This is the short list, in the order it binds. Most of it is done weeks before departure at a desk, and the rest is a set of habits that cost nothing once they are habits. Nothing here is about being afraid of a destination; it is about not needing to improvise the things that are easy to arrange in advance.
The short version
- Read the advisory and the country information page for every country on the route.
- Photograph your documents and store the copies apart from the originals.
- Write the local emergency number on paper, per country. It is not 911.
- Enroll in STEP. Free, and it takes a few minutes.
- Tell one person at home your itinerary, with dates and where you are staying.
What You Need to Know
Six weeks out
- Read the advisory for every country, transit stops included, and the country information page underneath it.
- Read a second government’s assessment of the same countries.
- Check whether your insurance covers you where you are going, and whether it excludes anything you plan to do.
Two weeks out
- Photograph the passport page, visas, insurance card, prescriptions and the front of your cards. Store them somewhere reachable without your bag.
- Leave a copy with someone at home, along with your itinerary and accommodation.
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
- Write the emergency numbers, your insurer’s assistance line and the nearest embassy on a card that lives in a different pocket from your phone.
On the ground
- Carry what you need for the day, and leave the passport in the hotel safe unless local law requires you to have it.
- Split money and cards across two places.
- Avoid demonstrations. 148 of the 211 destinations the State Department covers note that protests occur, and even peaceful ones can change quickly and can be illegal for foreigners to join.
- Look up rather than at your phone in unfamiliar streets, stations and markets. 125 of those destinations describe pickpocketing or bag snatching.
What to Do Before Your Trip
- Read both documents for each country, not just the advisory headline.
- Make the copies, and check you can open them without your bag.
- Enroll in STEP for every country on the itinerary.
- Write the numbers on paper.
- Tell someone at home where you will be and when.
Organizing for a group? A checklist that lives in one person’s head is not a plan. Send this list, set a date, and collect confirmations.
Explore group travel planningImportant Considerations
The single highest-value item on this list is the one that sounds most trivial: copies of your documents, stored somewhere your bag cannot take with it. A lost passport with a photograph of the data page is an errand at a consulate. A lost passport without one is a much longer errand.
The second is telling someone at home. It costs a single message and it is what makes it possible for anyone to help you if you stop answering. It matters more for solo travelers, and it is not only for emergencies: a family member who knows which hotel you are in can reach you when your phone does not.
Tips for Group Travelers
- Send the checklist at deposit time, not the week before.
- Collect the confirmations you actually need: insurance and emergency contact.
- Agree meeting points for each location on the first day.
- Brief the emergency number on arrival.
- Keep one sealed copy of the group’s details that a leader can open.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Copies stored only in the bag that holds the originals.
- Numbers saved only in a phone.
- Carrying the passport everywhere when the safe would do.
- Walking toward a demonstration to see what it is.
- Doing all of this the night before.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I carry my passport or leave it in the hotel?
Leave it in the room safe and carry a copy, unless local law requires you to carry identification, which some countries do. The country information page for your destination says which. Where you must carry it, carry it in an inside pocket rather than a bag.
What should I photograph before I go?
The passport data page, any visa, the insurance card with the assistance line, prescriptions with generic names, and the front of your payment cards. Store them where you can open them without your bag, and leave a copy with someone at home.
Is it safe to travel to a Level 2 country?
Level 2 covers a very wide range of destinations and means there are identifiable risks worth adjusting for. Read the paragraph under the level to find out which: street crime and periodic demonstrations call for different behavior, and neither is a reason not to go.
Related Travel Tips
- Safety and security, the section this guide belongs to.
- Understanding U.S. Travel Advisories. The reading step, in detail.
- Protecting Your Passport and Travel Documents. The copying step.
- Emergency Contacts to Carry. The card in your pocket.
Plan Your Trip With LABUSA Travel
Which items on this list matter most depends on the route, and a good itinerary answers several of them for you. LABUSA Travel builds the arrangements in rather than leaving them as homework.
Talk with a LABUSA Travel advisor about a trip you are considering, or browse our destination guides for a specific country.
Verify Before You Travel
Advisories, country information and enrollment are published by the U.S. Department of State. Cross-check conditions with the U.K. FCDO or Global Affairs Canada. Whether you must carry identification is set by local law and stated on your destination’s country information page.
Travel requirements, health guidance and safety conditions can change. Always confirm current requirements with the appropriate government or official authority before departure.