Going away
Packing, cover at home, and claiming when it goes wrong. 5 templates, all free to fill in and print.
Packing is the easy part; the paperwork is what you want when something goes wrong. Leave clear instructions for whoever is looking after the house, the pets or the children, including a number that will actually be answered. Get time off agreed in writing before you book. And if a flight is badly delayed or cancelled, you may be entitled to compensation — the amount depends on the distance and how late you arrived, the rules differ between the UK, the EU and elsewhere, and you do not need a claims company taking a third of it to make the claim.
Most travel problems are documentation problems that were solvable at home. A passport inside its renewal window, an entry requirement checked against the wrong nationality, an insurance policy that needed pre-authorisation, a pet sitter who did not know which vet you use. Packing is the easy part and gets all the attention. Before anything else, check the entry rules for your own passport and your specific destination on the official government source for that country, because visa, transit and validity requirements change and third-hand summaries are frequently out of date. Then deal with the things that have lead times: leave approval, employer travel authorisation, cover at home. Leave the suitcase until last.
Documents and permissions come first
Start with the things other people control. A time off request form submitted early gets approved; submitted late it competes with everyone else's. If you are travelling for work, a travel authorisation form usually has to be approved before anything is booked, and it often sets what class of travel, accommodation and expenses will be reimbursed, so read it before booking rather than arguing afterwards. Then the personal documents. Check your passport's expiry against the validity rule for your destination, not just against your travel dates, because many countries require months of remaining validity. Check whether you need a visa or an electronic authorisation for your nationality and route, including any country you merely change planes in. Use the destination government's own website, and check again close to departure.
Pack from a list you keep
A packing list is worth writing once properly and then reusing, because the things people forget are the same every time: chargers and adapters, medication in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription, spare glasses, the insurance policy number, and copies of the passport stored somewhere other than with the passport. Build it in sections, covering documents, medication, electronics, clothing and trip-specific extras, and mark what must be in hand luggage rather than the hold. Carry medication, valuables, a change of clothes and anything you cannot replace with you. Check the current rules on liquids, batteries and medical equipment with your airline, since those are set by the carrier and the aviation authority and change more often than people expect.
Cover at home while away
Someone has to know things you have never written down. Pet sitter instructions should carry feeding amounts and times, medication and doses, the vet's name, address and phone number, whether the animal is insured and under what policy, what it is frightened of, and written permission for the sitter to authorise treatment up to an amount you specify. Leave the same practical detail for a house sitter or a neighbour: stopcock, fuse box, alarm code, bin day, which key opens what, and how to reach you across time zones. Tell one trusted person your itinerary and where a copy of your documents is. If you have deliveries, plants or a car on the street, decide who is dealing with them before you go rather than by text from the airport.
When the journey goes wrong
Keep everything at the time: boarding passes, booking references, the notice you were given at the gate, photographs of departure boards, and receipts for meals and accommodation during a delay. Claims are decided on evidence you cannot collect afterwards. A flight compensation claim depends on which regime covers the flight, since passenger rights schemes exist in the EU and the UK and separately in some other countries, while elsewhere it comes down to the airline's conditions of carriage. Check which applies to your route and carrier before naming an amount. Claim with the airline first, because most regimes require it and a regulator or ombudsman will usually only look at the case after the airline has answered. For anything covered by insurance, tell the insurer within the policy's notification period.
The order to do it in
- Check passport validity and entry requirements for your nationality on the destination government's own website.
- Request leave and any employer travel authorisation before booking, so approval is not retrospective.
- Arrange cover at home: written pet or house sitter instructions with vet details and treatment authority.
- Pack from a reusable list, keeping medication, documents and valuables in hand luggage.
- If disrupted, collect boarding passes, notices and receipts, then claim with the airline first.
Common questions
How much passport validity do I need?
It depends on the destination and sometimes on your nationality. Many countries require a period of validity beyond your return date, commonly counted in months, and some also require blank pages. Airlines can refuse boarding on the basis of these rules. Check the destination government's own entry page for your passport type and any country you transit, and check again close to departure, since requirements change without notice.
Am I entitled to compensation for a delayed flight?
That depends on which passenger rights regime covers the flight. The EU and the UK operate schemes with defined thresholds and amounts, some other countries have their own, and in many places it comes down to the airline's conditions of carriage. Which applies usually turns on the departure point, the destination and where the airline is based. Check the rule for your route, claim with the airline first, and keep every boarding pass and receipt.
What should I leave with a pet sitter?
Feeding amounts and times, medication with doses, the vet's name, address and phone number, the insurance policy details, and written authority for the sitter to approve treatment up to a limit you set. Add the animal's habits and fears, where food and leads are kept, and how to reach you. Tell the vet practice in advance that someone else may bring the animal in, and leave the sheet printed by the food.