Your First Trip Abroad
Planning your first trip outside Canada? Passport, insurance, money, phone, registration and packing, in the order to sort them, from a Canadian travel advisor.
Check your passport first
Look at the expiry date before anything else. Many countries want it valid well beyond your return date, and renewals take time. Each destination’s entry rules are on the Government of Canada’s travel advice pages.
Sort out travel insurance early
Your provincial health plan covers little or nothing outside Canada. If you have health insurance through work or on your own, check whether it covers you when you travel outside the country. If it doesn’t, make sure you have coverage before you go. Better safe than sorry: I know someone personally who paid the price, and it wasn’t easy. Trip cancellation and interruption cover is worth a look too. I don’t sell insurance directly, but I can connect you with someone on Trevello’s support team.
Plan your money
Tell your bank where you’re going, carry a backup card, and check whether your card charges foreign transaction fees. Know roughly what things cost in the local currency before you land.
Keep your phone working
Check your roaming plan, or set up an eSIM before you leave. Download offline maps and keep your booking details somewhere you can open without a signal.
Let Canada know you’re away
Registration of Canadians Abroad is a free service that lets the government reach you in an emergency, such as a natural disaster or unrest.
Pack with a list
Build a checklist for your destination, season and trip length, and keep the irreplaceable things, like medication and documents, in your carry-on.
Personalized trip checklist · Travel by experience · Plan Your Escape