The travel industry is booming and many travelers, tired of local haunts, are heading to far-flung destinations. At Curated Travel, our clients are headed to the Lake District in Italy, Bora Bora, European River Cruises, the British Isles, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, France, and the ever-popular Italy in the next several months. With 3 trips to Europe last year and Italy on my horizon later this month, I will attest that travel is back and more exciting than ever!

Hot Tips for International Travel

• Pack your passport first (be sure it’s valid for 6 months or more post-return). Your passport is your most essential item for international travel. Take a picture of the info page and upload it to your phone in case your passport is lost during travel.

• Check the website of your airline for luggage sizes and weight limits. If you can manage to pack your essentials in a carry-on only (and congrats!!) do it!

• While you are checking the airline website be sure you have created your account and have the latest apps (including airline entertainment apps) downloaded before travel. Check-in 24 hours before travel and turn on notifications for any changes.

• Contact your bank and credit card companies to alert them of your upcoming overseas travel.

• Call your cell phone company for the best international phone plan options during travel. Travel Hack: If you keep your phone in airplane mode for your entire trip, you can use your phone functions on free wifi at hotels, cafes, and airports with ease.

• Purchase a universal adapter or two to use in the hotels for plugging in phone chargers and computers, or request one at your hotel. Check the voltage ratings in the small print on your electrical items. Most are rated for 100-240V; however, some are rated only for 125V (my blow dryer), which requires a converter from 220V to 110V US to European Converter.

• Download WhatsApp on your phone for free international texting and video calling with family and friends (be sure they have the app too!). For our travel clients, WhatsApp is frequently used by our international travel partners to keep in close contact with tours/guides/transfers while you travel.

• Bring your state driver’s license if you plan to rent a scooter during an excursion. If you plan to rent a car, an International Driving Permit is strongly recommended. It’s easy to obtain ahead of your travels from the American Automobile Association here.

• For dining abroad, apps like Open Table and TheFork work internationally for ease of booking. Use the Michelin Guide (one of our preferred partners) for more dining and travel inspiration.

• Download a language translation app like TripLingo, or, better yet, learn the language before you travel.

2024 UPDATE: Here I am, packing for my spring trip to Italy for 2 weeks at a luxury travel event. I couldn’t quite believe I was able to manage it all (fancy events included) in carry-on luggage only. Trust me, it was so freeing not to worry about my luggage arriving with me. It was also freeing not to be schlepping extra baggage around for 2 weeks.

Notes on Packing: After too many experiences with delayed luggage, I’m a recent convert to carry-on-only luggage (I use a small roller bag plus a Beis Mini Weekender and a small crossbody bag). If you do check bags I highly recommend creating a ‘curated capsule’ in your carryon of at least 2 multi-use outfits, 2 pairs of shoes, makeup/haircare basics, deodorant, toothbrush/paste, medications, and scarves/jewelry to change up your look. If you do check a bag toss in an Apple Air Tag to track your luggage. I’ve written several articles about the fine art of packing for longer trips. Read more about my travel advisor packing strategies, including the essential Carryon Capsule Collection here. If you are curious about how I survived for 6 days at my first luxury travel event in Italy with NO Luggage read here.

Spending power: Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere these days. That said, it’s always good to have some cash on hand, especially for tipping or smaller purchases. You can exchange for cash at the airport OR you can request your transfer/taxi driver make a quick stop at a local ATM on the way to your hotel for lower exchange rates. Please note, Apple and other payment apps are widely used in Europe these days so going as wallet-free as possible is a good security tip. My husband learned this the hard way when pickpocketed on his first day in Lisbon. For your cash, use a money belt or clip and never put your wallet in your back pocket. For women, I’m all about the cross-body bag.

HOT Tip: My husband has started bringing home some leftover currency like euros or pesos to ease our arrival on our next trip to the destination.

Notes on tipping: Tips are usually included in the meal price (check the receipt) so it is not necessary to tip at a restaurant unless service is above and beyond. In Europe, your server typically won’t bring your bill until you request it. Essentially, the table is yours for the evening if you like. That said, tours/transfers/guides do not include tips in the pricing. In Italy/France the common practice for transfers with a short drive is €10-20, for a long drive is €40-50, and for private guides, a full day is €50 and a half day is €30.

HOT TIP - When you leave your hotel, grab a business card with the hotel address and phone number included. If you get lost (and don’t happen to meet an English speaker) showing a taxi driver or a passerby the card with the address is extremely helpful even with a language barrier. If you have an itinerary app (such as UMAPPED which I create for my clients) show them the hotel address on the app to keep it simple.

I hope this list of tips for international travel is helpful as you prepare for your upcoming travels.

Do you have any hot tips to share? We’d love to read them below.

Ciao! Ciao!

Heather

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