Skip to Content

Essential Travel Documents: What to Pack for an International Trip

Share this!:

International Travel Packing List Essential DocumentsWelcome to Day 3 of Packing Week at Trips With Tykes!  Be sure not to miss the other posts in this series below:


Today’s list is all about paperwork.  If you are like me, you’ve probably gone largely electronic in your daily life.  When taking international trips, however, a little old-fashioned paper is still a necessity.  Before you plan to travel abroad, use this list of essential paperwork you might need in your travels to plan.

Identification Documents

  1. Passport
  2. Passport copies (pack separately from your passport in case of loss)
  3. Driver’s license
  4. International driving permit (some countries will not accept a U.S. driver’s license and an IDP is require)
  5. Student ID card
  6. Visa & supporting documents

Montreal Notre Dame Hotel PointsMoney

  1. Traveler’s Checks (& serial numbers stored separately)
  2. Cash (local & US)
  3. ATM Card
  4. Credit card
  5. Currency conversion pocket cheat sheet

Travel Documents

  1. Airline boarding passes
  2. Reservation printouts (airline, hotel, car rental, etc.)
  3. Attraction tickets or confirmations
  4. Rail passes
  5. Cruise documentation

Medical & Emergencies

  1. Important contact numbers and addresses for emergencies (family/friends, embassy details, local hospitals)
  2. Prescription information (it is often best to travel with a doctor’s letter explaining what each prescription is)
  3. Vaccination records (a few countries may require proof of vaccination, particularly for yellow fever in endemic regions)

Everything Else

  1. Parental consent letter (When one parent is traveling alone with a child, a notarized letter of consent from the other parent may be required to enter.  Check country-specific requirements, but I always travel with one just in case.)
  2. Business cards
  3. Stationery & envelopes

International Travel Paperwork Packing List

Share this!:

25 Awesome Packing Lists for Every Kind of Family Travel - Trips With Tykes

Friday 11th of December 2015

[…] Essential Travel Documents to PackĀ for an International Trip from Trips With Tykes […]

amywhitley

Friday 14th of August 2015

Glad you included the consent letter from the other parent...I've forgotten that more than once, and it's not pretty! I've found I never need traveler's checks anymore, however. You?

tripswithtykes

Monday 24th of August 2015

I haven't needed traveler's checks the past few times either. Although I know some people prefer to carry them just in case, particularly if they don't carry a lot of credit cards.