A Comprehensive Overseas Travel Checklist | Free Printable Travel Checklist

Do you get nervous before an international flight?

Do you have moments where you doubt whether you have ticked every box whilst trying to get organised for the holiday?

Being nervous and having anxiety is not fun!  Why not use our overseas travel checklist to help ease those doubts and worries!!  Please find a FREE printable travel checklist below!

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Travellers Checklist for “Before you go”

I think we all get some level of nerves before an impending overseas trip.  We all have a nervous moment where we wonder if we have organised everything we needed to.

Sometimes a little travellers checklist can help take away the anxiety that is associated with international trips!!

So please feel free to grab this checklist as a printable! –

Your Travel to do list for a Month or Two Before

 Make sure you have up to date photo identification –  Make sure your passport is valid for the entire duration of your trip!  Make sure to have more than one form of photo identification on you … just for in case!

 Find out whether a Visa is required for your trip

 Check with your doctor about recommended vaccinations for your destinations – It is important to get the vaccines sorted out way in advance to your trip (try to get it done 6-8 weeks pre-trip).  Book in a visit to the doctor to figure out which shots are recommended.  Do some research to see which pharmacies have them on offer for the cheapest!  We found that prices can differ by as much as $45 per shot!  If you need to carry special medicine with you, you might need to get a doctor’s letter explaining why you are taking them overseas!

 Make sure you have travel insurance – Travel insurance is vital if you want to protect yourself against financial risks attained while traveling. Don’t leave the country without travel insurance, always be prepared when you are in a foreign country.   For our Australian readers we can recommend CoverMore Insurance and for our readers from USA, we suggest you look into Allianz Travel Insurance.

 Start creating your holiday itinerary – Figure out where you want to go and what you want to see and do whilst on your holiday.

 Book accommodation – We love two sites for researching and booking hotels.   HotelsCombined is a brilliant site to start your research on!  It pulls up data from most booking platforms and gives you a comparison of prices!  Easy to pick the cheapest one and off you go!  If we know where we want to stay, we usually tend to book our hotels on Agoda.  They also allow you to link up your travel rewards cards so that you can earn some points!  They offer fabulous prices, they are easy to use and very reliable!

 Book your Tours – We love to book at least one tour on each international trip, simply because we learn so much about the country from the tour guide!  Viator is great for finding tours, they have an extensive range and are a trusted brand that we use and love!

 Organise car hire if needed – Once you have your itinerary sorted, figure out if you want to rely on public transport or if you want the flexibility and freedom of renting a car.

 Book your Airport Transfers – If you are not planning on renting a car, you might like to pre-organise and sort out your airport transfers.  The easiest way, but also the most expensive, is to simply organise it through your hotel.

 Register your travel and contact details with DFAT – Because it is better to be safe than sorry!  Ease of mind that in an emergency you can be located and your family can be sure you are safe.

–Your Travelling Overseas Checklist for the Week Before

 Let the airline know of any special requirements you have – You might have some questions if you are traveling whilst pregnant or if you are traveling with a bubba!  Also let them know of any special dietary requirements.

 Exchange some money – Depending on where you are going, currency might have to be ordered and will take a while to arrive, so get this sorted at the start of the week!  We love getting our money exchanged at the post office as they offer great rates and charge no exchange fees!

 Make copies of important travel information – Copy your passport, insurance policy, itinerary, traveller’s cheques, visa and credit card numbers. Carry one copy in a separate place to the originals and leave a copy at home with a friend or family member.

 Organise your Electronics – Start charging up your camera’s batteries and sort out any pieces of electronic equipment that you might like to take with you.

 Look up your country’s customs laws – If this is your first time travelling overseas, you might like to familiarize yourself with your country’s customs laws!  Australia customs laws are especially strict with what you can and can’t bring back with you.

 Pack your carry- on luggage – Make sure that your carry-on meets the size and weight requirements of the airline you are flying with!  We love to carry all our valuable and electronic items with us in our carry-on, so tend to opt for the carry-on suitcases on wheels as our choice of carry-on.

 Pack your checked luggage – Make sure that you have an allowance for checked luggage (the budget airlines offer checked luggage at an extra expense).  It is important to have quality luggage bags for your checked luggage as they get man-handled a bit!

We love using packing cubes when we pack, keeps things nice and organised!  Read about the top packing cubes for 2018 here!  Don’t forget to weight your bag and add a nametag!

After more tips on how to pack your suitcase? Here is a great guide containing 32+ packing tips.

Going Overseas Checklist for the Day of Departure

Make sure that you have your ticket, passport and insurance policy packed in your carry-on luggage

 Sort out your wallet or handbag!  Leave behind things you don’t need and only take the bank cards with you that you are planning on using.  Remember to have both local currency as well as international currency on you.

 Wear comfortable clothing and shoes – Make sure that you are comfortable in whatever clothing you choose to fly in!  I like to take a jumper and a pair of socks with me on the flights as I’m always either to hot or too cold on the planes!

Check the flight status! – Important as flights can be delayed by hours and it is better to relax at home than wait at the airport!

Check in online – Check if you can check in online with your airline.

 Check to see when you can check in – Make sure that you arrive with ample time to book into the airport for your flight!  Do check with the airline when they want you there, generally, it is 2-3 hours before an international flight.

Over to You:

• Did you pick up on anything important that I might have missed on our checklist for travelling overseas?  Please leave a comment and let us know!!