Here is Your Ultimate Overseas Travel Checklist

The Essential Travel Checklist for Overseas Trips

Do you have your own Overseas Travel Checklist? Traveling outside of your home country is a big deal. According to the New York Daily News, Americans were half as likely as their European counterparts to travel abroad. 29% have never been outside the country. Many of them have traveled to Canada or Mexico. Neither of which is a truly major excursion. Many may have done so when a passport wasn’t necessary to cross those borders.

It is not uncommon for Europeans to visit 10 or more countries. But the situation is quite different. It has nothing to do with being more metropolitan. It has to do with cost and the fact that traveling between European countries is a little like traveling between states in the US. So when an American packs up and heads across the pond, it is a big deal.

You will be understandably excited the first time you do it, even if it is a business trip. There is a good chance you will sneak some leisure into that trip. You might even take your family with you. Because nerves will be a little high, you don’t want to leave anything to chance. Here is a checklist that will help you be sure to have everything you need:

Rental Car

You cannot assume that you will have all the rental car options abroad that you do when in the US. Not every country has car culture. Bicycles and motorcycles might be more common where you are going. So take care of the rental car in advance and leave nothing to chance.

For example, if you need to rent a car in Iceland, take care of that detail upfront. First, there may not be as much availability as you are used to in the US. Waiting until the last minute could mean that you don’t get the car you want or even don’t get a car.

You will also want to lock in the best prices, which will likely be much better than what you would have to pay at the last minute. You also want to give yourself plenty of time to ensure you are properly licensed and insured to operate a vehicle in your destination country. Take plenty of time to clear regulatory hurdles before you show up to claim your keys.

Tips: Always make sure to book your hotel in advance. Visit Agoda for discounted rates and a wide variety of hotel options.

Get a VPN

When you get off the plane in Tel Aviv, you will realize that you are not in Kansas anymore. That is because you will lose access to many of the services you took for granted back home. To ensure you can access all your services and US versions of your favorite websites, you will need a virtual private network (VPN). It is essential to get the best vpn download before you leave your country to avoid the hassle.

Give Yourself Time for the Passport

You already know you need a passport. You may not know how much it will cost and how much time it takes to get it. There are many fees associated with getting a new passport. The less time you have to get the passport, the more it costs. Inside of two weeks, the price is higher. If you need a passport the next day, have plenty of room on your credit card. Bottom line: start early and expect to pay around $110. Start late, and it could be as high as $750.

Get a New SIM

When modern smartphones first became popular, there were lots of stories about people ending up with bills for thousands of dollars from carriers. Nothing much has changed. The difference is that people are getting smarter about using their mobiles while traveling.

The most common solution is to get a local SIM card representing a phone plan in the place you are traveling. That is almost always the cheapest way to use a smartphone and mobile internet while traveling. You can also check with your carrier to see if they have a roaming deal or international plan that covers where you are going. That is the easiest thing to do. But it tends to be a bit more expensive.

Traveling abroad is always a grand adventure. Be sure to eliminate the unpleasant surprises by securing the rental car in advance. Allow plenty of time for the passport. Get a VPN for uninterrupted browsing and services. And get a local SIM to ensure a reasonable price for mobile roaming.

How about you? Do you have anything to add to this overseas travel checklist post? Feel free to share by posting a comment below.

Check out our complete list of affordable hotels and resorts via Agoda, or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.

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