensure that your government IDs are valid by renewing or applying for new ones.
You need to apply for a visa well in advance for it to arrive on time. Many tourists face visa rejections due to various reasons. Starting early on gives you a buffer time in case your visa gets rejected. Renewing your passport also takes a round or two at your passport office. The same applies to government IDs.
● Travel Insurance
Buy a travel policy well before your trip; it is paramount. International travel insurance offers financial protection and relief by extending support in case of multiple emergencies at the time of travel. Travel insurance coverage signifies the scope of the policy’s financial provisions.
Your travel policy offers the following benefits and coverage: delayed travel baggage insurance, lost baggage insurance, flight delay, medical emergency, medical evacuation, delayed flights, cancelled flights, trip cancellation, trip disturbances, accidental death, injuries, personal liabilities and other unforeseen events. Before purchasing a policy, do not forget to compare travel insurance plans from leading insurers like Tata AIG.
● International Money
Take care of your international money needs. Make arrangements for the currency type you will need in the country you are travelling to. Convert the required amount of plastic or paper money into the international currency two months before your trip. For example, if you travel from India to the UK, you must convert the Indian Rupee (₹) to Pound Sterlings (£).
● Book Flights
You must book your flights as soon as possible, but at least 3-4 months before your trip. There are two major reasons to initiate your flight booking beforehand.
The first reason is that you can get massive discounts on flight booking if you do it earlier. This is a really useful travel hack that you can use for domestic flights as well.
The second reason is that if you start early, you can choose your preferred flights and seats.
● Health Checkup
Visit your family doctor a few weeks before your international travel. The purpose of your visit, be it tourism, work or family visit, does not take away the fact that your health has to be its best to endure all the travel.
You fly for long hours, sit in one place for long, walk a lot, face a lot of inconveniences and enter a different weather condition. You might also need health reports for verification or compliance purposes.
● Book Your Stay
Booking your hotel way before time increases the chance of booking cancellation. On the other hand, booking a hotel at the last minute can be a hassle with issues like unavailability or “not up to your liking”. So, book your hotel rooms 3-4 weeks in advance.
● Emergency Contacts
Keep all the emergency contact numbers handy, both physically and digitally. These numbers include family contacts, embassy numbers, the concerned country’s ambulance and police and more.
● Pack Your Bag
Start making an international trip checklist six months before the trip starts. Keep adding and deducting things from the list as days pass by. Here is the list:
- Weather-friendly clothes and shoes
- Travel documents
- Plastic money
- International currency
- Country-compatible chargers
- Power banks
- Wi-Fi hotspots
- International SIM card
- Luggage locks
- Handbag or backpack
- Sanitary napkins
- Toiletries
- Medications
- Entertainment material (headphones, books and iPods)
Ending Note
Create a comprehensive list of essential things to pack for travelling abroad when you plan your international trip. You can also use this blog post as your international trip checklist, which you can rely on while planning.
