International travel checklist
Sort out all your documentation before you leave. It’s a good idea to photocopy all your important documents – passport, visas, insurance, flight tickets and so on. Keep one copy for yourself, stored separately from the originals, and give a copy to someone at home.
You may want to send yourself an e-mail with important details, such as the serial numbers for these documents and your bank’s phone number in case of lost or stolen cards. Give your parents or a friend your contact information and an itinerary if you’re going to be moving around.
When you’re travelling, stay safe and trust your instincts about people, places and situations. Be extra aware of who’s around you when you’re in any public place, whether it’s the street or a train. Be careful about who you get in a car with, or let into anywhere where you’re staying. If you’re going off on your own, tell someone where you’re going and check in with them on your return. Take good care of your valuables, including your passport.
When you’re travelling, stay safe and trust your instincts about people, places and situations.
Passport, visa and other documents
Make sure your passport is up to date and doesn’t run out before you’re due to return.
Check whether any of the countries you will be visiting require a visa for entry, as this needs to be arranged well in advance. Some travel agents will organise visas for you; otherwise you should contact relevant foreign consulates or embassies.
You’ll need to organise a work visa if you’re planning to work while you’re abroad (unless you are an EU citizen and it’s in the EU). Many countries offer a Working Holiday Maker visa, which allows you to do unskilled labour. Check with the relevant embassy or consulate. A work visa will take longer to process than a tourist visa and may involve an interview, so leave extra time for this.
- Find out more about picking up casual work as you travel during your gap year
- Explore gap year jobs to apply for before you travel
You may need an international driving permit (IDP). You can pick up a form from your local post office. UK driving licences are accepted in the EU, and some other countries allow you to drive for a limited time. Find out if you need an IDP from a motoring organisation such as the AA or the RAC.
You may also want to investigate buying a rail pass such as an InterRail card.
Money things and insurance
While you’re abroad, you should have some local currency available at all times. In rural areas, cash may be the only accepted form of payment. But avoid carrying around large amounts of cash. Instead, take travellers cheques or use your credit or debit card. You may wish to have an emergency stash – some people recommend sewing notes into your clothes, or sticking them in your shoe. Credit/debit card providers can be suspicious of international transactions, so call your card provider before you set off to let them know that you will be travelling.
Travellers cheques are safer than carrying around money because only you can spend them. Travellers cheques are available from banks, the post office and travel agents in all major currencies. If you’ll be visiting multiple countries, get cheques in either pounds or US dollars. If you’re just going to one country, you could get cheques in the local currency. You can use travellers cheques like money in major shops or exchange them at banks or post offices, though some charge for this. You will need ID such as a passport or driving licence to cash your cheques.
Your normal UK bank account will probably be fine to use abroad. However, ask your bank how much you will be charged for making transactions abroad. There may be different rates for credit and debit cards. You should be able to take money out at most ATMs, but again there may be charges.
If you are living in another country for longer than a few months, you may be able to open a bank account, to avoid transaction costs. Usually, a passport is required and some banks require a letter from your bank in the UK.
Get a relative or close friend to act as second signatory for your UK bank account while you’re away. They will then be able to help with any financial matters, including sending funds to you in an emergency and making credit card payments on your behalf. Ask at your local bank for the relevant forms. Register with online banking to make it easy to monitor your finances, but remember to take proper security precautions when using public computers abroad - ie remove cookies and empty the browser's cache.
You don’t need to worry about tax if you were a student before travelling and you don’t intend to work while you’re travelling. However, if you work in the UK, you will be liable to pay tax and National Insurance contributions – provided you earn enough.
If you intend to work abroad, your wages will probably be taxed by the country you are living in. Ask your employer or contact the tax office in the country concerned.
Save money with a discount card such as the International Youth Travel Card or, if you’re travelling in Europe, the Euro<26 youth card.
You’ll need a secure place to store your valuables – a bum bag or a money pouch to wear under your clothes. It’s best to keep your important possessions with you. Be wary of thieves and bag snatchers.
It’s essential to have insurance when you’re travelling. There are various levels of insurance so research your options. As a minimum, your insurance should cover medical expenses and repatriation, protection against the loss of your passport and other valuable items, and insurance against legal problems. Without insurance, if anything goes wrong, you could end up footing a bill for thousands of pounds.
Optional extras include emergency travel, either for your parents if you have trouble, or for yourself if there’s a problem at home. You may choose to pay extra for protection against lost or damaged luggage. Make sure the insurance covers your entire trip, as renewing can increase the cost. If you plan to take in some extreme sports, read the small print and make sure you’re covered. Some travel companies have annual insurance for gap years.
Staying healthy, safe and in touch
Take steps to protect your health. If you’ll be travelling in Europe, get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If you need medical attention in the EU, the EHIC entitles you to free state health care. This doesn’t mean that you should skip insurance.
If you’re off to a tropical destination, find out if you need any vaccinations. You’ll probably need jabs for yellow fever and hepatitis and may need anti-malarial tablets for protection. Arrange to visit your GP at least six weeks before you leave.
Make arrangements to stay in touch.Check in regularly with your parents or next of kin to let them know you’re OK. Find out where the nearest British embassy is as it should be your first port of call if you do find yourself in trouble. You can find embassy details at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
Investigate your mobile phone options.Many mobile phones these days can be used abroad, but be aware that you will incur large costs and may be charged not only for making calls and text messages, but also for receiving them when you’re away. Check your phone’s handbook or contact your service provider to see whether your phone has coverage in the countries you are visiting, and roaming rates. Before you go, change your phone to international roaming (you can usually do this by contacting your service provider).
If you’re planning to stay in another country for a long time, it may be worth buying a cheap pay-as-you go mobile there. You can also use pay phones and may be able to find an international phone card with reasonable rates.
Many hostels have e-mail capabilities and there are internet cafes in most cities, though connections are not always reliable and can be expensive. You could set up an online journal as a way of staying in touch.
Friends and family may want to send you post while you’re away. If you’re spending your gap year working, you should be told your address before you leave. If you’ll be on the move, ask people to write to you at a hostel you’ve booked to stay at. You may be able to use a poste restante service: letters are sent to a particular post office, and wait there until you come in to ask for them.
If you want your family to open your mail for you while you are away then you need to sign and date a letter of consent before you go. It is technically illegal to open letters not addressed to you.
