The fun part of a vacation is the trip itself. The unfun part is realising on the way to the airport that the passport expires in five months, that the dog-sitter has the wrong key code, and that nobody told the bank you're leaving the country. A countdown helps because it converts the trip from "soon" into a number, and a number is easier to plan against. This page maps each milestone in the count to a small group of decisions worth making at that moment.
Set up your trip on the home page with the ✈️ emoji, name it after where you're going, and pick the departure date. The pages on this site that are tied to specific dates — like Christmas or New Year's Day — show the same kind of countdown for fixed annual events.
60 days out: the bookings layer
Two months before the trip, the major bookings should be locked in — flights or other long-distance transport, accommodation, and any reservations that fill up early. For destinations with seasonal pricing, this is also the cutoff where prices typically start to climb sharply.
- Travel. Flights, train, ferry, or rental car. Note the booking confirmation numbers somewhere you'll find them on the day.
- Lodging. Hotel, apartment rental, hostel, or campsite, with cancellation policy in mind.
- Hard-to-get reservations. Restaurants that book months out, museum timed tickets, popular tours, anything that famously sells out.
- Travel insurance. If you're using it. Most policies need to be in place before any covered event happens.
This is also the right point to verify that your passport will still be valid more than six months past the return date if you're crossing a border that requires it. Renewing a passport regularly takes longer than people expect, and a passport that's "still valid" technically can still be rejected at check-in.
30 days out: the documents and the people
One month before, work moves from "what to book" to "who needs to know." This is where most preventable trip problems get caught.
- Visa and entry requirements. Confirm them against the destination country's official site, not a forum. Apply if needed.
- Vaccinations. Some require multiple doses spread over weeks. Check destination requirements early.
- Bank and card. Most banks no longer require a travel notice, but some still flag foreign transactions; check yours. Note the foreign-transaction-fee policy on each card.
- Phone plan. International roaming, an eSIM, or planning to rely on Wi-Fi. Decide before you leave; carriers usually charge more if you turn it on while abroad.
- House and pets. Sitter or boarding booked. House-sitter, mail-pause, or trusted neighbour identified.
- Driver's licence. If you'll drive at the destination, check whether you need an International Driving Permit and apply for one — some countries don't require it, others do.
- Itinerary, written down. One person who isn't on the trip should know where you'll be on which days and how to reach you.
14 days out: the practical layer
Two weeks before, the trip starts to feel real. The ideal use of this window is to handle the small administrative things that pile up if left to the final week.
- Refill any prescriptions to cover the whole trip plus a buffer of three to seven days.
- Print or download backups of confirmations — flight, hotel, insurance, visa, vaccination records. Keep them somewhere offline-accessible.
- Set out-of-office on email and tell the people at work who genuinely need to know how to reach you in an emergency.
- Walk through the packing list mentally and identify anything you'd need to buy.
- Confirm airport transport on both ends.
- Check the weather forecast for the destination and pack accordingly — clothing decisions are easier two weeks out than the night before.
7 days out: assembling and pre-checking
One week to go. Pull out the bag, the passport, and the chargers. Lay everything out in one place over the course of the week so you notice what's missing. The goal here isn't to pack — packing happens later — it's to verify everything you intend to take exists and works.
- Test electronics: phone charger, laptop charger, camera, power bank, plug adapter for the destination.
- Empty old boarding passes from your wallet to make room for new ones.
- Check airline website for any schedule changes — a surprising number of itineraries shift in the final week.
- Check-in opens 24 hours before most flights; set a reminder.
- Currency: most places use cards now, but some destinations still need cash on arrival. Get small bills if needed.
- Confirm pet sitter or house sitter with exact dates and time.
1 day out: pack and rest
Pack the night before, not the morning of. The morning of departure is a bad time to discover your only pair of comfortable shoes is missing. The night-before pack also gives you a few hours to remember the things you would otherwise leave behind. Then sleep — long-haul travel is hard enough rested.
- Pack the bag. Weigh it if your airline cares about that.
- Charge phone, laptop, headphones, camera, power bank.
- Print or screenshot boarding pass.
- Set two alarms.
- Empty the fridge of anything that will spoil.
- Put passport, wallet, phone, keys, and bag in one spot near the door so the morning is one decision, not five.
The things people usually forget
- Charger for the device that doesn't normally travel. Camera battery charger, e-reader cable, electric toothbrush base.
- Plug adapter that fits the destination's outlets. A surprising number of countries use plugs different from anywhere you've been.
- Medication in carry-on. Checked bags occasionally arrive a day late.
- Glasses, prescription or sunglasses. Especially the spare pair.
- A printed copy of important contacts. If your phone battery dies and you need to call the hotel.
- Cash in local currency. Even if you plan to use cards.
- Empty water bottle for after security. Saves money at the airport.
- House keys for return. Easy to leave behind in a "you won't need this for two weeks" pile.
Common mistakes
- Booking flights without checking passport expiry. A six-months-past-return rule applies in many countries.
- Treating "I have travel insurance" as a single decision. Read what it actually covers before relying on it.
- Trying to do laundry on the morning of departure. Always takes longer than expected.
- Packing for the weather you wish for instead of the forecast.
- Leaving currency exchange to the airport. Airport rates are nearly always worse than a bank or local ATM.
How to use the countdown
The countdown's job is to be a small, calm prompt that you're getting closer. It is not a stressor. If the number is 47 and you haven't done anything from the 60-day list, treat that as information, not catastrophe — most of the 60-day list still works at 47 days, just with a bit less margin. If the number is 6 and you haven't started the 7-day list, that's a real signal to clear your evening tonight.
For trips that connect to other big calendar events — a wedding abroad, a holiday visit, a family reunion — pair this checklist with the wedding planning guide for the bigger event and the days-between explainer if your travel and event dates straddle a leap day or a time-zone boundary.