Well, this was written before Covid-19 and Brexit. How the world has changed in just a matter of months We are yet to see an end to Covid and the self-isolation, testing, vaccinations and every other thing associated with it. The one thing we know for certain is that we’re not going anywhere for a while. Travel per se is on the backburner!

Brexit? Who knows what travel limitations will be brought in, except there will be no more free travel for we Brits around Europe, and the Europeans will no doubt come up with a variety of restrictions.

So … are you heading out soon? Not heading out for a while? Travel not a priority right now? No matter. Print the list and keep it somewhere safe in case of need. Print the pictures too for inspiration and motivation.

This list has surprised me by the number of “nice to haves” that I originally thought of  … most of them being items I wished I had had at some time in my nomadic life … and didn’t! This seems to be a pretty comprehensive list of Travel Documents and still works with Brexit in place.

If you can think of something I have missed, let me know …

Some travel essentials

• Passport
• Emergency contact (keep it handy)
• Plane or train tickets and passes (keep them handy too)
• Student or senior card (they may be helpful in another country)
• Health insurance card and contact number
• Personal travel insurance (essential)
• Requisite travel visas
• Extra photos for visas along the way (just in case)
• Money (a little local currency in small denominations is essential for when you arrive; you can change more later)
• Other forms of payment: credit cards, debit cards, prepaid credit cards
• International vaccination certificate/s if you’re going somewhere it’s needed
• Guidebooks (unless you’re an adventurer or are happy to pick up one of the 5 million local maps)
• Travel journal or notebook and a glue stick (to stick cards and other interesting things into your journal or notebook), plus sticky tape
• Map app. (essential)
• International driver’s licence as well as your regular driver’s licence
• Emergency phone numbers, including embassy contacts in each country
• Next of kin contacts
• The address and number of your hotel (in case you get lost)
• A list of local contacts (friends, tourist offices or anyone else you might need)
• Copies of all documents/important papers (keep them separate from the originals). Send them to yourself on email and keep them on a USB
• Travel money belt … if you feel it necessary

This will help you be more organised and better prepared for the day you finally decide to go and feel safe doing so. I don’t think travel isn’t going to be as easy as it was.

Yes, I did say finally; there seem to be an awful lot of people champing at the bit and quite a few hurdles to overcome. In the meantime we must stay safe before we think about travel.

But we will …

By the way, have you thought of Palazzo Pants as your travel outfit? Brilliant …