One Month or more Prior

Get excited!

• Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months past your return date and has enough pages available to stamp. A majority of countries require it, and you might get stuck somewhere or not be allowed to board your plane if this isn’t followed!
• Check the requirements of the country you’ll be heading to (link is for US passport holders) as some require an International Driving Permit if you’re planning to drive, or a Visa prepared in advance. Others have requirements such as having certain shots, a round trip ticket or amount of currency you are required to have in your bank account which aren’t always enforced but its good to be prepared.
• Make sure your pets, lawn, plants, mail etc are taken care of by someone
• Since holes plugs and pins differ everywhere (annoying, I know), get a universal electrical travel adapter before you go to prevent accidents and damage to your appliances. Also, laptops and cell phone charges will require a different converter than what you would use for a hair dryer. For any Apple products, Apple sells a neat pack that has several different chargers.

One Week or More Before Your Trip

Get your affairs in order

• Money- ideally take a credit card with no international fees (We have Chase Sapphire Preferred), two debit cards to use ATMs with (bonus if it has no international fees) , and make sure to get cash from your bank to have with you. Let your bank(s) know the countries and dates you’ll be travelling before you go. Some countries take chip and pin card only so research this beforehand. Travelers checks are not a thing anymore. Neither are money orders or regular checks.
  You must be in the bank in person to order cash and do it at least a week prior, as they have to order the cash to be picked up. Don’t use exchange booths in other countries- they get a commission so it’s a horrible value. If an ATM is not an option going inside a bank is the second best option
• Check your itinerary to make sure all hotels, transportation, and tours are booked. You may also want to make reservations for popular restaurants that get filled quickly.
• Take care of upcoming bills or make sure they’re on autopay
• Contact your cellular carrier to see what International Plans they have if you’re planning on having your phone on or if you want to disable it. Some price saver examples for Europe include getting a month-to-month T-mobile plan for your phone (and shutting off your phone service with your carrier) which has great service in Europe or get a European Sim Card.

72 Hours Prior

Be ahead of the game

• Pack. Seriously, you don’t want to be that person packing one hour before you have to go to the airport and then buying your toiletries once you arrive in Dubai.
• Re-confirm everything- This is especially true with airbnbs & vacation homes. Make sure the flight’s schedule hasn’t been changed or cancelled.
• Send a copy of the itinerary, phone numbers, etc to your emergency contact
• If you haven’t previously, get your booking documents organized. I use Travefy to keep my itineraries electronic, and a folder with everything printed out is important to have a copy on hand. I also use an excel spreadsheet for longer trips to keep my dates, confirmations, and contact numbers.

The Day Before

Don’t forget to breathe

• Check in for your flight and make sure your Frequent Flier Number and Known Travelers Numbers (Global Entry, TSA Precheck etc) if applicable are on your boarding pass.
• Make copies of your passport, license, important documents to keep secured electronically and/or on person.
• Go through your packing check list and make sure anything that will be packed the day of travel is out and ready. Ensure that all toiletries in your carry on are under 3 oz. Keep any medications on hand, do NOT check them!
• Contact your banks to tell them you will be traveling.
• Try and get a good night’s sleep and drink tons of extra water today!

I turned the checklist into a downloadable PDF for anyone to share and use offline! Hopefully this helps you plan your trip- keep in mind the timeline is totally up to the individual person! You can be a procrastinator or be ahead of the game as much as you want but this is what works for me. Anything I should add? Let me know in the comments!