16 Things to Think About When Planning an International Trip
With travel seeming to open up again (fingers crossed!) it may be time to think about going on an international vacation with your family. Lisa is sharing the top things she considers and thinks about when preparing to visit international destinations. Tips on passports, money, shoes, cell phone use, safety, travel insurance, and more!
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Best Practices for Preparing for an International Trip
Know the passport rules for the countries you will be visiting. Many require that your passport expires at least 6 months after your vacation.
Make a copy of passports plus any credit cards you will be taking with you on the trip. If things are stolen, this will help you know phone numbers to call to cancel cards and you will have your passport information with you.
Bring a no fee credit card with you. Some credit cards charge international transaction fees on each charge made while abroad. The Chase Sapphire card does not charge any international transaction fees.
Have a plan for getting some local money. We like to stop in the airport upon our arrive and pull some money from an ATM. Using a debit card for this has always worked well for us.
Pack wisely. Do not bring anything that you would be devastated to loose.
Consider travel insurance. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don’t. Some offer health coverage which is a nice added benefit.
Think about signing up for Global Entry + TSA Pre-Check or Clear. I did a podcast episode all about Global Entry and TSA Pre-check sharing what it is and why you might need it. Our American Express credit card reimbursed all of the fees for this so it was really worth it for us.
Think ahead about what shoes you want to take with you. Do you need to purchase something? Do you have something that you can walk miles in without issues? Do you need to break in some shoes? Having the right shoes will really make your trip better.
Be sure that you have a travel adapter/converter to take along so that you can charge your electronic devices. This is the adapter we have and we have used it on multiple international trips and loved it.
Check with your cell phone carrier to see what coverage is offered. Our AT & T plan includes Canada and Mexico with no additional charge. Other countries cost $10 per day to use the phone as I normally would at home. It’s $5 more for a 2nd phone. The total charges for international use max out at $150 per billing cycle.
Print off your itinerary and any reservation information you have just in case your phone is dead and you can’t access the info right when you need it. If you have the papers, you have a back up plan.
Check ahead to see if you need a visa to enter the country. You don’t always need this but you should be aware if it is necessary. Just do a quick web search to see if your destination will require it.
Give a copy of your itinerary to a friend or family member who won’t be traveling with you. It’s good to let others know when and where you will be in case they need to reach you.
Something I love to do is at the weather for the destination we will be visiting to my phone a couple of weeks before the trip. It’s fun to track the weather plus that will help guide you to know what to pack.
Plan to have someone stop by each day to pick up your mail while you are away. If you don’t want to do that, then put a hold on your mail with USPS. It only takes a minute on their website.
Hopefully, we won’t need this one forever, but check out the COVID restrictions for entering the country you are visiting. You don’t want to be turned away!
If you are thinking about an international trip, that is so exciting! I hope this list helps you feel more organized and confident with your international trip planning.