The Preparation
Cover all of the little details to avoid fewer interruptions during your trip.
Offline Maps
Create Language Cheat Sheet
If you’re traveling to regions where English is not the primary language, it’s useful to have several of the most common words and phrases on a cheat sheet. If English is not prevalent at all, consider additional options:
A notepad for drawing pictures, invest in a mobile data plan to translate on the fly.
Travel guide books are good about including common phrases in these in the back. Make sure it includes phrases for taking transportation, names of some common foods or ingredients (beef, chicken, any allergens)
Travel Shows
Rick Steves is a staple in travel guides and has quite the library of shows dedicated to European destinations available on PBS. The shows are light-hearted travel documentaries, so while they may have good suggestions on attractions, they are aimed at getting a sense of the cities and how to best enjoy them. Rick Steves also has an app with audio tours and other city guides that are nice to download and listen to on flights or walking around specific sections of a city.
Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and “Parts Unknown” help to bring cultural understanding of a destination through food and Bourdain's dry wit.
“Somebody Feed Phil” is the warm hug of travel docs as Phil Rosenthal takes you around different cities to meet interesting chefs and their fantastic dishes.
Phone with Sim Card
If you plan to have a data plan while on your trip, research the available carriers and how to best obtain their plans. Most phones can now receive data through eSims without having to stop in a mobile phone store for a physical sim card.
eSims (Airalo, Saile) are useful if you need to contact locals or businesses, like an Airbnb host.
T-Mobile has free texts.
There are downsides of having mobile -- you will likely spend time on your phone or researching. You can usually get wifi at airports, cafes, or hotels.
Packing
The biggest and most important step of preparing for a trip is packing all of the things you’ll need and may need. It is a balancing act of packing efficiently so you can haul your belongings quickly and painlessly and making sure you don’t have to make several stops to the pharmacy, shoe store, or
Below is a general, very inclusive packing list, but feel free to use a GenAI to generate a more dedicated list.
Place things to the side in the weeks leading up to your trip.
Confirmation Emails
If you’ve been booking several things for your trip over the last few months, you likely received many confirmation emails containing booking reference numbers, tickets with QR codes, or instructions for using a specific app.
Keep all the those emails together and easily searchable by forwarding all confirmation emails to yourself at the top of your inbox, using a unique tag to find quickly, or placing them in a separate email folder.
Emergency Info on Lock Screen
One of the worst-case scenarios for any trip is losing your wallet or phone. You can help get a lost phone back quicker if you place contact information on the wallpaper, so that anyone who picks up the device can locate the owner visually, contact your current hotel, or even contact a future hotel to make plans to reunite you and the phone.
Place a Mail Hold
Other Things to Prepare if Time Allows
Make a playlist: Get the destination vibes down with a KPOP list, British pop, or island rhythms
Bookmark trip locations on Weather Apps: Get quick access to weather forecasts at each spot on your trip
Clear space on phone:
Contingencies
Finally, with everything planned out, listen to that “anxiety” emotion and try to solve for a variety of things that could go wrong and have contingency plans for them.
Late or rescheduled flights
Transit strikes
Unexpected attraction closure or event cancellation
Getting lost
Lost phone or other essential