How to prepare for a trip (our 8 best tips)

We are planning our trip to Turkey for our honeymoon, and it got me thinking about all the things that I always do before going on a big trip. These “how to prepare for a trip” tips will work for local or staycation visits. However, there are specific to international for long-distance vacations because this is the majority of how we travel. These are the primary things to prepare before traveling abroad to ensure you’re safe, prepared, comfortable, and frugal.

Things to do to prepare before traveling

1. Make a packing list

I know it seems super extra to make a packing list, but I like to prepare well in advance, and I hate forgetting things. Part of the fun of a trip or vacation is the anticipation, so I like to prepare at least a week, if not longer, in advance. I usually write out a packing list, but lately, I’ve been making a list in the Reminders app and sharing it with my husband to add things as we think of them, which works out well too.

I can’t even tell you how often I’ve forgotten something essential because I didn’t double-check or plan. So much of the cost of travel is due to the convenience expenses or last-minute purchases of things like cords, cables, toiletries, adapters, snacks, etc. I’d rather spend the extra time to make a list and go through it before I leave than spend $70 for an Apple charger at the airport.

2. Download movies, books, audiobooks, and podcasts

I hate, hate, hate being bored on an airplane. I always download enough media to survive on a desert island for several years because I need a distraction from the discomfort of economy (and I refuse to upgrade).

On my iPad, I typically download a mix of Youtube videos (if you have Premium, you can download videos for offline viewing), podcast series, and Netflix movies. Once I watch them on the plane, I delete them so I don’t have a ton of old content cluttering up my devices.

I also have an absolutely bonkers amount of books on my Kindle just in case all else fails, or I run out of movies, or my iPad dies, and the plane doesn’t have a charger (shudder the thought).

3. Charge all electronic devices

Nothing is worse than getting to an airport and realizing your phone is dying. Or your Kindle. Even the thought of that makes me anxious. I like to know that I’m walking into the airport with all of my headphones, devices, phones, and portable chargers at 100%.

I feel like airports are getting better about including more than one outlet per gate these days, but all of the outlets they have are incredibly slow, and I don’t want to rely on them.

4. Research the destination

• Does your destination country need an outlet adopter?
• What is the currency?
• Do you mostly pay with cash or a card there?
• Where is the best place to get a SIM card?
• Do they have Uber or Lyft in the country (many do not)?
• What is the standard mode of transportation?

I’m as spontaneous as the next person, but I don’t mess around with international travel. I like to know where I’m going, when I’m getting there, and what is required of me once I get there. Plus, as I mentioned before, a lot of the fun I have around going on a trip is the excitement I feel before it happens. Getting to research, plan, and discover new places to go is 100% one of my favorite parts of traveling. The excitement leading up to the trip is almost as fun as the trip.

5. Report the trip to your bank & your embassy

Letting your bank know that you’ll be traveling means you won’t get a nasty block on your card the minute you step onto land. Usually, it’s as simple as going onto the website and answering a few questions, but you might have to call them to report it. It’s better than the alternative, which is dealing with a locked card in a foreign country.

International travel centers to track your trip with your country’s embassy. If a global crisis happens or if your passport is stolen, having your embassy know that you’re there will be crucial in keeping you safe or getting you home. Plus, I always keep the embassy location saved on my phone, just in case something happens and I need to find it. Knowing generally where the embassy is located is is a great way to make sure that even if you lose your phone, you’ll have a good sense of the general direction of where to go in a crisis.

For U.S. Citizens, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program website will allow you to register for your trip.

6. Clean the house

Nothing is worse than coming back exhausted from a vacation to a dirty house. While I’m packing and after I have mostly everything organized for my trip, I’ll go through and unexplode my house from the packing flurry. One day I’ll learn how to pack without completely destroying my closet, bathroom, and office, but I haven’t quite figured it out yet. So now, I know that I need to be done doing the damage of a voracious packer.

7. Share your flight and reservation details with a trusted person

Many of these “how to prepare for a trip” tips sound slightly neurotic. Maybe because the Liam Neeson movie Taken was a formative part of my adolescent years, but I do not want to be in a foreign country where somebody doesn’t know exactly where I am at all times. If I’m traveling without my husband, I will send him all of my flight and hotel information before I go because I trust that he will check-in and make sure that I get where I’m going, especially before I get a SIM card or have Internet.

If my husband is with me, I’ll still send all my information to my mom so that she knows where we are. It’s not paranoid. It’s just good sense. I’d rather be safer than sorry, and I’d rather spend the 30 seconds forwarding my flight information than be stuck stranded without it.

8. Get snacks

You will never catch me paying airport prices for some Pringles.

I won’t do it, I can’t do it, I’m not going to do it.

We always stop by the store on the way to the airport, if not a few days before. I’m a very snack-oriented person, but I always go back to my belief that most of what you spend on vacation is convenience. So much money is wasted because people get into this mindset of “well, I’m on vacation, I might as well treat myself,” and they find themselves paying unreasonable prices for everyday things.

Planning ahead and having the forethought to bring the essentials (i.e., trail mix) is good financial and practical sense. I remember one time I was stuck at the Iceland airport, and I had to get food because I didn’t bring anything with me. A small, wilted-looking lunch would have cost me over $40. I’m not even kidding. I ended up going to Sbarro’s, and for two pieces of pizza, it was still over $25. Absolute insane lunacy prices and I’ll never make that mistake again.

How to prepare for a trip: international travel checklists & packing lists

I had initially planned on creating a packing list for this guide, but the issue with so many packing lists that I’ve found online (and there are billions of them) is that what you need for travel is so unbelievably individualized as to make a standardized list useless.

Only you and your family know exactly what you’ll need for your trip. It will also vary wildly based on where you’re going, how long you’re going, how many people are going, the unique needs of each person, and on and on…

When I’m making my packing list, I think to myself, “what will I need for my trip, plus an extra week should some extenuating circumstances come up?” Typically I bring fewer clothing items and toiletries than you would expect because usually you can buy shampoo and conditioner there, and clothes can be re-worn and washed. I also bring everything that I would need for work if I were to get stuck abroad because thankfully, I have a fully remote job.

If you really want a packing list to go off of, there are plenty on Pinterest to get your creativity flowing.

How to prepare for a trip: Conclusion

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst. Take the things that you cannot live without, but also understand that they have all the essentials you’ll need to stay alive pretty much anywhere you go. Don’t stress too much about having the most optimized and perfect packing list. Just take the things you know are important, be prepared to save money on last-minute purchases, and enjoy your trip.

If you want more advice on preparing for a trip, check out our travel section for more handy tips!

What is your best advice on how to prepare for a trip?