Your Ultimate Pre-Flight Checklist

So you’ve finally booked that plane ticket, cleared your schedule, and you’ll soon be jet-setting overseas for a well-deserved holiday! Happy days! 

...or stressful ones? We know that despite the excitement of traveling, the departure process can be pretty anxiety-inducing. More often than not, it involves frantically running through your mental to-do list of what to pack and prep:

- Where’s my passport?

- Have I checked in properly?

- Did I leave any food in the fridge that’ll evolve into a mould civilisation whilst I’m away?

If this sounds familiar, we’re here to help! We’ve put together this little pre-flight travel checklist to help you get to the airport and onto your plane smoothly. 

Well In Advance

• Make sure your passport is up to date and won’t expire while you’re overseas.
• Check the visa requirements for your trip! It can take some time to organise the documents, so leave yourself plenty of time. Also double check your passport expiry date, as this might affect your entry to certain countries.
• Get travel insurance. Come on, you know this is absolutely essential. 
• Notify your bank of your travel dates (so they don’t block your card for suspicious activity!).
• Make sure your phone is unlocked so you can use your travel SIM!
• Buy any relevant travel adaptors.
• Double check the dates for your flights and hotels. This sounds redundant, but trust us, mistakes do happen!
• It’s often handy to withdraw some local currency in advance so you have cash on arrival. 

The Day Before

• Double check the baggage weight and size restrictions for the airline/s you’re flying with. You can cop some hefty fees at the airport otherwise!
• Take photos on your phone or making photocopies of your passport, travel insurance and essential documents, just in case.
• Charge your phone, kindle, battery pack and any electronic gadgets you need during your trip. 
• Pack your lip balm, noise cancelling headphones, a shawl or scarf (it gets cold on planes!), any medication you need, a toothbrush, toothpaste, a book and maybe even a spare change of clothes (in case your suitcase gets lost!) in your carry-on bag. 
• If you’re flying with a carry on bag, make sure you don’t have any liquids over 100ml in there & have liquids/gels inside a clear ziplock bag. Also double check you haven’t left a pair of scissors or a rogue machete in there - that goes in your check in bag.

Before Leaving Your House

• Check in online to skip the airport queues.
• Make sure you have all your important documents in one easy-to-access place. This includes things like your passport, flight details, accommodation/hotel details, relevant contact details for tours, etc. 
• Confirm your airport transfer if you have one organised for your arrival.
• If you’re flying with a laptop, make sure it’s easy to remove from your carry-on as you’ll need to take it out when you go through security. 
• Take out the bins and clear any perishables out of your fridge.
• Give yourself a margin to get to the airport - you never know what traffic will be like.
• Pop your travel SIM card in your hand luggage! You can swap it into your phone just before you touch down at your destination. 

Then - assuming you’ve gotten yourself to the airport on time, checked in your luggage, gone through security to your gate and have boarded your flight - sit back, relax, and enjoy whatever little packet of peanuts or crackers the air hostesses will inevitably be bringing around. 

Have an epic holiday!