The travel packing checklist

The things that can stop a trip are not clothes. They are a passport that is too close to expiry, a missing visa, a phone that will not connect, and liquids or medicines that security will not let through. Sort those first, using the official sources linked below, then pack everything else. A printable checklist is at the end of this guide.

Passport and visa checks

Start with your passport, weeks before you fly. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) travel checklist tells travellers to make sure the passport meets the entry requirements of the country they are visiting, and notes that it may need to be valid for a set period after the trip ends.

Those rules vary by destination, so look them up for your own nationality:

• UK travellers: each country page in GOV.UK’s foreign travel advice has an entry requirements section. For example, for Spain and the rest of the Schengen area, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and expire at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
• US travellers: USA.gov points to the State Department’s country information pages, where you will find entry, exit and visa requirements for each destination.
• Everyone else: use your own government’s travel advice service, or the official immigration site of the country you are visiting.

Visas work the same way. The FCDO checklist says to get the correct visa for your destination, and USA.gov notes that many countries require visas for American travellers. If you are heading to Europe, our guide to EES and ETIAS explains the EU’s border systems.

The FCDO also suggests signing your passport, filling in its emergency contacts page, and carrying an extra form of photo ID besides the passport.

Copies, insurance and alerts

Losing a phone or a passport is far easier to deal with when the details are already somewhere else. The FCDO recommends having a backup plan for key information, such as accommodation and flight details, passport details, contact numbers and your insurance policy, either shared with friends or family or stored with a secure online storage service. It also suggests printing your health insurance documents and carrying a copy. If the worst happens, see our guide to a lost passport abroad.

Two more items from the same checklist: get travel insurance as soon as you book, and check that it covers the places, length of stay and activities you have planned.

US citizens can also sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). USA.gov describes it as a free State Department service that sends emails with news, alerts and travel advisories for your destination, and lets the local embassy help family contact you in an emergency.

Money

You do not need a long list here, just a backup. The FCDO advises making sure you can access enough money for unexpected costs or if your main payment method fails, and gives losing your phone and being unable to complete two-factor authentication as an example. In practice that means a second card kept in a different bag from your main one.

For how to avoid foreign transaction and ATM charges, read our guide to card and ATM fees abroad.

Phone, data and calling home

Sort your phone before you leave home, when you still have Wi-Fi and time.

Check your phone is unlocked. Apple says your iPhone cannot be locked to a carrier if you want to use another carrier abroad, and that an unlocked iPhone shows “No SIM Restrictions” next to Carrier Lock in Settings, General, About.

Install a travel eSIM before you fly. Apple notes that supported iPhones can have two eSIMs active at once, for example one for your home number and one for the place you are visiting. A prepaid data eSIM from a store such as Pelesim covers 200+ destinations. You install it at home, and the plan only starts when it first connects at your destination. Pelesim refunds unused eSIMs within 30 days of purchase as long as the eSIM has not been activated. To compare providers for a region, see our lists of the best eSIMs for Europe, Japan, the USA and Thailand, or the unlimited data eSIMs.

Keep your home SIM switched on. On a Dual SIM iPhone, Apple says both numbers can make and receive calls and send and receive SMS messages. That way, text-message login codes, such as two-factor authentication codes, can still reach you. Use the travel eSIM for data, and check your home carrier’s roaming charges before you use your home line for anything else.

Plan how you will call home. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp call contacts who use the same app over the internet. To reach a bank, an airline, a hotel or any landline, use an app that calls the phone network, such as CallTuv. It calls landlines and mobiles in more than 200 countries from a web browser or the mobile app, with pay-as-you-go credit that never expires and no subscription needed. It only makes outgoing calls (it cannot receive calls or texts) and it cannot be used for emergency calls. Our guide on how to call home from abroad covers every option, including roaming and Wi-Fi calling.

Chargers and adapters

Plug types and voltage vary by country, so check your destination before you buy an adapter. Our destination guides each list the local plugs and voltage: Japan, Thailand, Bali, Portugal, Italy, the UAE, the USA and Mexico. Read the input rating printed on each charger and appliance to see whether it accepts the local voltage.

Charge your devices before you go to the airport. GOV.UK warns that on flights to the UK, if a device does not switch on when security asks, you will not be allowed to take it onto the aircraft.

Carry-on liquids rules

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Liquids rules differ by country, and in the UK they also differ by airport. Here is what the official sources say as of October 2026:

Departing from	Container limit	Bag	Main exemptions	Source
United States (TSA)	3.4 ounces (100 ml) per item	One quart-sized bag in your carry-on	Medications, infant and child nourishments	TSA
United Kingdom	100 ml at most airports; some airports allow up to 2 litres	Where required, one transparent resealable bag of up to 1 litre (about 20 cm x 20 cm) per person	Essential medical liquids, special dietary needs, baby food and milk (up to 2 litres at all UK airports)	GOV.UK
European Union	100 ml at most airports; some airports with newer scanners allow up to 2 litres	One transparent bag, up to 1 litre, where the 100 ml rule applies	Medicines and baby food	Your Europe; check your airport

A few details matter:

• UK rules depend on the airport. GOV.UK says to check the rules at the airport you fly from and at any airport you travel through, including on your return journey. You do not have to put liquids in a separate bag at every airport, and frozen liquids are not allowed in hand luggage.
• EU airports: the EU’s Your Europe portal tells travellers to check their airport’s website for a detailed list of prohibited items, or ask their airline.
• Connections abroad: GOV.UK notes that countries outside the UK may have different rules for transit or transfer passengers, so check with the airlines and airports involved.
• Anything larger goes in your checked bag unless your departure airport says otherwise. Both TSA and Your Europe say containers over 100 ml belong in checked baggage.

Medicines

Medicines need the most planning, because NaTHNaC notes that a medicine’s legal status in another country may be different from at home.

• Keep them in your hand luggage. NaTHNaC, the UK’s travel health service, advises carrying medication in hand luggage with some extra in the hold, in its original pharmacy packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a letter from the prescriber.
• Check whether a medicine is allowed. NaTHNaC notes that some countries do not allow certain medicines, or require permission to bring them in, and that this can include medicines sold over the counter. GOV.UK says that if a medicine contains a controlled drug, you should check the rules for your destination with its embassy before you travel, and carry a prescription or a doctor’s letter to prove it is yours.
• Declare liquid medicines at security. TSA allows larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels and aerosols in reasonable quantities for your flight, but you must declare them to officers at the checkpoint.
• Vaccinations: the FCDO suggests checking what vaccinations and health precautions you need at least 8 weeks before you travel.

The printable checklist

Documents

• Passport valid for your destination’s rules (check expiry and, for Schengen, issue date)
• Visa or travel authorisation, if your destination requires one
• A second photo ID
• Travel insurance details, plus a printed copy of health insurance documents
• Backup of passport, bookings and contacts, shared or stored securely online
• STEP registration (US citizens) or your government’s travel alerts

Money

• Main card
• Backup card, packed separately

Phone and electronics

• Phone checked as unlocked
• Travel eSIM installed before departure
• Home SIM kept active for text codes
• A way to call regular numbers abroad
• Chargers, with input ratings checked
• Plug adapter for your destination
• All devices charged before the airport

Carry-on liquids and toiletries

• Liquids sorted by the rules of each airport on your route
• Larger containers moved to checked baggage
• Clear bag, where your airport asks for one

Medicines

• Medicines in original packaging, in hand luggage
• Copy of prescription and a doctor’s letter
• Destination rules checked for controlled or restricted medicines
• Vaccinations checked at least 8 weeks ahead

Once those are done, packing clothes is the easy part.