The ultimate checklist for travelling abroad on business

Modern technology is great. For most of us, a few tech essentials can see us through an entire trip abroad with ease. But many of us still have a number of other creature comforts that we can’t be without.

Of course, if you fail to pack all the essentials when travelling abroad then you will regret it as soon as you notice what isn’t there.

If you forget your password, you can wave your flight goodbye. Forgot your phone? Well, no Snapchatting back home for you. Left your laptop in a coffee shop? Guess those emails are going to have to wait a while. It’s easy to forget this stuff, even if you are convinced that you could never forget anything so fundamental

The easiest way of avoiding this kind of disaster is to take the time to write a checklist. Yeah, making lists is boring. But, boring or not, making a list before you go will make it considerably easier to remember everything that you need. This is a guide to the most essential items to take on your next business trip abroad.

Your documents

This is by far the most important thing to remember when you travel abroad. If you don’t have the right documents with you then it’s possible you will find yourself unable to travel at all. You need to ensure that your passport is going to be valid during the time you will be travelling abroad. Check your passport as early as possible to make sure that you have time to renew it if necessary.

If you need an urgent passport renewal appointment, you can apply for a fast track passport via this site. If you need an emergency passport, you can opt for a same day passport service too. Select your nearest passport office and make an appointment.

In addition to making sure that you have a valid passport, you will also want to make sure that you have records of all your bookings and travel documents. This includes your reservations with airlines and hotels, as well as any car rental information. Always having this information available will ensure you can avoid any nasty surprises and won’t have to worry about misplacing them.

Laptop or tablet

Believe it or not, there was a time when taking your work on holiday with you would have been unthinkable. Today, most of us seem to be expecting to work in our time off. Whether you just need to be able to respond to emails or you need to be able to connect to a corporate network, you will need a laptop or tablet with you that can meet your demands.

If you are travelling abroad to a conference or similar event where you will be giving a presentation, your devices may well be even more important. If you forget to bring the device or storage that contains the data you need while you’re away, it’s possible there’s still a way out. By using cloud storage for your most important files, you can ensure that you are able to access them from your smartphone whenever you need them.

Finally, if you will be travelling to a region of the world that uses a different design for their power plugs, you will need a travel adapter

Phone

Forgetting your phone is, without a doubt, among the worst things that can possibly happen to a person in the modern world. The severity of the situation will depend entirely on where you leave your phone and how far it is from you. If you have left your phone in the coffee shop at the airport before you’ve boarded your plane, that’s not so bad. If you’ve left it in the coffee shop and already boarded your plane, you might be in trouble.

You don’t just need to bring your phone with you when travelling abroad you need to ensure that you remember to take it with you wherever you go. Forgetting your phone can be absolutely disastrous when you are in a foreign country. It is, therefore, a good idea to pack a cheap pay as you go phone that you can use in the event of your main phone being lost or stolen.

Whether you own an Android or an iOS device, you can install apps that enable you to track your phone and will make it simple to locate and recover your device if it is lost or stolen. Again, using cloud storage means that you can back up your contacts list online, allowing you to restore the backup when you need to repopulate your contacts list.

Wi-Fi access

Different countries around the world will have different levels of mobile data coverage and availability of public Wi-Fi hotspots. If you need to be able to get online while you are away, you will want to make sure to research the situation before you go. You should be able to find plenty of information online about what public Wi-Fi access is like near where you will be staying.

Wi-Fi isn’t just essential for ensuring that you are able to access your corporate files and network, it is needed if you are going to use your smartphone GPS to find your way around. If you are going to be going somewhere where there aren’t many public Wi-Fi hotspots, you might want to look into buying yourself a dongle that enables you to connect your laptop to the internet through mobile data networks.

If you are going somewhere where you won’t have much internet access at all, you will want to ensure that you know where you’re going and what you’re doing without having to refer to any of your electronic devices. That means printing directions out if you need to refer to them and ensuring that you know off the top of your head where you can find public transport and other important services.

Clothing

If you have never been to the destination you are going to, make sure that you check what to expect in terms of the weather. You will need to have clothes appropriate for all the potential weather conditions you might experience. Being too hot or too cold isn’t just uncomfortable, it can end up causing health issues.

If you are going somewhere very hot, make sure that you choose loose and light clothing, in addition to drinking plenty of water, of course. It is also a good idea to have a hat and sunglasses with you. If you suffer from hay fever, pack some antihistamines as well.

On the other hand, if you are going to be going somewhere colder, you will want to make sure that you have enough clothes to keep you warm for the duration of your trip. At the same time, packing lots of thick and heavy clothes will increase the size and weight of your luggage. It is better to pack lots of thin and light clothes that you can layer up.

If you will be meeting business contacts while travelling, you may also need to pack some more formal wear with you.

Next time you are travelling abroad on business, make sure that you have made a checklist of everything you need. The above checklist will help you to remember the essentials; just don’t forget the stuff that’s important to you. Only you know what you need.