- Install your eSIM at home, do not search for one once you land.
- Get travel insurance early, not at the last minute.
- Book your transfer in advance instead of improvising at the airport.
- Save copies of key documents as photos or scans in the cloud.
- Have your hotel address saved somewhere that works offline.
Every time we pack in a hurry, something ends up missing. Not the charging cable or the sunglasses, almost everyone remembers those. It is the less obvious things that only become clear once you are already there, usually at the worst possible moment.
After a few lessons like that, we put together a list that we now go through before every trip, before we even leave the house. We are sharing it here because it would be a shame to keep making the same mistakes.
The last look inside the case before it closes
Internet sorted before landing
This was our most expensive lesson. We landed late at night, no signal on our phones, and spent half an hour looking for an open shop selling SIM cards. These days we install an eSIM at home, it takes about five minutes, and the internet works before we even leave the plane.
Tested by us Compare eSIM providers →Insurance, not at the last minute
Travel insurance is one of those things you do not think about until you need it. The problem is, if you buy it in a rush right before departure, it is easy to miss an important detail in the terms. Better to sort it out calmly a few days in advance.
Transfer booked before landing
Standing in a taxi queue after a long flight, with luggage, a tired kid, or no local cash, is not a situation where you feel like hunting for the best price. A transfer booked in advance usually costs about the same, but the driver is waiting with a sign and it is one less thing to deal with.
A copy of your documents in the cloud
Passport, insurance policy, hotel booking, car rental confirmation, all as a photo or scan on your phone or in your inbox. Sounds obvious, until the paper version gets lost.
Small bottles you only miss once you have forgotten them
Checked the weather for the whole week
It is not about constantly refreshing the forecast, but it is worth checking the whole week before you pack. We have packed too few warm clothes more than once because we only checked the day of departure.
Some local currency on hand
Even if most places take cards, it is worth having some cash for the first few hours, a taxi, coffee, a tip. The ATM at the airport does not always give the best rate.
Address saved offline
The address of your hotel or apartment should be saved somewhere that works without internet, a note on your phone, a photo of the booking confirmation. The network does not always work the moment you step off the plane.
A plan for the first two hours
You do not need to plan the whole trip minute by minute, but it helps to know what to do right after landing, where to go, how to get there. Those first two hours are often the most chaotic if there is no plan.
All of this sounds obvious, until one of these things is missing at the worst possible moment. Ten minutes of preparation at home can save a lot of stress once you get there.
This list came from our own mishaps, not from a brochure. We often travel in a group, and every one of us has learned at least one of these the hard way. — The Reisegeheimnis team
