Planning
The pre-trip list: documents, phone, money and health
Four blocks, twenty minutes, and the trip stops holding surprises. The list in the order you have to do it, not the order you remember it.
Claudia Ferrán 7 min Photo by Gaurav Jain on Unsplash Almost every travel list is sorted by category, and that's exactly why they fail: you read one in March, tick off the easy things and leave the ones with deadlines until last. This one is sorted by when each thing has to be done.
Weeks ahead: what can't be rushed
- Check your passport's validity. Many countries require it to expire well after you get back, not on the same day.
- See whether the destination wants a visa or an electronic authorisation, and apply on the country's official site.
- Look up the vaccinations recommended or required for that destination, some of which need several doses.
- If your phone is locked to a carrier, request the unlock: it isn't instant.
These four are the ones that wreck a trip if left until the end, because none of them depends on you: they depend on an administrative deadline.
The week before: money and health
- Tell your bank the dates and the destination, or check in the app that your cards work abroad.
- Carry two payment methods from different issuers, and keep them in different places.
- Check what your travel insurance covers and have the assistance number written down.
- If you take medication, carry it in your hand luggage with the prescription or a doctor's letter.
The night before: the phone
This is the block that gets improvised most and the one you're most grateful to have done, because everything in it needs wifi and a calm moment.
- Download the maps of the cities and the route.
- Download the language in your translator if the destination uses another alphabet.
- Set photo backups and updates to wifi only.
- Turn off data roaming on your own line if you're going outside your tariff's roaming zone, and leave it on for calls and texts.
- Settle how you're going to have data, whether that's an add-on from your carrier or a plan for the destination.
If time is tight and you've checked nothing, the last-minute options are in you fly tomorrow and haven't thought about internet.
Anything with an administrative deadline goes first. Whatever depends on you can wait for the night before.
On the day: the copies
Email yourself a scan of your passport, the tickets, the bookings and the insurance policy. And write down on paper the number of your accommodation, the insurer's and the consulate's.
It sounds old-fashioned and it's the only thing that works when the phone disappears, which is exactly the moment you need them.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do first when preparing a trip?
Whatever has an administrative deadline: check your passport, apply for visas or electronic authorisations, look at vaccinations and unlock your phone if it's locked.
How much notice does an entry permit need?
It depends on the country. Many approvals are quick, but the ones that get complicated can take days, so apply as soon as you have the flights.
Which documents should be duplicated?
Passport, tickets, bookings and insurance. In your email and downloaded to your phone, with the important numbers on paper too.
What do I leave for the night before?
The phone: maps and languages downloaded, backups on wifi only, data roaming off if you're going outside your roaming zone, and connectivity sorted.
