Travel Admin: Passports, Visas, Insurance and the Deadlines That Catch People

The parts of travel that go wrong before you leave are almost all administrative, and almost all avoidable with a check made early enough. The recurring problem is that the deadlines are further out than people expect.

Passport validity

Having a passport that has not expired is not always enough. Many countries require a period of remaining validity beyond your departure date — commonly six months, though it varies — and some also require blank pages.

Airlines enforce this at check-in, because they are fined if they carry someone who is refused entry. So a passport that is technically valid can still end the trip at the airport.

Check the requirement for your specific destination on your own government's travel advice, and check it against your return date rather than your outbound one.

Renewal times fluctuate and lengthen at busy periods. Renew earlier than feels necessary.

Entry requirements that are not visas

Several countries have introduced electronic travel authorisations — applied for online, approved before travel, and required even where no visa is needed. These are easy to miss because they do not feel like visas.

Requirements change, and they change with limited notice. Check your government's official travel advice page for the destination close to departure, not just when you book.

Only apply through official sites. There are many third-party sites charging a large markup for filling in the same form, and some are outright scams.

Travel insurance: what to compare

Price is the least useful comparison. What matters:

• Medical cover limit and repatriation. The number that would actually matter. Medical treatment abroad and a medical flight home are what insurance exists for.
• The excess, and whether it applies per claim or per section.
• Pre-existing conditions. These must be declared. An undeclared condition can void a claim entirely, including for something unrelated.
• Activities covered. Skiing, diving, motorcycling and many ordinary holiday activities are frequently excluded or need an add-on.
• Cancellation cover, and specifically what reasons qualify.
• Baggage and valuables limits, including the single-item limit, which is usually low.
• Whether you already have cover through a bank account or card, and what conditions that carries.

Buy it when you book, not before you fly. Cancellation cover only helps for the period you hold the policy.

Health preparation

Some destinations need vaccinations, and some of those need to be started weeks in advance. A few countries require proof of specific vaccination for entry. Check with a travel health service well ahead.

If you take prescription medication, check it is legal at your destination — several common medicines are controlled in some countries. Carry it in original packaging with a copy of the prescription, in your cabin bag.

Documents and copies

Keep a photograph or scan of your passport, insurance policy number and emergency assistance phone number somewhere you can reach without your phone — an email to yourself, or a printed copy in your luggage. The scenario where you need these is the one where the phone is gone.

Check whether your destination requires you to carry identification, since some do.

Before you book

Check passport validity against your return date and your destination's specific rule. Check whether an electronic travel authorisation is required, and apply only through the official site. Check insurance medical limits and declare everything. And check the name on your booking matches your passport exactly, since correcting it later ranges from a small fee to rebooking.