Foreign Travel Checklist

Documents are what most trips come unstuck on, and every item on this list has a lead time. Work through it well before your departure date rather than in the week of the flight.

Keep the originals somewhere you can reach throughout the journey (a wallet or a small document pouch you carry on you) and never in checked luggage.

• Passport, check the expiry date early, and confirm the validity your destination requires, since a renewal takes time
• A valid visa for every country you enter, including any country you only transit through
• Printed airline tickets, some countries ask to see a return or onward ticket at immigration
• Printed hotel bookings and travel reservations
• Photo identity proof such as a driving licence, plus your insurance card; leave cards you will not use at home
• A few passport-size photographs, useful for local passes, permits and applications
• A written list of emergency contact numbers, kept separately from your phone

Arrange your foreign exchange before you travel rather than at the airport. Doing it in advance gives you a wider choice of currencies, time to get your documents in order, and a counter that is not rushing you towards a boarding gate.

A traveller may be sold physical foreign currency, notes and coins counted together, only up to the equivalent of USD 3,000, so for most trips the balance of your entitlement goes onto a prepaid forex card. Plan for both: a small amount of cash for arrival, a taxi, a SIM card, a meal, and the rest loaded on the card.

Keep an emergency reserve of cash somewhere separate from your wallet, so a lost bag does not leave you with nothing.

• Foreign currency notes for arrival and small local payments
• A prepaid travel or forex card for the larger part of your budget
• Your Indian debit or credit card, with your bank told in advance that you are travelling
• The card provider's customer-service number, noted down separately from the card itself

Source: Reserve Bank of India, Master Direction on Money Changing Activities.

Vaccination requirements and insurance both need arranging early, some vaccines are given in a course of doses weeks apart.

• Travel insurance valid for the entire duration of the trip, including any extension you may make
• Vaccinations required or recommended for your destination, arranged well ahead of travel
• Prescription medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription
• A small first-aid kit: pain relief, cold and decongestant medication, anti-diarrhoeal, antiseptic, anti-itch cream and mosquito repellent

Check the weather expected at each place on your itinerary before deciding what to take, a single trip can cross more than one climate.

• Clothing for the expected weather, plus rain protection, a compact umbrella or a raincoat
• Toiletries, shaving and cosmetic items, deodorant, shampoo and contact-lens supplies
• Phone and charger, a plug adaptor and voltage converter for the destination, camera and spare batteries
• Travel alarm clock, torch, and a hair dryer if your accommodation does not provide one
• Comfortable slippers or indoor shoes, and a day backpack

• Pause newspaper delivery and arrange for post to be collected
• Clear out food that will spoil while you are away
• Arrange for someone to water plants and look after pets
• Carry only the keys you actually need, and leave the rest at home
• Tag every bag with your name, address and telephone number

If a bag is stolen or a passport goes missing, what makes the difference is whether someone at home can send you a copy within the hour.

• Your itinerary, with flight numbers, dates and hotel contact details
• Copies of the photo and visa pages of your passport, and of your travel insurance policy
• A duplicate set of house keys

We exchange foreign currency and issue or reload prepaid forex cards in person at our three Hyderabad branches, Kukatpally, Madinaguda and Gachibowli. Bring your passport, PAN card and ticket, and the counter can confirm exactly what your trip needs.

If you come back with unused notes, we buy back eligible foreign currency with just your passport and PAN card, so you are not left holding money you cannot spend. We exchange notes only, in both directions, so spend or set aside any loose coins before you fly home.

Call the branch nearest you before you travel to us, so we can confirm currency and card availability for your destination.