The Designer Journeys Ultimate Pre-Travel Checklist

Got info overwhelm, so feeling like you’ll just wing it on your next international trip? Not worth it. Ditch the panic and regret and follow our comprehensive travel checklist to prep for your overseas trip like a pro.

Make sure you can leave

• Passport

No passport yet? Get one. Less than six months left on your ole passport before it expires? Start trotting to get it renewed.

• Visa

Don’t rely on your mates or travel review sites for info about whether you need a visa or not. Do your due diligence and check that country’s official consulate or embassy website. In some countries, such as South Africa, if you’re travelling as a single parent, you’ll need very specific documentation on you at all times. Pays to check. US and Canadian citizens should see the Mobile Passport app to breeze through US Customs and Border Protection, too.

• Flight tickets

How are you escaping? Plane’s probably the go. Our favourite comparison websites for well-priced flights are cheapoair, skyscanner and cheapflights. So ensure you’re registered with a frequent flier program to get more advantages. Take a print out of your flight details just in case something goes awry with your phone or being able to get online. Talking worst possible scenario, if your flight’s cancelled or delayed, AirHelp lets you see if compensation’s due.

Batch Your Key Info

OK, we’ve just said have a backup in case you can’t access your flight details online. But … we’re presuming they’ll be times when you’re on your trip that you can go online. So, this one’s important. Scan and store online key info such as your passport, visa, itinerary, receipts and warranties. Email it to yourself. If you’re planning to work on your trip, be able to access your online copy of your qualifications as well as your resume (though your LinkedIn profile functions as that anyway).

How Not to Ruin Your Holiday – Get Travel Insurance

There’s just too many unknowns here. You might be a great driver, only visit ‘safe’ countries and are risk-averse, but repeat after me: ‘I am mortal’. Yep, you have no idea what fate or other folks have in mind for you whether it’s intentional or accidental. Sure, your home country’s embassy or consular staff will help you if you’re in strife, but they won’t be covering your medical expenses. That bill’s for you.

Here’s how to go about getting covered:

• Ask around. Maybe you can get a good deal or discount by checking with any services you use or of which you’re a member – a union, organisation, car club even your workplace. A flick through the cards in your wallet will be a good prompt for who to ask.
• Visit comparison websites. For Australia check out finder.com.au, canstar.com.au, or this one.
• Check the fine print. Many policies won’t cover accidents from motorcycle riding, so ensure your cover will do just that – cover you for what you’ll be doing. It can be tricky extracting the policy doc from the insurance before you hand over your dollars, but persist. You need to know what you’re paying for.
• Save by getting your insurance in your home country rather than at your destination.
• Prevent nasty surprises – tell your bank you’re going away so they know not to cancel your credit card for unusual spending patterns.
• Keep your family and loved ones in the loop – send them your itinerary including accommo.
• Start a health kick – be your best self as a traveller. Get in top shape so you’re fit to handle what your trip will throw you. If altitude sickness is a possibility, get educated about it as it doesn’t discriminate between the fit and unfit. Speaking of which, here’s the BBC’s advice on doing a five-minute high intensity workout at home or this one (with pics to download and stuff into your suitcase) which claims you can burn 1,000 calories in an hour, or if you have more time, try this six-week, no-gym home workout plan. And, to stay fit on the road, here’s a video of 50 different exercises you can do anywhere or keep it simple with just four simple exercises or a specific ‘hotel room’ workout.

That Extra Insurance – Vaccinations

Your local doctor will be able to advise you about what shots you need to keep healthy. Asia and Latin America are up there on the list for must-have vaccinations. So, see the next section for more details about what you need to do

Get Savvy About What’s Happening at Your Destination

OK, you might get info overwhelm here, sorry. Your home country will have a comprehensive advisory website where you can key in your destination. Check it out now and sign up for updates on changes before you go. Search the countries on your itinerary and read categories such as entry and exit, safety and security, local travel, laws, health, natural disasters and sourcing help.

As for the official sites:

• Australia has Smartraveller
• The US has the Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs
• Canada’s Government of Canada site is your go-to one
• For UK travellers, visit the Foreign Travel Advice site
• Kiwis should check out SAFETRAVEL

You can do a deeper dive in these sites for profiles on your destination countries:

• Australian Department of Foreign Affairs
• CIA World Factbook
• This BBC site is worth visiting
• Get a grasp on inequality by country through the World Bank
• A little simpler is infoplease
• Or the usual suspect, TravelAdvisor for rich and multitudinous consumer reviews.

No doubt you’ll also be checking general travel sites about your destination and ensure you also research your route from your arrival point to your accommo. Sometimes GoogleMaps gets it wrong. Designer Journeys has a range of blogs on different trips.

Cash up

The era of traveller’s cheques has long gone, so explore and pick an option such as a travel credit card, ATM card and mix of local cash. A money belt you can hide under your clothing has stood the test of time or maybe a bumbag is more your style for these and other valuables.

What to Pack

Oh boy, there’s so much to say, so little space! Take the easy way out and download the PackPoint app. Key in your destination and travel dates for a curated suggested packing list. Or, if you like, we’ll list some prompts here for you:

• Essentials:

• • Pardon for asking, but are you on any medications? Bring those, plus your script and be aware that some countries prohibit certain meds crossing their border. That section above should set you straight. You might also want to take your favourite vitamins, headache and pain tablets as well as hangover boosters. Same deal, check those websites to ensure they’ll not get you into trouble.
  • Wallet, derh, yes and with the local cash to make a seamless journey to your initial accommo.
  • Tennis ball – bet you weren’t expecting that one.
  • Toiletries – helping keep you schmick. Remember the 100ml bottle limit for liquids you carry on board your flight. A micro-fibre towel is handy. You’ll also need toothbrush/paste/floss, soap, shampoo/conditioner, moisturiser, lip balm, comb/brush, shaver and deodorant.
  • Clothing –plain colours to mix ‘n match, natural fibres (less likely to get ‘woofy’ if you can’t wash clothing often) and underwear.
  • Shoes – wear your heaviest while flying, have a casual comfy pair, too, and take thongs for warm-weather cruising and to keep your tootsies free of Athlete’s foot.
  • Gadgets – adaptors are something you don’t want to buy at airports as they hike the price there. Noise-cancelling headphones and an eye mask will keep you in the right zone in flight or when you need some shut eye. A tablet and camera are handy, unless your smartphone can do those jobs well enough for you.
  • Keep hydrated with a reusable water bottle – it will need to be empty when you pass through the X-ray machine at airports, though.
  • Just in case, pack:

• • • an umbrella
    • light-weight rain coat
    • mini sewing kit
    • safety pin
    • ziplock bags,
    • toe-nail clippers (good for finger nails, too)
    • tweezers
    • spare eye glasses (and your script)
    • first aid kit
    • insect repellent
    • swim gear
    • journal
    • pens, and
    • maps.

If you can’t source the stuff you need from your network and you need to buy it, look up cash-back sites, such as this one for UK residents, so you actually earn cash while shopping online.

Luggage Lowdown

Weight and size matter when checking your luggage into the airport, so find out from the airlines you’re using their restrictions. Max carry-on baggage is usually 8kg to 10kg for most airlines while checked-in luggage can weigh between 23kg and 30kg. It varies, so zero in on the permitted dimensions and weight. Some don’t make sense like Croatia Airlines. It allows women to take a handbag and another piece of carry-on baggage, but men can have a laptop bag as well as the carry-on bag. As well, some airlines will charge you extra for carrying checked-in baggage. Work around that by making it perhaps up to just a tad bigger than the normal carry-on luggage and offer to carry it onto the tarmac and load it onto a trolley just outside the plane. A substantial saving, but not all airlines allow this. Sound all too complicated? Take a note out of this traveller’s book – she travels the world with only carry-on luggage.

Keep up to date with what you can carry on board, too. The US Transportation Security Administration has issues with laptops and, at one point, even books. And make sure you figure out how your airline wants you to check in – some need you to do so online plus present your ticket print out or app with the details to staff. For example, Ryan Air charge you a motza to check in at the airport.

Book Accommo Beforehand

Ok, one 20-year-old female took the advice of the Belgrade (Serbia) tourism office and headed to a ship moored on the Danube for her holiday accommo. After paying and handing in her passport, she soon realised it was floating brothel. Outta there. She got her passport back, but not her money. Don’t rely on impulse – plan ahead for the right-fit digs for you. Check out the options below as accommodation is all about the ‘experience’ of travelling.

Don’t Just See – Experience!

You’ve probably got a list of landmarks you want to see – that’s fine, you can take care of that. But how are you planning for cultural immersion with the locals or meeting other travellers? Most people at backpacker hostels these days stare at their mobile phones and the silence can be deafening – so unlike the ‘80s and ‘90s, sigh.

But there is another way. Once you arrive at your destination, you can find a local or travel buddy nearby though Facebook travel groups or social network apps such as Travello, Couchsurfing (stay with locals ‘n meet travellers), FlipTheTrip,  Showaround (for free or a small fee per hour), Travel Pal, Nearify (for events) and Meetup. You can also swap skills for accommo through Worldpackers, Willing Workers on Organic Farms (WWOOF), or stay in local homes through AirBnB and the like.

CNN has a list of 15 best travel apps for your next trip, too including apps for weather, locating toilets and off-the-beaten-track tours. If you don’t have time to learn the local lingo, Google Translate app will hand you a more seamless way to communicate with locals who don’t speak your language. Good to know that there are 59 lingos that work offline, too.

Keep Yourself Nice

Expat career coach Lisa La Valle-Finan writes a nifty blog ‘101.culture.hacks’, such as this one which nudges you about affection, personal space and body language when travelling. As she says, in some Muslim countries, physical contact in public is ‘no go’ whereas in Mexico, well, it’s not uncommon to see folks dry humping.

Have you sorted your home?

Tick these off before you leave:

• Take perishables out of your fridge
• Sort out who’s looking after your pets
• Turn off water
• Suspend home services you won’t use such as local mobile phone plan, mail and other deliveries (time to put the ‘no junk mail’ sign on your letter box) or ask a neighbour to collect them
• Ensure your bills will be autopaid while you’re away
• Lock away your valuables AND your garage
• Ditch your spare key you might be leaving under a potplant
• Consider leaving a light on in your home or setting up auto timers
• Unplug electronics (a TV on standby can spontaneously combust)
• Health check up – dentist / doctor visit and perhaps haircut time?