There’s a lot to think about when preparing to go overseas. So how is it some people seem to do it so easily? We all have that friend, you know the one, who seems to breeze through the whole process, never missing the tiniest detail. Hiking in the jungle around Chang Mai? She’s the one with the insect repellent. Trying to sleep in a noisy dorm room in Prague and forgotten your earplugs? He’s got a spare pair. They even remember to have someone feed their goldfish when they’re out of town for the weekend.
Ever wonder how they do it? Well, here’s your answer. We’ve got you covered with the Glide four-step plan. Just follow the steps below and you’ll have everything you need, right when you need it. And your goldfish will live a long and happy life.
Checklist for International Travel – Four-step plan:
Step 1 – More than two months out: choose your adventure and lock it in
Step 2 – Two months to go: travel medicine consult and visas
Step 3 – Two weeks out: shopping and the smart stuff
Step 4 – The night before: your packing checklist
Traveller’s Checklist – Step 1
More than two months out: choose your adventure and lock it in
Maybe you’ve always wanted to see the northern lights in Greenland or ride a horse across Mongolia – or maybe you’ve got six weeks and you’re wondering how to fill them. This is the time to dream big, cast the net wide, and settle on the adventure.
Destination countries
The number one tip here is do your research. Talk to people who’ve been there, skim travel guides in a book shop, or get online and check it all out. This early stage is the best time to check the safety and security of the place you are contemplating. That way it’s easier to adjust plans before you’re invested in, say, hitch-hiking through a crime hotspot in Papua New Guinea. The Australian Government website, Smart Traveller, issues up to date travel advisories and is a good place to start.
It’s also wise to know about the health risks in different places. Find out early if the country you’re contemplating has malaria. Is it falciparum malaria, the most dangerous kind? Factor into your decision making the higher risk to your health and the need to take anti-malarial tablets. If you are pregnant, this puts you at even higher risk, so it’s advisable to choose a destination without malaria for your holidays. You can also check out our destination pages for more information on the other health risks in the common overseas holiday destinations.
Itinerary
Once you’ve settled on a country or three, plan your itinerary. Will you be travelling overland? Trains, planes or buses? Or have you chosen a group tour where all this is decided for you? Travel guides like Lonely Planet or Bradt provide some excellent suggested itineraries based on the length of your stay. Once you know exactly where you’ll be flying in and out, consider booking your flights there and then. Airfares often rise progressively from about five months out.
Accommodation and transport
This is also the time to choose your accommodation and ground transport and lock it in. Famous train journeys, like the Glacier Express in Switzerland, book out months in advance. Music concerts and sports events, likewise. Tickets to the baseball at Fenway Park or Glastonbury Music Festival could end up being the best thing you take with you, so get in early.
Passport
If you haven’t travelled for a while, check your passport expiry well ahead of your trip. Some countries will require you to have at least six months left before the expiry date in order to enter. If you are going to multiple countries, check that you have enough pages left in your passport for the stamps. You’ll need to allow a minimum of six weeks for a new passport to be issued and you may then require several weeks for your visas to come through, depending on where you’re going.
Traveller’s Checklist – Step 2
Two months to go: travel medicine consult and visas
Travel Medicine Consultation
The best time to book your travel medicine consultation is six to eight weeks before you travel. Your body needs around two weeks to develop protective immunity after immunisations, and some vaccines have to be administered in multiple doses a few weeks apart. The first two doses of hepatitis B vaccine, for example, are given four weeks apart. Even if your destination is a developed country like New Zealand or the US, your pre-travel consult is a chance to ensure all your routine immunisations, like tetanus, are up to date.
If you will be taking anti-malarial tablets while you’re away, these are generally started before you leave. That way you can switch medications if you find the tablets difficult to tolerate for any reason.
Your travel medicine consult will also allow you to arrange sufficient supplies of any prescription medications you might need while you’re away. It is also a good idea to ask your travel doctor for a letter outlining these for the customs officers at your destination, as this can be a requirement.
Pharmacy Visit
When you visit the pharmacy for your vaccinations and to pick up medications, it’s a great opportunity to grab your other travel essentials. Exactly what’s recommended depends on your destination. Traveller’s to Bali for instance may want to take with them standby treatment for Bali belly, like oral rehydration salts and anti-diarrhoeal medication. Face-masks to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are another item to consider. Medical-grade insect repellent is recommended for most tropical destinations and hand sanitiser and paracetamol are a good idea, no matter where you’re going.
Visas
Two months out is a good time to arrange visas for the places you’ll be visiting. While the process for most countries takes only a few weeks, if you are going to several, you may need to obtain some visas sequentially.
International driver’s licence
For licenced drivers in some states of Australia, an international driver’s licence can be obtained in as little as five to seven days. Getting in early, though, gives you some breathing room in case of delays.
Book restaurants
Whether you’re a fully-fledged foodie or just someone who wants to experience the best of the local cuisine, making a few early restaurant bookings is recommended. Most will take reservations two months or more in advance. Although if you’re looking at Den in Tokyo, don’t leave it much longer than this.
Traveller’s Checklist – Step 3
Two weeks out: shopping and the smart stuff
Get shopping
It’s getting exciting now. Only two weeks to go. Now is the time to hit the shops or head online for those all essential travel items. Things to consider here include: some new clothes for the season at your destination, a power-point adaptor, a travel pillow, an eye mask, ear plugs, thermals, sunscreen, travel-sized toiletries and maybe an umbrella. If you’re camping and hiking in Patagonia this is the time to get that fancy new tent. Skiing in St Moritz? Treat yourself.
Think about how you’ll be accessing your music. Noise-cancelling headphones are great for long plane flights and a Bluetooth speaker gives you access to your favourite music wherever you are. Think also about luggage. Are you backpacking or taking suitcases? What about a carry-on bag? Consider how you’re going to lock your luggage and whether you need a money belt.
If you’re out and about, get some cash for your destination. You often get a slightly better exchange rate if you do this before you hit the airport.
The smart stuff
Okay. Now we get to the part that takes you over the top. This is the bit that makes you that friend, the one everyone talks about, the one with the living goldfish.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a must. Make sure it has medical evacuation cover. Check that it covers any other risky things you might do. Be aware that many policies in Australia will not cover you for accidents on motorbikes, so if this is on your to-do list make sure you have the right insurance.
Travel documents
Keep the details of your insurance some where easy to find. Keep with it copies of your passport and visas, international driver’s licence, itinerary, tickets for transport and events, bookings for accommodation and restaurants, immunisation certificates (some countries will require a certificate of yellow fever vaccination), and your customs letter covering regular medications.
Money
Make a daily budget for the trip to keep your finances on track. Prepay any bills that are expected while you’ll be away. Tell your bank where you’re going so that your credit cards work when you get there.
Communication
Research the option of a local SIM card at your destination versus international roaming. Consider downloading a translator App for your smart phone or learning a few words of the local language on Duolingo or a similar App. Stay across the news in the countries you’ll be visiting and consider registering your travel at smartraveller.com.au.
Things at home
Share your itinerary with friends or family. Put a pause on any deliveries and ask the neighbours to bring in your mail. Nothing says, ‘rob me’ quite like an overflowing mailbox.
Get someone to feed your fish.
Traveller’s Checklist – Step 4
The night before: your packing checklist
Packing Checklist
The things to consider here are: hats, sunglasses, reading glasses, scarves, tops, jackets, pants, shorts, dresses, skirts, belts, shoes, socks, underwear, watches, jewelry and other accessories. Clothes for extremes of hot and cold. Swimmers and a towel. Pyjamas.
Also, toiletries, medications, sunscreen, insect repellent, ear plugs, face masks, condoms, electrical chargers, headphones, Bluetooth speaker, a book to read, travel documents (see above for the full list). An umbrella.
You’re basically there now. Just remember to turn off the lights and appliances.
Lock the door.
And you’re away.
There’s nothing like a good checklist to clear your mind of all those tiny distracting details. Now you’ve made it to the bottom of this one, congratulations. You can set off with a well packed suitcase and an empty to-do list.
You’re free to relax and meander, the way travel is meant to be. Free to wander and free to wonder.
Bon voyage.
This blog post was written by the team at Glide Online Travel Clinic