Sporting & Education

Packing List – Planning & Preparation

International travel can be a great experience but you may also be anxious, especially when you’re helping a child or teen prepare for a school trip. Whether you are a teacher or a parent, it’s important to make sure that all who are going know how to prepare for an international travel tour. For this reason, we have put together this helpful guide.

 

Make Sure Your Passport is Valid

Your passport must be valid for six months from the date of travel. You should also make sure that your passport has the required amount of blank pages available for the destination country’s stamps.

 

What Should I Bring?

• Clothing
  Pack just enough clothes for the trip, plus one or two extra outfits in case of delays or bad weather. Make sure you have an extra outfit in your carry-on luggage in case your checked luggage gets delayed. You should have a mix of short- and long-sleeved shirts, pants, shorts, jeans, etc. to accommodate different needs. You should also pack one set of nice clothing for a special night out, such as a night at the theatre.
• Shoes
  One pair of comfortable walking shoes, such as runners/sneakers, should be ideal, plus you should bring one pair of nice shoes for nicer events.
• Plenty of socks and underwear
  Be sure to have a few extra sets of socks and underwear just in case.
• Pyjamas
  You don’t want to sleep in your clothes, after all.
• Raincoat/umbrella
  You never know when it’s going to rain, so we advise bringing at least one if not both of these to make sure you can stay dry when those rain clouds start rolling in.
• Lightweight jacket
  Museums, libraries, and other popular educational destinations are sometimes kept at cooler temperatures, so we advise bringing a lightweight jacket for these situations.
• Toiletries
  You’ll need your toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, hairbrush, and hand sanitizer, and some of these things may be cheaper and easier to get at home in little travel sizes, depending on the length of your trip and where you are going. We recommend checking into this ahead of time before you start packing. You may also want to bring sunscreen, lip balm, and hand lotion, depending on the hot or cold weather and your needs. Insect repellent is also a good idea if you’re going to an area where mosquitoes are common since you don’t want to spend your trip focusing on itchy bug bites instead of the fun.
• Medications
  Do not forget to pack any needed medications and inform the teacher about them.
• Money
  Make sure you have some money set aside for emergencies and for souvenirs and snacks. You may want to have a bank/ATM card for this and/or a personal credit card, but you may also want to carry no more than $50 in cash in the preferred currency of the location you’re in. If you are carrying a bank/ATM/credit card, make sure you let your financial institution know that you are travelling so that your card won’t be frozen the first time you try to make a purchase.
• Electronics and chargers
  We recommend bringing as few electronics as possible since you won’t have a great deal of time to use them when you’ll be absorbing everything you are seeing and doing. If you do bring electronics, make sure you bring the chargers/batteries for them and keep them at the surface of your carry-on luggage in order to make security checks faster and easier. Some examples of electronics that you may want to bring include smartphones, cameras, or tablets. Don’t forget to bring a converter or adapter, as European outlets are different from Australia ones.
• A journal
  You’re going to be going on an amazing educational trip with all kinds of new experiences. Even if it is not required by your teacher or group leader, we do recommend bringing a journal to take notes and/or write down your thoughts and experiences each day.

 

International Travel Packing Tips

Don’t wait until the last minute
Packing for an international trip is stressful enough. Waiting to the last minute only increases your chances of leaving something you need behind or overpacking with unnecessary clutter. For the least amount of stress before and during your travel, it’s best to start packing in advance.

Choose your clothes carefully
While you might want to get new clothes for your travels, we advise that you actually bring clothes that you are sure are comfortable and fit well, and we also recommend bringing cardigans, sweaters, and other layering clothing so that you can adapt easily to changing temperatures.

Pack in layers
If you are bringing a carry-on bag (which we highly recommend), make sure that any electronic and medications are close to the surface layer of this bag so that they can be easily removed and inspected without delaying you or other travellers

Separate medications and medical equipment
You should pack medications separately from your other luggage, preferably in another clear plastic bag, and make sure each medication is in its original container and has its prescription label so that the customs and airport security staff can verify them easily.

Keep any valuables in your carry-on luggage
You have more control over your carry-on luggage, so it’s better to keep your valuables in your carry-on as opposed to your checked bag, though we recommend limiting the number of valuables you bring.