Pre-travel admin is boring – but it is crucial if you want an exciting and easier travel adventure with less stress, especially in a post-pandemic world.
A well-prepared and informed traveller is a smarter traveller. Since you’re here, you obviously want to travel the world smarter to spend more time effortlessly navigating different places while enjoying your travels and spending less time stressing.
There are numerous things you should prepare for and need to do months before travelling.
Here are the top things for you to think about, research and prepare for before you actually travel several months in advance, especially if it’s a longer than usual journey.
Is my passport still valid? (Do I even have a passport?!)
Nothing is more embarrassing than travelling with an expired passport (well, maybe without a passport).
Not only do you need a passport that is valid, it is recommended to have six months or more of validity (from your date of arrival into a country) as some countries (such as the United States) require passport validity for six months beyond the period of your arrival. If you don’t, you may be denied a visa (if you need one to enter the country), being denied checking in at the airport, or barred from entering the country.
Learn more:
Countries that need six months validity on passport
(Always double-check the visa and passport requirements through official foreign or tourism government websites)
Where do I actually want to go?!
So many places, so little time!
The number of countries and places you can go to are numerous, so many that it makes you wish you were limited by a narrower choice to give you fewer options.
Do you want to see some culture, nature, or just straight up party? Or a combination of all? Are there some cool things you want to experience or learn about?
Whatever you decide, just do what you want to do, rather than blindly following the crowds of tourists or what some ‘influencer’ told you to do based on their sponsored (and sanitised) experience. Life’s too short so just do what you want to do that would make you happy and glad you went there to experience whatever it is.
The best kind of plans are the ones that are planned but flexible enough to allow you to deviate – it’s often during the research phase (or even when you’re on your travels already), you’ll end up discovering even more places you want to visit!
Focus on:
- What do I want to see/do/experience?
- Where do I want to start?
- Where do I want to end my travels?
In between where you start and where you end your travels, you can obviously go anywhere as long as there is transport. Ideally, your flexible travel itinerary should be ‘planned’ in a way where you gradually get closer to your end destination.
Think about:
- Logistics/transport of getting to a place: Can you actually easily get there?
- Money: How much is it going to cost in getting to that place and staying there?
Don’t overthink and spend too much time going through different options (easier said than done, I know) – it can become a blackhole swallowing a lot of your precious time and energy.
Where you want to go also depends on the next point…
When is the best time to go?
- Do you prefer summer sun or winter snow?
- Do you want to avoid the seasonal influx of tourists at Santorini or the wet monsoon season in Thailand?
- Do you want to go when there are some cool annual events are on?
- Do you just want to go when flights are at their cheapest?
If you use Skyscanner, you can search for the cheapest month for flights.
Always browse in incognito or private browsing mode where cookie tracking information (like your search history and pricing) is not saved.
Learn more:
When it comes to booking flights and other transport arrangements, be flexible regarding dates as prices will differ on different days; you can always find a cheap transport option if you are flexible with your departure date(s) – the same goes with your travel destination.
Do I need a visa for the country or countries I will visit?
While some countries allow some citizens of particular countries visa-free travel, there are other countries that require particular nationalities (or all nationalities) to have a valid and pre-approved visa to permit entry and/or leave (exit visa) within their borders for a specific period of time.
Some visas can be issued upon arrival (for example, upon arriving at an international airport) and can be paid for on the spot (if payment for the visa is required).
eVisas are common where visas can be processed and issued online relatively quickly or be picked up at a certain port of entry.
Some other visas require an application that require an approved appointment and personal meeting at an embassy or consulate for formal submission of documents/information (including precise travel dates), along with your passport. It can also involve an interview as well with an embassy or consulate staff member. Afterwards, a formal and valid visa permit can be placed on your passport – the entire process from start to finish can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Always do your visa research, follow the visa submission process and pay the associated costs with the visa.
Learn more:
Visa requirements by nationality
(Always double-check the visa requirements through official foreign or tourism government websites)
Do I need vaccinations for the places I will visit? What ones would I need?
At the moment, there isn’t a known cure for a mild ailment called death.
Don’t take any chances or tempt fate when it comes to your irreplaceable health!
The common vaccinations done for travel are Tetanus, Tuberculosis (TB), Rabies and Hepatitis A/B. Depending on what country you’ll travel to with a particular health issue, specific vaccinations may need be certified (medical certificate) as part of the visa conditions of entry into the country, as proof that you have the vaccination.
You will need to get vaccinations far in advance as it takes time (weeks) and even multiple vaccination shots for them to be effective.
Learn more:
How much will travel insurance cost me?
How much is your health and well-being worth to you?
It is absolutely critical that you get travel insurance, even if it adds more expenses to your travel plans.
You should never travel without travel insurance. It’s one of those things that is best to have and not use, than need to use but not have it!
Nothing is more stressful than having an injury or some other incident that ruins your plans, or worse, your life.
You run the risk of racking up thousands upon thousands of dollars in medical expenses that you may be indebted for life.
Not only will travel insurance cover medical costs, depending on the policy, you can also be covered for theft or loss of items (such as luggage), crime, cancelled flights, and natural disasters, for instance.
Travel insurance costs differ in the level of coverage, duration of cover, and what country or countries or region you will travel to.
Do your due diligence in researching and selecting the travel insurance cover that best suits you – always read the fine print!
Do I have adequate and valid bank or credit cards? And are the exchange fees reasonable or non-existent?
You all know that not all banks are equal and the amount of fees charged on foreign payments differ wildly. If you’re lucky, you’re with a bank that doesn’t charge extra fees such as on foreign ATM cash withdrawals and card payment use on foreign currency transactions.
Now is a good time to have a look around for a bank that doesn’t charge you for using your card for ATM cash withdrawals, foreign transactions, and gives you fair foreign exchange rates. Sometimes a travel card, where you can typically load up several different foreign currencies using your own local currency, can be your best option – it is definitely worth your time (and money) to do some research.
In any case, you should have more than one bank card in case you lose one or due to theft so you can continue on with your travels uninterrupted.
The cards you have should be also be valid during the period of travel – you don’t want your bank or credit cards to expire while you are in the middle of your travel adventures.
Will I have enough money to travel?
This is always a tricky question to answer. Some countries are expensive to travel around in, some are cheaper. It also depends how long you want to travel for and what kind of traveller you are – do you like to stay at hotels, Airbnb or hostels or a combination of options? Do you love dining out regularly or prefer cooking at your accommodation?
Ultimately, you can never have too much money for travelling!
When travelling, most of your money will be spent on re-occurring expenses. They include:
- Food
- Accommodation
- Transport
- Local attractions and/or tips for ‘free’ walking tour guides
- Toiletries and personal grooming
- Sim card purchase and data/talk time usage
There are also one-off or infrequent costs such as:
- Travel insurance
- Visas
- Vaccinations
There are also small but significant hidden or unexpected costs you must account for:
- City tax on top of accommodation:
This can be expressed as a monetary amount or a percentage of your total length of stay or total accommodation cost (the tax amount is added on top of it). Some hostels have this city tax already added to the cost per night or something they add on top of it. - Online booking fees:
For things like transportation and attractions when booking online. - Baggage cost:
It’s not only airlines that charge for checked baggage, some national buses and local taxis can charge for baggage as well. - Hidden rental fees or charges:
An example is renting a car – always read the fine print and always research options. - Tips for restaurant service:
For some countries, tips are optional, whereas some are ‘optional’ but actually mandatory. - Bribes:
There are some places in the world where it can happen, especially at some border crossings.
Whatever you budget, it’s recommended to budget an extra 10% for any unexpected costs (especially for buying irresistible local foods!)
During your travel planning phase, it’s a great time to sell any of your old stuff that you don’t need anymore for some extra money.
Learn more:
What travel gear will I need and could I carry it all?
What kind of environments will you be travelling in?
Hot? (Pack lighter clothing) Cold? (Pack warmer clothing) Both? (Pack multiple thin layers)
What kind of activities will you be participating in?
Hiking? (Pack hiking boots)
Swimming? (Pack swimwear)
Will you be carrying a backpack with a daypack or rolling it with a trolley case? What capacity size will you need? 50 litre? 70 litre? Will you want to travel with just carry-on luggage only or with checked-baggage as well? (checked-baggage will cost you more on planes)
Your style of travel and what kind of activities you’ll be doing in what environments should dictate the travel gear needed (if you don’t have it already). If things change, you can always purchase new gear during your travels.
You will also need to consider how much all the gear you think you need will weigh; the more stuff you carry, the slower and harder it can be to travel, and often more expensive.
Am I physically and mentally fit to travel?
If you plan on doing strenuous activities such as hikes, it is a good idea to get some uphill training/walking and other cardiovascular exercise (if you aren’t doing this already) to get physically fit for them.
You don’t always need to be physically fit to travel but it helps (especially if you need to run fast to get to that booked bus before it departs because you slept in!).
Being mentally fit is more important to deal with things outside of your comfort zone on your travels.
You need a mentally strong mind to deal with unpredictable situations in unfamiliar environments, especially when time is a factor and in places where you don’t understand or speak the local language. To remain calm and level-headed when things don’t go your way is a must when travelling. Flexibility and adaptability are key mental attributes to have – not just for travelling but for life in general.
When preparing and planning your travels many months in advance, make sure you to think about:
- Passport validity: Make sure it is valid beyond your travels with more than six months’ validity.
- Where you want to go: Go where you are truly excited or curious about, focusing on where you want to start and where you want to end your travels.
- The right time of year to go: Go when it best suits you and the things you want to see or do.
- Visas: Do you need visas/permits where you are going? What documents do you need for the visa? Where can you get the visa? What are the turnaround times to get your visa processed?
- Vaccinations: Get the general and recommended vaccinations for the places you are travelling to.
- Travel Insurance: Don’t leave home without it! Research and find a policy that best suits you.
- Adequate bank/travel cards: Have multiple and valid bank/credit/travel cards (that covers the duration of your travels), in case you lose one.
- Having enough money: It’s always best to save and have more money for travel than less. It’s a good idea to budget 10% extra.
- Having the right travel gear: Get the appropriate clothing and equipment for the kind of travelling you will be doing for the countries and environments you will travel in.
- Being physically and mentally fit: Being mentally fit is more important than being physically fit.
These are the recommended things to ask yourself and action before your travels start many months in advance.
Have I missed anything?
Comment below to let other travellers and myself know what other things need to be considered many months before the travel adventures start.
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