1. Organize Important Travel Documents

Your passport is your most important document when traveling internationally. It’s essential to ensure that it’s valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates. Make two copies of your passport identification page in case your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy with a relative and carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

A Visa may be needed to enter your destination country. New for 2025: U.S. citizens traveling to the UK for short visits, tourism, or business need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) if they don’t have a UK visa or legal residency.  Approvals typically take less than three business days.

Your Travel Itinerary should be handy at all times. Keep digital copies of your itinerary, flight, and hotel confirmations, along with contact information for the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in the country you’re visiting.

2. Download Essential Mobile Apps

In addition to Google Maps, TripAdvisor, and Uber or Lyft, consider these free apps that can help make your trip a little easier:

Your Airline app to receive flight updates and checked luggage status, submit standby requests, and rebook your flight if you’re delayed or canceled.

Convertr+ to convert currencies and easily access other conversions such as Celsius to Fahrenheit, kilometers to miles, liters to ounces, etc.

Duolingo to help you learn the basics of a foreign language.

Smart Traveler to access the State Department’s free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to assist you and help others reach you in an emergency.

TripCase to help you create a trip itinerary that can include flights, accommodations, rental cars, restaurant reservations, and more.

GetYourGuide to book tours and tickets in the world’s bucket-list destinations.

3. Inform Your Bank and Credit Card Companies

Notify your financial institutions of the locations you will be visiting and the dates you will be there. Alerting your bank and credit card companies to unexpected activity can help avoid account freezes. An Identity Protection plan can provide peace of mind and can save you hours and months of follow-up should your information be compromised.

Bring ample cash, credit cards, or debit cards since some destinations may have limited ATM access or may not accept certain forms of payment.

4. Prepare for Medical Emergencies

Know the name and location of urgent care centers and hospitals near your destination, and don’t leave home without your medical insurance cards. Take photos of insurance cards for each traveler and keep them on your digital device. Each traveler should also have a valid ID (REAL ID drivers’ license or other state ID).

5. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance.

It can make all the difference between enjoying your trip and stressing over mishaps.  Travel insurance provides financial protection for your trip deposits and balances as well as your health and safety.

Our Travel insurance plans provide coverage for trip cancellations, trip interruptions, medical expenses, emergency evacuations, global medical transports, and more. The plans also provide 24-hour traveler assistance services to help you with emergency situations that might arise during your trip. Buy early, ideally when booking your trip, to help ensure you’ll be covered for pre-trip cancellations and pre-existing conditions.

Learn more about Travel insurance.