Travel documents

The list adapts to you

When you add it, the checklist asks a couple of questions and keeps only the items that fit your situation.

• Traveling with kids? NoYes

What's inside

1. Check your passport validity

   Many countries require at least 6 months of validity from your departure date, not arrival — a common mix-up. Check the exact rule for your destination; renewing a passport takes weeks.

2. Check visa, e-visa or ETA requirements

   Requirements depend on your passport and change more often than you'd think. Check an official source — the embassy or consulate site — before booking flights, not a forum thread.

3. Buy insurance and keep the policy handy

   Keep a PDF on your phone and a printed copy in your bag — border agents sometimes ask for paper, not a link. Make sure the coverage actually matches what you'll be doing.

4. Check vaccination certificate requirements

   Some countries require a vaccination certificate (yellow fever, for example) for entry or transit. Confirm on the embassy site ahead of time — the airport is too late to fix it.

5. Save your round-trip tickets

   Border control often asks for a return ticket as proof you're not overstaying. Keep the booking accessible offline.

6. Save your accommodation bookings

   You may need the address of your first night for border control or an arrival card. Save the confirmation offline — airport wifi isn't guaranteed.

7. Bring your license and an international permit

   Many rental agencies want your national license and an International Driving Permit together — either alone can get you refused. Get the IDP before you leave; it's not something you arrange abroad.

8. Make copies of every document

   Photograph your passport, visa, insurance and bookings and save them to the cloud. Keep paper copies separate from the originals — if a bag goes missing, the copies won't disappear with it.

9. Bring 2 spare passport photos

   If your passport is lost, the consulate needs a photo for the emergency document — having your own saves a day of hunting for a photo studio in an unfamiliar city.

10. Split your cash between two places

    Some in your wallet, some stashed elsewhere — a different bag or with a travel companion. If the wallet gets stolen, the trip doesn't end on day one.

11. Check the cash declaration threshold

    Crossing a border with cash above a set limit (often the equivalent of $10,000) usually requires a customs declaration. If you're carrying more, check both countries' rules ahead of time.

12. Bring two cards on different payment networks

    One card can fail to work in a given country or store. A second one — different bank, different network — is your backup.

13. Notify your bank about the trip

    Banks often freeze a card on its first foreign transaction, flagging it as fraud. Tell your bank the dates and country in advance, and save the support number somewhere other than your wallet.

14. Save your country's consulate contacts

    The address and phone number of your country's consulate at your destination — for a lost passport or an emergency. Save it before you go, not while you're panicking on the ground.

15. Write emergency contacts on paper

    Phones die, get lost or break. A slip of paper with key numbers (family, insurer, consulate) in your wallet or bag is a simple backup for that.

16. Get your child their own passport Yes

    Your child needs their own passport — they can't travel on a parent's. Getting one takes time, so start early.

17. Bring your child's birth certificate Yes

    Especially important if your surname differs from your child's — border officers and airlines may ask you to prove the relationship.

18. Check if you need the other parent's consent Yes

    If the child travels with one parent, some countries and airlines require notarized consent from the other. Check the rules for your specific destination and carrier ahead of time.

19. Buy your child insurance Yes

    A separate policy or a line in your own — check the pediatric and dental limits, since kids rack up more fevers and scrapes.