International Travel Check List

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Traveling abroad can be fun and rewarding. While everyone hopes for a safe and uneventful trip, emergencies can happen and there are a few things you should do a ahead of time to prepare in the event of an emergency.

First, identify someone you trust back home and make sure they have your itinerary so they know where you will be traveling.  Leave them the contact information for your cruise line, tour operator, or the hotels where you will be staying so they can contact you in the event of an emergency back home.  Leave a picture or photocopy of your passport with your emergency contact person back home.

The next few steps involve documents that you should take with you.  Print out hard copies and put them in a folder or document holder.  Do not rely on storing the information on your phone or laptop.  Make sure your folder or document folder has:

- The address and emergency contact phone numbers for the U.S. Embassy closest to where you will be traveling

- A photocopy of your passport

- Phone number of your emergency contact person back home, even if you think you have it memorized 

- The emergency phone number and policy number for your travel insurance.  Make sure you are familiar with your policy and any pre-authorizations that might be required before you seek local medical treatment.

Do not put your passports in your document holder or keep your phones in it.  The document holder is your "break in case of emergency" kit in the event that your passport and/or phone is lost or stolen.  I like to use this document holder:





Lastly, consider enrolling in STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program).  STEP is a free program run by the Department of State where you can register your trip in advance.  You will receive travel alerts about your destination country and it may help assist the U.S. Embassy in contacting you in the event of a natural disaster or civil unrest. 




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