Ultimate Travel Prep: All the Legal Stuff

Ah, the sweet daydream of travel; sipping cocktails on the beach, exploring cobblestone streets, or finally ticking that epic adventure off your bucket list. But before you swap your office chair for a hammock, there’s a little less glamorous side to getting ready for takeoff, and that’s all the travel preparation that’s not so much fun 🙁

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Updated Passport: An Essential Travel Preparation

First and foremost, you can’t leave on your vacation without a valid passport. Most countries require all entrants to have a valid passport for up to six months after arrival. Since most governments now issue passports for 5, 10, and sometimes 20 years, this should no longer be an issue.

Visa Entry Requirements

Once you have your trip booked, it’s important to check the website of the destination for their visa entry requirements. Many times this can be completed in advance of your arrival (and should be), but often it can be done prior to clearing customs in the destination country.

If you’ve booked your trip through a travel agent, she will look into the visa requirements for you.

Just One Tip: The US now has an entry fee for most countries of $250.00 US Dollars. Canadian citizens are not required to obtain a visa, however, Canadian “residents” are required to obtain a visa.

Health, Cancellation, and Trip Interruption Insurance

Prior to COVID, many travellers would forgo insurance. However, now that flights are unpredictable, it’s always recommended that insurance be purchased. Imagine something unforseen happens to a loved one back home, or God forbid something happened to you while you’re travelling? With trip interruption insurance, expenses will be covered in the event that you have to return early.

Life Insurance

Life insurance definitely isn’t a necessity when travelling. However, it is important that you do have some form of savings that can be accessed by your Attorney in the event that a catestrophic incident occurs.

Wills and Powers of Attorney

Let’s face it – if you’re old enough to travel, you should already have a Will and Power of Attorney in place. Surprisingly, this is not the case! As a life-long employee in the legal professional, it’s my view that Powers of Attorney, both for property and healthcare, are essential when travelling.

The Power of Attorney for Property will allow your Attorney to access your bank account and speak on your behalf while your abroad. The Power of Attorney for Healthcare, will allow your attorney to make decisions regarding your health should this be needed when you’re in a foreign country.

A copy of both of these documents should be left with the Attorney, or in the alternative, advise the Attorney where a copy is should he or she need them.

Up-To-Date Immunizations

The majority of foreign countries have the same immunization requirements as we do in North America, however not all of them do. In some instances, you may be required to get immunized for yellow fever and other easily transimitted diseases. In other countries, you may be required to provide proof that your vaccinations are up-to-date.

Notify Credit Card Companies As Part of Your Travel Preparation

Notifying your credit card company when travelling abroad is extremely important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, if you’re anything like me, you will use your credit card extensively when travelling. The last thing you want is for your credit card company to decline a purchase because it appears “suspicious”. Secondly, they will be on the lookout for any fraudulent charges made back home while you’re away.

Notify Government

This is an extremely important step that the majority of travellers skip. With the state of world affairs these days, it’s important that your government know that you are in a foreign country. This will assist the government in locating you in the event of civil unrest in the destination country, or worse. Make sure that you register your foreign travel with your government before leaving to your destination.

Prepare Your Home For Travel

Preparing my home for travel is my least favourite part of travel prep, but it’s an important step when travelling for any length of time. The following are some arrangements to take into consideration before leaving home:

Pass On Your Itinerary & Legal Stuff

It’s important to remember that even though you’re travelling and having the time of your life, things can and do happen. Before leaving, make sure that you’ve left a copy of your itinerary with a trusted family member or friend. The itinerary should include:

Extra Travel Preparation

Now that you have all of the legal travel preparation out of the way, it’s time to confirm all of your travel particulars.

This is one of the benefits of using a travel agent. She will take care of all of this for you

Essential Travel Preparation: In Conclusion

So as you can see, travel preparation isn’t just about packing your bags. It’s also about taking care of the important legal details that give you peace of mind while you’re away. While these steps definitely aren’t fun, they are essential to ensure you have a stress-free travel experience.

What about you? Do you have any must-do legal or practical travel preparation tips? Share your thoughts in the comments. I’d love to hear your advice!

Safe Travels 🙂

SAVE POST FOR YOUR TRAVELS