Do These 5 Things Before your First (or Next) International Trip!

Now, more than ever, you'll want to make sure you don't run into any mishaps on your next international trip because imagine if, given the way the country is headed, the reason you can’t leave is because of…

YOU!!!

So read on for five things you should definitely do before boarding your next flight! Plus a bonus!

1. Check the entry & exit requirements

If you're a U.S. citizen, you may be painfully aware that these days, the U.S. passport no longer holds as much weight in the visa-free travel game. In 2025, we are ranked 9th in the world by the Passport Index, and 12th by the Henley Passport Index. Now out of 197 countries, this may not sound that bad, until you consider we are actually behind over 30 other countries like Singapore, South Korea, Japan, the entire E.U., the U.A.E., and more. Can you believe the U.S. was tied for #1 in 2014 and has dropped in ranking each year since?!

Our passport privilege is shrinking before our eyes!! I “wonder” why….

But no matter which country you're from, it's always a good idea to check your federal government's website to see the latest travel advisories and entry/exit requirements for the country you’re visiting. It should also link you to their government’s / visa application site.

Visas must be applied for and approved in advance of your flight and typically require:

1. a valid passport that’s NOT expiring within 3-6 months (depending on the country)

2. a passport-style photo

3. information on your intended visit

4. background on your family

5. financial statements, and

6. a non-refundable fee.

Visas can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks to be approved, so don’t wait until the last minute!! Finally visa coverage can range from single entry to multiple-entry for a set period of time.

You'll likely need to show the visa to an airline agent before checking in. During my 9-month solo travels around Asia, I had to apply for visas for India (5 year visa with max stay of 180 days per year for $80), Laos (single entry for ~$40 cash at the land border) and Vietnam (3-month visa for ~$25).

Shockingly, I didn't even need to apply for China, thanks to their 240-hour visa-free transit policy for qualified nationalities! (How the U.S. made the cut, I'll never know, but I'm grateful!) The process is basically to simply apply for a 240-hour transit visa on arrival. Also you must have proof of onward travel to another country aka NOT roundtrip aka NOT back to the country from which you flew in! I repeat, you cannot book a roundtrip flight from the US to China and back! Also, the day you land doesn’t count towards the 10 day limit (yay!) Just make sure you leave ON day 10. For longer stays, you'll need a proper visa, and I hear that process is painful (you even need to turn your passport in for that one!)

Finally, some countries may simply require a visa-on-arrival or an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) to be completed before entering the country which are generally less stressful. For these, you simply give details about your inbound/outbound flights and intended purpose and residence while in the country. You may or may not need to show the ETA to an agent before checking in or boarding your flight, but definitely will at immigration when you land, and you may also need to show proof of onward travel either to the agent and/or at immigration.

Projected for late 2026, U.S. citizens will need to obtain an ETIAS for €20 to enter countries in the European Union. And trust me, it's NOT a big deal, and it's not just targeting the U.S. It's also a LOT cheaper than what THEY may have to pay to come to the U.S.

2. Check the weather!

This might seem obvious, but the amount of times I've had people ask me how the weather is in XYZ country when 1. I'm no longer there and 2. they're going during a completely different time of year, is baffling to me. Because you know what I do? I Google it, and then tell them "Google says THIS :) "

But yes, always check the weather, especially in tropical countries. Just because it's always hot doesn't mean the weather is conducive to a worthwhile travel experience. Central America and Southeast Asia have their rainy / monsoon seasons from May to October, which not only brings high rainfall, but high chance of floods, mudslides, power outages, and water-borne illnesses. And THIS may be why those flights you found were OMG SOOOO CHEAP!!

And then there's the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed. So winters in the U.S. are summers in most of South America (Brazil, Peru, Argentina, etc.), some of Africa, and Australia / New Zealand. And yes, I can guarantee there are people who have traveled south in December with cable-knit sweaters, puffer coats, and boots. Sure, only 32 of 195 countries are in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's easy to forget. Maybe it's engrained in me because I check the weather every day, even when I’ve made plans not to set foot outside all weekend. But yes, even Bali (just south of the Equator) has its monsoon season opposite of the rest of Southeast Asia, from November to April!

3. Check for any immunization recommendations

This may also not be a common occurrence, but do check if you may want to get vaccinated or carry medication for your trip. The one time I did this was for my trip to Kenya (my first trip to Africa), and boy was it expensive...I'm talking over $400 in meds and jabs! While it may not be required, i.e. no one at immigration will ask for paperwork unless you're traveling from a high-risk country, it's for your own safety and peace of mind.

For Kenya, it seemed most doctors and bloggers agreed I should carry malaria pills (taken a few days before, during, and after the trip), and get shots for yellow fever, hepatitis (A or B?), TDaP, and typhoid. I did carry proof of these, especially the yellow fever card. Apparently, vaccines are also recommended in some parts of South America, but I've never done them, nor has anyone I know except one person who's generally extremely cautious in life.

4. Make sure your cards are foreign-friendly

First, I always carry 2-3 credit cards and 1-2 debit cards when I travel. Then, while I'm out and about in town, I take one credit card with me, as well as a debit card or cash, and leave the rest in my room.

Now while banks are becoming smarter at identifying fraudulent transactions, it doesn't hurt to set up a travel alert with them in advance to avoid any potential interruption in your card usage while abroad. Search their website for “travel alerts” or call in.

Also, Discover and American Express are not as common outside the U.S., so I recommend carrying a Visa or Mastercard, ideally a credit card with zero foreign transaction fees. You see, many credit cards charge an extra 1-5% on transactions made abroad in foreign currency.

My go-to travel credit card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. In addition to no foreign transaction fees, I get 2x points on travel purchases, 5x points on travel booked through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, 5x points on Lyft rides, complimentary one-year Doordash Dashpass membership, $50 annual credit on hotels booked through Chase Travel, a 10% anniversary points bonus on my total purchases for the previous year, and much more with its Visa Signature benefits! It comes with a reasonable annual fee of $95, which pays for itself if you travel often or use it for all your purchases to rack up points! It's also much cheaper than the $795 Chase Sapphire Reserve, although that one has tons of even greater benefits. If either sounds good to you, apply through my referral link for some bonus points when you're approved! :)

But, I'd say my even bigger game-changer is my Charles Schwab debit card. With it, I can withdraw foreign currency from any ATM world-wide and have the ATM fees automatically reimbursed at the end of each billing cycle. Just make sure to always select DECLINE THE CONVERSION at the ATM to avoid additional fees that Schwab doesn't cover.

The debit card also has zero foreign transaction fees for purchases! So if you’re not into credit cards, this is the way to go! You must open a Schwab Brokerage account and link it, BUT there’s no minimum balance required on either account! I promise I’m paying zero fees. You can use my referral link to sign up for a Schwab Investor Checking Account and get $100-1000 when you deposit $25K or more.

5. Learn how not to be a jerk!

Yes, YOU!

While Americans are definitely not the only ones known for being annoying tourists, we are notorious for coming across as entitled in other countries: expecting everyone to speak English, being the loudest one in the room, or thinking we're above local laws because it's legal back home (Did you know chewing gum is illegal in Singapore?).

But YOU can be better! YOU can learn and abide by the local laws. YOU can learn some key phrases in the local language ("hello", "please", "thank you", and "toilet" will get you farther than you think). YOU can emulate local customs: stand on the left and walk on the right of the escalator, line up neatly to board trains, and make sure that only your friends at your dinner table (and not the entire restaurant) know about Tom's divorce.

Also, don't expect things to run the same way they do back home. The manager is probably not going to accept your return without a receipt or refund your drink because you didn't like it even though you drank half of it already. A few other things that surprised me in Asia: when making a return to GU in Hong Kong, I had to bring the item back to the same store location; I couldn’t bring it to the GU store that happen to be closer to me. In South Korea, in order to do a partial return, they had to refund everything and ring it up again without the refunded item (I thought the guy was new at his job, but this happened to me twice, so I guess that's just how it works there).

When in doubt, watch what the locals do. When I spent three months in East Asia, I noticed time and again that women at the beach were fully clothed; the least they'd wear is a one-piece swimsuit with shorts. It was in South Korea that I finally asked someone on the beach if wearing a bikini would be offensive. She told me no, people do it for sun protection. Only then did I feel a little less self-conscious and take a brief dip in the ocean in my bikini.

Me, maybe.

Bonus tip!

I mentioned it briefly in the visa application process, but this is true regardless of whether or not you need a visa: DO ensure that your passport is not expiring within 3-6 months of your travels! Most countries will NOT let you enter if this is the case, and your gate agent probably won’t let you board your flight either, and that would be devastating, I know.

And that's it! Do you feel more prepared for your next trip? Is there anything else you'd add to this list? Leave a comment or question below!

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