Write the trip as a route: home airport, every connection, every border crossing, each lodging address, and the return to the United States. A transit country can have rules even when you never leave its airport.
Citizenship, passport details, residency status, traveler name, and any visa or authorization already held.
Entry, exit, transit, passport-validity, blank-page, customs, and health requirements.
Airport or station, terminal, local time, transportation, lodging address, check-in window, and late-arrival plan.
Embassy contacts, emergency person at home, insurance or protection details, and secure document copies.
Confirm documents from the authority that controls the border.
- Check the passport expiration rule for the destination and every transit country; do not assume that “valid on travel day” is enough.
- Confirm visas, electronic travel authorizations, arrival forms, tourist cards, and fees for each traveler’s citizenship.
- Match each reservation name exactly to the passport that traveler will present.
- Review rules for minors, one-parent travel, different last names, and any consent or custody documentation.
- Check whether proof of onward travel, lodging, funds, vaccination, or travel insurance may be requested.
- Store secure copies separately and leave the itinerary with a trusted person at home.
Use destination sources: the U.S. State Department is a strong starting point for U.S. travelers, but the destination government and transportation supplier make the final admission and boarding decisions.
Make health preparation part of planning—not packing night.
- 01
Review destination guidance early
Use the CDC destination page and a qualified clinician or travel-medicine specialist to discuss vaccines, medicine, pregnancy, chronic conditions, and planned activities.
- 02
Check medication restrictions
A legal prescription at home may be restricted abroad. Verify the destination’s rules and carry medicine in properly labeled packaging with supporting documentation when appropriate.
- 03
Plan access to care
Know how your health coverage works outside the United States, where qualified care is available, and how payment or reimbursement may work.
- 04
Pack health essentials with you
Keep necessary medicine, devices, prescriptions, and a reasonable delay supply in hand luggage, within screening and destination rules.
Arrive able to pay, navigate, and reach someone.
Cards: Check foreign transaction fees, travel notices if used by the issuer, card acceptance, and PIN needs.
Cash: Learn the currency, choose a safe withdrawal plan, and avoid carrying the entire trip budget together.
Phone: Compare international roaming, an eSIM or local SIM, unlocked-device requirements, and two-factor authentication access.
Offline access: Download maps, translation help, confirmations, emergency contacts, and the first lodging address.
Power: Confirm plug type and voltage. A plug adapter changes the shape; it does not necessarily convert voltage.
Create a plan that still works when the phone does not.
- Review the current destination Travel Advisory and country information.
- Enroll eligible trips in the free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for relevant embassy messages.
- Save the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate and local emergency numbers.
- Give a trusted person your route, lodging, transportation, and contact plan.
- Agree on a meeting point and communication plan if the group separates.
- Keep the passport secure and carry only the document or copy appropriate for the day’s activity and local rules.
Final international departure check
- Recheck flight times, terminals, entry and transit requirements, and airline travel-document instructions.
- Complete required digital or paper forms using the official destination source.
- Confirm the first transfer, lodging address, check-in window, and late-arrival contact.
- Save confirmations and emergency details offline and charge your phone and power bank.
- Keep passports, medication, essential documents, valuables, and one clothing reset in hand luggage.
- Review current customs rules before returning with food, plants, medicine, alcohol, or high-value purchases.