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ViajesMarch 23, 2023

Traveler's Checklist

In this post, we'll look at how to put together a checklist so you can travel with greater peace of mind and enjoy your trips to the fullest.

Hi! In my previous post, I told you about the apps and websites that help us plan and get the most out of our trips. I mentioned there that I use Asana to put together my pre-trip to-do list. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the key items on my checklist and how it helps me travel with greater peace of mind.


Why is it important to make a checklist?

Traveling is wonderful and very rewarding, but it also involves taking care of a series of steps to ensure our trip is perfect and we don’t run into any setbacks. The best way to organize those steps, avoid forgetting things, and significantly reduce stress is to have a to-do list that includes everything we need to do or pack before leaving on a trip. We can have this list ready in advance and tweak it slightly for each trip.


What should you include on the checklist?

The list, of course, may vary depending on the type of trip, the destination, the climate of where we’re going, etc., but there are a number of steps that are practically universal and that we should always keep in mind. I usually divide my checklist into 4 categories:

  • Pre-trip Tasks

  • Documents

  • Luggage

  • After the trip

Let’s look at each category in more detail.


Pre-trip tasks

  1. Check whether a visa, ESTA, etc., is required and whether your passport meets the requirements (many destinations require a specific period of validity for the passport)

  2. Confirm any vaccination requirements—for COVID-19 or other diseases—that may be necessary (for example, yellow fever in some destinations in Brazil)

  3. Travel notifications for credit cards

  4. Exchange local currency (if applicable)

  5. Complete entry forms or declarations (if applicable)

  6. Web check-in (consider which frequent flyer program to earn miles with) and verify your checked baggage allowance

  7. Data: Check if you’ll have roaming and have a backup plan ready (eSIM, local SIM card, etc.)

  8. Content downloaded for the flight (music, podcasts, books, etc.)

Documents

Have a folder on Google Drive (or another cloud service) available offline with all necessary documents.

  1. Hotel reservation

  2. Flight reservations

  3. Copy of ID and passport

  4. COVID-19 vaccination certificates or other required certificates

  5. Travel insurance information

  6. Boarding pass

It’s a good idea to share all this information with someone who isn’t traveling with us, so they can have all the details of our itinerary.


Suitcase

I divide this category into several subcategories:


Electronics:

  1. Universal power adapter

  2. Chargers for laptops, phones, watches, etc.

  3. Fully charged power bank

  4. Headphones

  5. Kindle/tablet

  6. Toiletry bag with cables and other essentials

  7. Hair straightener (if applicable, depending on the trip)

First-aid kit:

  1. Allergy medication

  2. Ibuprofen

  3. Cold and flu medication

  4. Sore throat lozenges

  5. Eye drops

  6. Medicine for an upset stomach

  7. Nail clippers, nail file

  8. Band-Aids

Pharmacy:

  1. Toothbrush and toothpaste

  2. Sanitary pads

  3. Deodorant

  4. Shampoo and conditioner in containers smaller than 100 ml

Skincare (all in containers < 100 ml):

  1. Serum

  2. Sunscreen

  3. Moisturizer

  4. Cicaplast and Toleriane

  5. Makeup (if applicable)

  6. Micellar water or makeup remover

  7. Body cream

  8. Perfume

  9. Lip balm

Clothing:

This varies quite a bit depending on the destination and type of trip.


After the trip:

Important tasks upon returning from the trip:

  1. Put together a photo album of the trip

  2. Finances: Review expenses; if you traveled with others, settle any debts (Splitwise is perfect for this!), check if you have any leftover foreign currency for future trips, etc.


How to use the checklist?


Ideally, keep this checklist on a platform that lets you duplicate and edit it before each trip, and where you can also check off items and track your progress. The trip starts the moment you begin your checklist! :)


There are tons of platforms where you can create one: a Google Drive spreadsheet, Google Tasks, Notion, OneDrive, etc. Personally, I really like using Asana because it gives me the flexibility to set up all the categories, and I can also include lots of details in each one.


I’m sharing my checklist here as a Google Drive spreadsheet so you can use it as a template and customize it to your liking. I hope this list comes in handy for your next trip. Do you follow any other steps? Would you add anything else?


Enjoy your travels! See you next time!