What you should be doing now to prepare for an International Trip this Summer

Our family travel to Europe every year and we (or should I say I) always go through the same routine every single year around March. If you are traveling this summer, you should be following that same routine too.

As soon as you book your trip


Passports

Make sure that the passports did not expire or are not going to expire within 6 months after you leave the country. European countries just want a valid passport during your stay but some like Thailand or Singapore will ask you to have a passport that will not expire soon after you leave their country. Any doubt: ask your travel agent or call the consulate or embassy. If you need to apply for a renewal, do so at least 2 months before your date of departure to avoid having to pay for expedited service.
Scan your family’s passports and email a copy to yourself. If your passport gets lost or stolen, having all the information in your inbox will make the renewal so much smoother.

Visas
Never assume that you do not need a tourist visa, even for a quick half-day visit across a border. Again, your travel agent and the consulate/embassy will be your most valuable sources. When we went to Australia, our travel agent took care of the visas for us.

Immunizations
If you are traveling outside of North America and Europe, check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  for information on immunization. Some immunization needs several rounds of shots so you better start early.

2 months before


Driving abroad
Do you need an international driving license? Again check with your consulate or travel agent. Apply for one if needed.
If you’re planning to visit friends or family and will be driving their vehicle, it is a good idea to check if their insurance policy covers visitors. For example, ours will cover visitors for up to 1 month. Beyond that, you have to add them to the policy. In some European countries, you have to add a visitor even if they are just staying for 4 days.

Traveling to England or Australia? You will drive a manual stick shift car on the left side of the road. Be prepared to drive a stick shift car almost anywhere in the world if you want to save on rental cost. If you don’t know how to drive one yet, start taking lessons or ask a friend to teach you.

Medication
Call your medical insurance company to ask them how you will be covered if anything happens abroad. Check if your credit card provides any travel health insurance. If not, you might consider buying travel medical insurance.

If any family member has medical problems or need daily or weekly medication, have a second set of these medications stored in a different luggage or traveling in your carry-on (unless it is liquid).
Plan ahead: Have your doctor write a refill note for your medication. You will most likely be able to use it in the country you are visiting. Ideally, know the name of the medication in the foreign language.

Bills
Sign up with your bank for electronic bill pay or automatic bill pay if you plan to be away for a long trip. When you are traveling, set up a way to remind yourself of credit card bills that need to be paid so that you don’t end up being slapped with a hefty missed payment fee and finance charges.

Car seat laws
Car seat laws vary considerably from country to country and even from state to state. Be sure to research what the regulations are in the places you will be visiting so that you are equipped to adhere to these laws. If you are renting a car and a car seat, book one ahead of time and inquire about how often car seats are replaced and cleaned. We’ve had mixed experiences with rental car seats.

1 month before


Emergency Preparation
Assemble a list of emergency numbers and keep them handy. Have the number of the US Embassy in that country, emergency hospitals and urgent care facilities as well as recommended pediatrician if you’ll be staying in one place for a long time.

Electronics
England, Australia, Europe have different electrical plugs and voltage so head to your local hardware store to purchase a power converter and adapter or buy one at the airport.

Cash and Credit Card
Always have some foreign currency handy to take the taxi or grab a snack. Most International airports have a money exchanger or an ATM that dispenses major foreign currencies. Make sure that your ATM has a 4 digit pin number. Less or more than 4 digits and you will not be able to get money from ATMs in some countries like France for example.

Give a quick call to your credit card company to let them know that you will be traveling abroad. They will most likely block access to your card if they spot a ‘traveling’ card. The same is true for domestic travel.

Traveling alone with a child
If you traveling alone with a child, even if you are the child’s parent, make sure you have a notarized release from the absent parent/parents or legal guardians. With all the child abduction cases, even a parent traveling alone with a child needs to prove that he or she is indeed allowed to take the child out of the country. They don’t always check for this at immigration, but if they do, you want to be ready to show the paperwork and get along with your trip. While Passports are legal pass through, especially in case of a divorce, or when you don’t share the same last name as your child, it will be safer to have a notarized authorization from the other parent.

Mobile Phone
Most mobile phones these days can work in other countries. But first you must unlock International roaming on your phone. If you will be away for a long time, you might want to purchase a simm card in your host country. It’s nice to have a working cell phone when you arrive at the airport. Don’t forget to bring along an adapter for a different power voltage or a car charger if you’ll be driving around town.

Two weeks before

Mail
Before you leave on vacation, get online and have your post office put your mail on hold. You can also have newspapers put on hold and donated undelivered newspapers to the local school instead.

Current photo of your kids
Traveling with some current photos of your children is always a good precaution. If your kids go missing or you get separated for any reason, those photos will come in handy when asking people to help you look for them. Print out a few current wallet size photos and slip them in your purse.

Bon Voyage!