Making My Pre-Travel Checklist

I am a list girl through and through. As lots of change is soon to happen in my life (moving in two weeks and beginning our four month adventure in four weeks), the only way for me to keep track of everything I need to take care of is by writing to do lists. Do I write them all in one spot, like in a daily journal or something? No, of course not, duh. How logical would that be to keep all my lists in one central location so I could find them when I need them? 

But lucky for me (and maybe other soon-to-be travellers who are thinking of what they need to organize before taking off on a multi-month backpacking trip), I wrote this blog post to keep all of my to do items in check.

Here’s my pre-travel checklist for what you need to take care of before leaving your apartment, backpacking for a few months, then moving to a new country.

Travel

• Organize itinerary
• Research and purchase travel-related gear
• Make lists of what I intend to pack (clothing, beauty/hygiene essentials, first aid kit) (clearly in that order)
• Test-drive packing and walking with a backpack filled with these items
• Make copies of important docs and register with the government as a Canadian abroad
• Research visa requirements, costs, and restrictions
• Book accommodations for first couple of nights
• Buy travel insurance (World Nomads stood out for us as the best option)
• Learn local language (this is obviously extreme but at least learn the basic phrases)

Medical

• Research which vaccinations are recommended for area(s) of travel (here's what I got for backpacking through Central America)
• Book travel medical consultation (need to relatively know your route for the appointment)
• Buy 6+ month supple of contacts 
• Get prescriptions written out and filled in advance

Moving

• cancel bills and services, give notice on apartment
• update mailing address
• sort through which items to trash, donate, and store
• oh yeah. pack up all our junk

Personal / Misc.

• gather friends’ and family’s addresses so we can send postcards
• order business cards
• sort out bank accounts and where to keep our savings
• finalize online storage and how i’m going to back up my photos/articles

Do you have any other suggestions for soon-to-be-travellers? If you think of anything that’s missing from this list, there’s a good chance I haven’t done it yet so please share in the comments below!

Linking up with Karly Kim / Glossy Blonde / A Compass Rose.

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