The Pre-Trip Checklist
A 60-day countdown for your first trip abroad: passport and visas, flights, money, phone data, and what to do the day before you leave.
Your first international trip goes wrong in predictable places: a passport that expires too soon, a visa nobody applied for, a bank card that gets blocked on day one. This checklist works backward from your departure date so each job gets done while there's still time to fix it. It isn't a packing list. It's the order to do things in.
Sixty days out: documents.
- Check your passport's expiry date, and confirm whether your destination requires it to be valid for six months beyond your travel dates.
- Download the official entry requirements for each country you'll enter, and apply for any visa you need.
- Heading to the Schengen area, which covers most of Europe? Short stays there are capped at 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and stay valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
- Border officers in the EU can ask for proof of where you're staying and a return or round-trip ticket. Keep both where you can show them.
- ETIAS, the EU's planned travel authorisation, is not in operation yet and no applications are being collected. A site asking you to pay for one now is not the real thing.
- Going to the UK? Visitors from the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and some other countries usually need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) rather than a visa. It costs £20 on GOV.UK, other websites may charge more, and every traveller needs one, babies and children included.
- Scan your passport and email it to yourself. Save a second copy somewhere you can reach offline.
Six weeks out: health and cover.
- Look up your destination on the CDC's Travelers' Health pages, then book a doctor or travel clinic visit four to six weeks before you leave. Some vaccines need more than one dose, so earlier is better.
- If your destination requires yellow fever vaccination, only authorised clinics give it, and the proof isn't valid until 10 days after the shot.
- Some medicines that are prescribed or sold over the counter in the US are illegal in other countries. Check with your destination's embassy or consulate before you pack yours.
- Find out what your health insurance pays abroad. Medicare usually doesn't cover care outside the US, and travel insurance doesn't necessarily include health cover, so read the policy before you buy it.
- US citizens can enroll in the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to get security updates from the nearest US embassy.
Forty-five days out: flights.
- Look at your route's fare history and set price alerts. Google Flights labels today's price low, typical or high against the past 12 months for similar flights, and emails you when a tracked price changes substantially.
- Book when the fare reaches a reasonable range for the route. If you book one week or more before departure with an airline flying to, from or within the US, US rules require it to either hold the reservation at the quoted fare without payment or let you cancel without penalty for at least 24 hours after booking.
- Reserve seats now if the airline charges more later.
- Confirm the baggage policy for your fare before you decide what to pack.
Thirty days out: money and where you'll sleep.
- Open a no-fee debit card if you need one.
- Notify your bank that you'll be travelling.
- Plan how you'll get cash from ATMs, and look up tipping norms for your destination.
- Leaving or entering the US with more than $10,000 in cash or monetary instruments means filing FinCEN Form 105 with US Customs and Border Protection. For a family or group, the limit counts everything you carry together, not each person.
- Reserve accommodation that can still be changed if your route shifts.
Two weeks out: phone and arrival.
- Buy an eSIM and test it before you leave.
- Keep your home number reachable so bank codes still reach you.
- Download offline maps and install the local transit app.
- Share your full itinerary with one person at home.
- Save the numbers for reaching a US embassy or consulate: 1-888-407-4747 from the US or Canada, or +1-202-501-4444 from other countries.
The day before.
- Pack the essentials, with medicines in your carry-on in case your checked bag goes missing.
- Put carry-on liquids, gels, creams and aerosols in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, all in one quart-sized bag. Anything bigger goes in checked baggage. Medicines and infant or child food are exempt.
- Spare lithium batteries and power banks travel in your carry-on only. If your bag gets checked at the gate, take them out and keep them with you. Some airlines limit how many power banks you can bring, so check yours.
- Pack a copy of your official immunization records.
- Check in online and screenshot your boarding pass.
- Confirm your hotel's address and your airport transfer.
- Charge everything and set two alarms.
Questions people ask.
- Why start sixty days out?
- Documents, visas, vaccines, bank cards and fare windows can all punish late action. Starting early leaves time to fix a problem.
- Does this replace a packing list?
- No. It's the logistics countdown. Packing is one item on the last day.
- What if I'm leaving sooner than sixty days?
- Do the document checks first, today, then work through the rest in order. If you're short on time, the CDC says a last-minute doctor's visit can still help.