For ANY “Out of Country” travel

Here is a helpful list of things to do in advance:.

1.      CHECK EXPIRATION DATE ON YOUR PASSPORT.  It is pretty standard that if it is to expire within 6 months of your travel date, you may be denied entry into the country(ies).  So, look into this way ahead of time to allow for the due process, should you have to renew.

2.  In conjunction with #1….IF you do have to renew your passport, but have already booked flights and/or accommodations, and you had to provide your [current/soon to expire] passport information upon booking, you will need to go back into those bookings to enter the new passport number.

3.  In conjunction with #1 & 2, many smaller European hotels, guest houses, Bed and Breakfasts, or even sometimes Airbnbs take a photocopy of your (and all your guests’)  passport(s). This is a common procedure, so don’t be alarmed if this happens.

4.    REVIEW ALL DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR ENTERING THE COUNTRIES.  Some countries require additional documentation, such as a Travel Visa,  beyond an accepted passport.  You can verify this at their government or travel and tourism websites, or even with your airline.

5.   REVIEW HEALTH REQUIREMENTS.  Some countries may require certain types of vaccinations (this was a thing long before Covid). Allow for enough time to book your medical apts should you need any of these AND recovery/take effect time from them.

6.      CAR RENTALS

WHICH RENTAL COMPANY TO USE? I recommend using a reputable company that is on YOUR home soil (ie: if Canadian or American, perhaps Budget or Avis, and they are actually affiliated).

www.avis.ca   www.avis.com   www.budget.ca   www.budget.com

This is because if there are any issues, you will be able to more easily speak with a representative to help you clear things up once you are home (or even while still there). If you are thinking of booking local companies at your destination, USE CAUTION, THOROUGHLY RESEARCH, and READ CUSTOMER REVIEWS. Often, when you book accommodations, they will include recommendations and links to local car “hires” with discount codes for bookings, but when I looked into these options and read the reviews, I realized it was probably safest to stay away. The prices might look super cheap, initially, but when you read the policies and customer reviews at length, there are a lot of hidden costs and undocumented things that get charged (ie: supposed damages to the vehicle etc…) that will be very hard to argue when language and distance is a factor.  On that note:  When picking up AND returning the car, take a video of the interior and exterior so you have proof of its condition, should there be  false allegations of any damages you are not responsible for or that are simply fabricated.

INSURANCE- It is highly likely your own policy won’t cover overseas rentals, so read up on the policies that are offered either through 3rd party or direct booking. They will often try to “upsell” insurance once you are at the check-in desk, so have a good grasp of what your pre-purchased plan offers.

HOLD FEES- Whether you pay in advance OR pay at the desk, understand that there are varying fees that require a HOLD on your credit card (seen as “pending”) until you return the car and until the hold is released (which can take anywhere from several business days to weeks). This is ABOVE AND BEYOND what you are already paying for your rental and insurance etc… . Each place varies in what they will hold, so ENSURE YOUR CREDIT CARD HAS PLENTY OF ROOM ON IT (because you can’t access that held amount until it is cleared).  These holds can range from $250 to $2000!!! You may not even be aware of the amount because of foreign currency listed in the contract that you sign at the desk before driving off with the car, so check your credit card daily to see such costs as they get posted at the exchanged amount.

–EXTRA FEES:  If you don’t want to be the only driver, you can add an additional driver for an extra fee (it’s not too bad. Avg about $15/day).  This will get added to your final bill after returning the car, if you had pre-paid for your rental.  As well, if you take any TOLL ROADS, in MOST CASES (ALWAYS CONFIRM AT THE DESK), all of these charges will conveniently get billed to the car rental company, so you don’t have to worry about paying as you go.And finally, if you get any PARKING TICKETS and you don’t pay them there (via on-line services), these will also get added to your final bill.  

– RULES OF THE ROAD: Research them in advance for your respective countries. Which side to drive on? Single lane road etiquette? Toll roads? What qualifies as a major road? (ie: you may have to rent a specially qualified SUV if you plan on going to more obscure, remote locations that take you off road or onto dirt or gravel). What do the road signs MEAN?? There are all sorts of “new to you” signs that you don’t want to have to try and interpret on the fly. 

–AUTOMATIC VS MANUAL transmission. IMPORTANT:  Automatic cars are hard to come by in the European car rental market, so if you need that, book as far in advance as possible to ensure getting one. As well, when booking COMPACT cars, which is really all you will need if you plan to stay ON MAJOR, PAVED ROADS (as well, they are more economical as “petrol” is expensive), they can truly only hold a few pieces of luggage (ex: two small carry-ons in the trunk and whatever you can fit onto the back seat). If you are traveling with more than 2 people, you will probably want to book a larger car.

7.      DATA PLANS! Depending on what your cell provider offers, you may want to look into downloading an e-sim for your vacation.  Esims work exactly like the physical sim cards. It used to be the “thing to do” upon airport arrival to go to a kiosk and buy one, then change out your phone’s sim for the local one. The problem with that is…what if you LOSE your phone’s sim?  ALL your memories are on it.  I, personally, am not willing to chance that, especially since they are so teeny tiny and would be an easy thing to do.  You can buy different esim packages that best suit your needs (ie:  7 days; 15 days; 30 days…) and you can even keep your primary sim turned on while using the downloaded one, should you want to take emergency calls from home. There are various options and best of all, all is done DIGITALLY.  I used AIROLO  https://airalo.tp.st/NKdH9OjD  and have downloaded several different esims from them, which permanently stay in my phone. Now, when I travel, I find the esim I want to use in my settings (once they are downloaded, they are there permanently unless you deliberately delete them), depending on what country and what type of trip (multi-city/country, use a GLOBAL ESIM. Staying in one place, use a LOCAL ESIM, etc…) and I “top up” the plan.  There are quite a few instructions for set-up, but they’re not hard to follow. Trust me, if I can figure this out, ANYONE can. 

8.   ENTERTAINMENT.  Depending on what airline you fly with, there may not be an in-flight entertainment system.  If you are trying to travel lightly, then I recommend the following: a)  DOWNLOAD some tv shows or movies into your phone or electronic device in advance. You don’t have to use data to watch these when you are in the air.  b)  By using your local LIBRARY CARD, you can also download tv shows, movies, books, magazines etc… for FREE. 

9.    TRAVEL INSURANCE. IF you don’t have “out of country” insurance with your provider, make sure to buy a package.  You can easily do so at your bank or via services on-line, or sometimes  through the airline or your credit card.

10.   CREDIT CARD. Some credit card companies like to be notified before you travel.  If this is the case, make sure you do so, as when they see activities, they might block your card (in an effort to protect you) and you won’t know this is happening until you are actually there. It takes some effort to get that cleared up and you can avoid this unnecessary frustration by just calling them to let them know of your plans.

11.     COPIES OF DOCUMENTS AND CARDS.  Make paper copies of all important documents and cards and leave them in a folder at home and tell someone where these are. As well, take pictures of these, and keep in your secure folder in your phone AND/OR share them with your traveling companions.

12.    SHARE YOUR ITINERARY AND ACCOMMODATION AND FLIGHT/FERRY/TRAIN/BUS INFO.  As above, share this with someone back home so that your whereabouts are known in case of emergencies.

NOW, you can start packing (see lists!) and you will soon be ALL SET FOR TAKE OFF!!!!