International Travel Checklist: What to Do Before You Go, Week by Week

Before an international trip, the essentials are: check your passport is valid for long enough (many countries want six months beyond your stay), apply for any visa or electronic travel authorization, buy travel insurance, sort out cards and phone data, and pack copies of your documents and the right plug adapter. The order matters, because some of these take weeks. The timeline below puts each task where it belongs.

Entry rules change often. For anything involving passports, visas or customs, the official government website of the country you are visiting is the only source to trust.

2–3 months before: passport, visas and the big bookings

These are the tasks with long lead times. Miss them and the trip may not happen.

Check your passport's validity

Look at the expiry date now, not the night before. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond the date you plan to leave that country. Others ask for three months, and some only for the length of your stay. Airlines can refuse to board you if your passport does not meet the destination's rules, even if you think the border would let you in.

Also check for:

• Blank pages. Some countries require one or two empty pages for stamps or visas.
• Damage. A torn page, water damage or a loose cover can make a passport invalid.
• Name match. The name on your ticket must match your passport exactly.

If you need a new passport, apply immediately. Standard processing can take weeks, and expedited services cost more and are not always available.

Find out whether you need a visa or travel authorization

Visa rules depend on your nationality, your destination, the purpose of the trip and how long you stay. Even countries you can visit "visa-free" increasingly require an electronic travel authorization applied for online before departure. Two examples:

• The US ESTA for travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries.
• The UK ETA for many visitors who do not need a full visa.

The European Union is also planning ETIAS, an electronic authorization for visa-exempt visitors to many European countries. Check the official EU site for whether it applies by the time you travel.

Apply only through the official government website. Many look-alike sites charge extra fees for the same form. And check every country on your route, including those you only transit through.

Check the other entry requirements

A valid passport and visa are not always enough. Depending on the country, border officers may ask for:

• Proof of onward or return travel, such as a booked flight out. Airlines sometimes check this at check-in for one-way tickets.
• Proof of accommodation for at least your first night.
• Proof of sufficient funds, such as a recent bank statement or credit card.
• A consent letter for children traveling with only one parent or with another adult. Many countries recommend or require one, sometimes signed in front of a notary.

These rules are less widely known than visas, and they catch out experienced travelers. The destination's official entry page usually lists them together.

Health and vaccinations

Some destinations require proof of certain vaccinations for entry, and others recommend them. Book a travel health appointment six to eight weeks before departure, since some vaccines need multiple doses or time to take effect. If you take regular medication, ask your doctor for enough to cover the trip plus a few spare days.

Book what sells out

Flights, the first night's accommodation and anything time-limited like rail passes, popular tours or permits for national parks.

1 month before: insurance, money and phone

Buy travel insurance

Buy it soon after booking if you want cancellation cover, and at the latest a month out. Read what the policy actually covers rather than its headline:

• Emergency medical treatment and medical evacuation (the expensive part abroad).
• Trip cancellation and interruption.
• Lost, stolen or delayed baggage.
• Activities you plan to do, such as diving, skiing or scooter rental, which are often excluded unless added.
• Pre-existing conditions, which usually must be declared.

Some destinations require proof of health insurance for entry. Check your destination's rules.

Sort out cards and cash

Card fees on foreign spending add up quickly. Before you go:

• Check whether your cards charge foreign transaction fees, and consider one that does not
• Check ATM withdrawal fees for using your debit card abroad
• Tell your bank you are traveling if it still asks for notice (many now detect travel automatically)
• Bring at least two cards from different networks, stored separately
• Save your bank's international phone number, not the toll-free one
• Turn on card notifications in your banking app

When a card machine abroad asks whether to pay in your home currency or the local currency, choose local currency. Paying in your home currency (dynamic currency conversion) usually comes with a worse exchange rate set by the merchant.

Plan your phone data

You have three main options:

Install a travel eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, but set it to activate when you land. Most plans start counting days from first connection in the destination, not from installation. Keep your home SIM on for texts if you need bank verification codes, with data roaming turned off.

Make your own international travel packing list →

1 week before: documents, adapters and medication

Make copies of your documents

If something is lost or stolen, copies make replacing it much faster.

• Photo of your passport data page, saved offline on your phone
• Same file in a secure cloud folder or email to yourself
• One paper copy kept separately from your passport
• Copies of visas, travel authorization approvals and insurance policy
• Driver's license, plus an International Driving Permit if you will drive and your destination requires one
• Two spare passport photos, useful for emergency documents
• Emergency contacts and your country's embassy address in the destination

Check plugs and voltage

Plug shapes vary around the world, and some countries use more than one. Look up the plug type for each country on your route and pack the adapters you need, or one universal adapter with USB ports. Most phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage (look for "100–240V" on the label) and only need a plug adapter. Hair dryers, straighteners and some appliances may be single-voltage and need a converter, or are better left at home.

Check medication rules

Some medications that are common at home are restricted or banned elsewhere, including certain strong painkillers, ADHD medication and some sleeping pills. Countries may require a doctor's letter, a permit applied for in advance, or limit the quantity you can bring.

• Check the destination's official health or customs guidance for each medication you carry.
• Keep medication in its original labeled packaging.
• Carry a copy of your prescription, ideally with the generic drug name.
• Pack it all in your carry-on, never in checked luggage.

Other tasks for the week before

• Download offline maps for your destination
• Download a translation app with the offline language pack
• Register with your government's traveler enrollment service if it has one
• Share your itinerary with someone at home
• Check your destination's customs allowances for food, cash and gifts
• Arrange pet care, mail hold and bill payments

The day before: final checks

• Check in online and save boarding passes to your phone
• Confirm your flight time and terminal
• Re-check your airline's baggage allowance for every leg
• Pack liquids to carry-on limits
• Charge phone, power bank, headphones and any other devices
• Put passport, cards and some cash in one secure spot
• Plan the journey to the airport with a buffer for traffic
• Set your phone to receive notifications from your airline app

If you are flying with only hand luggage, our guide to packing carry-on only explains the liquid rules and how to fit a week into one bag.

At the airport

1. Arrive early. International check-in and bag-drop desks often close well before departure.
2. Keep your passport in hand through check-in, security and passport control, then put it straight back in the same pocket every time.
3. Fill your water bottle after security.
4. Check your gate on the screens, not just the boarding pass. Gates change.
5. Fill in any arrival forms on board or online if your destination uses them, and keep the address of your first night's stay handy.

What to pack in your international travel carry-on

Everything you could not easily replace goes with you, not in the hold:

• Passport, visa documents and printed copies
• Wallet with two cards and some cash
• Phone, charger, power bank and adapter
• All medication with prescriptions
• Glasses or contact lenses
• Travel insurance details
• A change of clothes and basic toiletries
• Pen for arrival forms

For the full list of clothes and gear, our international travel packing list covers it, and the packing list generator builds one around your destination's weather and trip length. If your trip includes a sailing, the cruise packing guide covers the cabin extras.