What to do after booking a trip
Once your flights and stay are booked, the job changes from choosing to preparing. This checklist puts everything in the order it matters, from the day you book to your first hour after landing.
It works for any destination. The details for your trip will depend on where you’re going and your passport.
Right after booking
- Check that the names on your bookings match your passport exactly. Fixing a misspelt name is easiest now.
- Check your passport against the destination’s rules. Many countries require it to be valid for a period beyond your travel dates and to have blank pages.
- Look up entry rules for your passport: visa, electronic authorisation or visa-free. Use the official government source, as rules change.
- Save your booking confirmations somewhere you can open offline.
- Note the free-cancellation and change deadlines for each booking.
- Decide on travel insurance, and check when cover starts.
Four to eight weeks before
- Arrange any visa or travel authorisation your passport needs. Processing times vary, so don’t leave it to the last week.
- Check whether any vaccinations or health certificates are required or recommended. Some need to be done weeks before travel.
- Book the things that sell out: timed-entry sights, popular tours, restaurants you have your heart set on.
- Work out how you’ll get from the airport to your accommodation at the time you land, and what it should cost.
- Renting a car? Check whether you need an international driving permit.
- Check your cards’ foreign transaction fees and whether you need to tell your bank you’re travelling.
Two to three weeks before
- Plan how you’ll stay connected: check whether your phone plan covers the destination, or choose a travel eSIM or local SIM.
- Download offline maps of the areas you’ll be in.
- Find out which ride-hailing, food delivery and transport apps work there. They differ a lot between countries.
- Check the plug type and pack the right adapter.
- If you take regular medication, check whether it’s allowed at your destination and carry it in its original packaging.
- Get a little local currency, or know where you’ll withdraw it on arrival.
The final week
- Check in online as soon as it opens, and download your boarding passes.
- Recheck baggage allowances on every flight, including any connecting airlines.
- Look at the weather forecast for your dates and finish your packing list.
- Install and set up your eSIM while you’re still on home Wi-Fi, if you’re using one.
- Share your plans and accommodation details with someone at home.
- Recheck entry rules once more in case anything has changed.
24 to 48 hours before
- Check your flight status and the time you need to leave for the airport.
- Keep your passport, bookings and any travel authorisation together and easy to reach.
- Charge your phone and power bank, and pack the cables in your hand luggage.
- Save your accommodation’s address in the local language and on an offline map.
Arrival day: your first hour
- Get online first: activate your eSIM or roaming, or pick up a local SIM.
- Take the airport transfer you planned, and know roughly what the fare should be.
- If a card machine or ATM offers to charge you in your home currency, choosing the local currency usually costs less.
- Check your accommodation’s check-in time, and where to leave bags if you arrive early.
- Keep the first evening simple: somewhere to eat close to where you’re staying.
How FigFinder does this for your trip
Tell Fig your flights and stay are booked, add your trip dates, and your guide skips the bookings you’ve already made. Instead it covers your arrival, staying connected, entry checks for your passport and what’s worth booking ahead, for your destination and travel style. Each time you open the guide, its trip summary works from your saved dates: it counts down to departure, puts arrival and connectivity first in the final week, and opens on today’s plan once you’re there.
Here’s that summary for an example booked trip, six days before departure:
Example only: a booked 4-day Lisbon trip, 12–15 November, viewed on 6 November.
Frequently asked questions
How soon after booking should I check entry requirements?
Straight away. Entry rules depend on your passport, not where you fly from, and some visas, electronic travel authorisations and health requirements take time to arrange. Check the official government source for your destination and your passport as soon as your trip is booked, and again shortly before you travel in case anything has changed.
When should I buy travel insurance?
Many travellers buy it soon after booking, because some policies include cover for cancelling before you travel from the day the policy starts. Policies differ, so check what yours covers and from when.
Should I use roaming, a local SIM or an eSIM?
It depends on your phone plan and destination. First check whether your plan covers the country you're visiting and what it costs. If it doesn't, a travel eSIM can be installed before you fly so you're connected on landing, and a local SIM from the airport or a shop is another option. Make sure your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM before you rely on one.
What should I plan for arrival day?
Your first hour: how you'll get from the airport to where you're staying at the time you land, how you'll get online, how you'll pay for that first journey, and your accommodation's check-in time. Late arrivals especially benefit from having this decided before you fly.
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