As someone who travels Internationally quite a bit, I’ve had a lot of practice preparing for international travel.  There are certain things you need to think about more for International travel over domestic and often it can end up being a lot more work.  But if you’re organized and know what you need to do – the work becomes fun in anticipation for your big trip.  So here’s how to prepare for an International trip and actually be excited about it!

Get currency from your local bank.

We try to pay with almost everything with cash when we travel for a number of reasons.  First, a lot of places around the world still only take cash or prefer it.  Second, it’s easier to manage our costs while traveling if you know exactly how much your spending.  Third, it’s super nice not to come home to a big credit card bill when the trip is done!  So before we leave for an international trip, I get currency for whatever place we’re going from my local bank at home.  That way when you land, you can hit the ground running and not having to change a bunch of money at the destination.  Also – you’ll save lots in currency changing fees by using your local bank.

Do this 1-2 weeks before leaving.

Set up cell phone data plans.

We stay pretty connected while traveling so we usually set up International data plans on our cell phones for our trips.  We both still answer emails and such while gone, so it’s important we have easy access when don’t have wifi.  We have ATT so we do this all online and set up each phone for whatever data plan we need.

Do this 3-4 days before leaving.

Call credit cards for travel locations.

Something that can really mess you up when you get to your location is if your credit cards don’t work!  Credit card companies (depending which you have) will often think charges abroad are fraudulent unless you let them know where you’ll be prior to your trip.  I call the 3-4 major credit cards I travel with before leaving to let them know which countries we’ll be in so that when we land, we’re good to go!

Do this 3-4 days before leaving.

Get out your Passports and confirm all visa requirements.

You can’t travel internationally without your passport and all necessary visas.  Be sure your passport is valid for at least six months from your travel date as some countries require that.  Also be sure you have any visas necessary for your country of destination.  Depending on where you’re going, you might need a visa or you might not, and some are available on arrival and some aren’t.  So do the research and confirm what you need.

Bring specific items for your destination.

Certain destinations require certain items specific to the location.  When we went to Machu Picchu, I had to bring certain items like toilet paper and heavy duty bug spray verses when we went to India I brought Pepto-Bismal tablets and lots of sunblock.  Each location will have specific items you’ll need to get through your trip so do your research and know what to bring.

Pack all of these 2-3 days before leaving.