Travel Resources

Reference material and checklists

Short, checkable material that supports the longer Station articles. Everything here is a summary. Always confirm decisive details with the airline or authority.

Checklists

Three lists that prevent most problems

Before you book

Passport valid for the required period beyond entry
Visa or travel authorisation checked for your nationality
Transit country requirements confirmed
Fare brand and baggage allowance understood
Connection buffer of at least three hours internationally

Two days before

Online check in opened and completed
Cabin bag measured against the airline limit, wheels included
Liquids under 100 ml in one clear bag
Power banks and spare batteries moved to the cabin bag
Airline app installed and logged in

If something breaks

Screenshot the cancellation or delay notice with the time
Open the app and the phone line at the same time
Ask for a specific alternative flight by number
Request care: meals, communication, hotel if overnight
Keep every receipt, including transport to the hotel

Planning

A pre-departure timeline

The same preparation spread out over the weeks before a trip, so nothing is left to the last morning.

Eight weeks out

Check your passport's expiry date against the destination's minimum validity rule, usually six months beyond your return date
Confirm whether you need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation, and how long it takes to process
Book the flight and note the fare brand, since that decides your baggage allowance and change flexibility
Start a folder, physical or digital, for every confirmation email you receive from this point on

Two weeks out

Reconfirm any visa or authorisation has actually arrived, not just been submitted
Check whether your destination requires proof of onward travel or accommodation at the border
Photograph or photocopy your passport, ID, and any travel authorisation
Tell your bank and card provider you are travelling, if that is something they ask for
Check your phone plan's roaming terms or shortlist an eSIM for the destination

Forty eight hours out

Complete online check in as soon as it opens
Measure your cabin bag against the specific airline's limit, not a general figure
Check the live status of your flight the evening before, since schedules move
Charge every device and pack chargers and adapters in the cabin bag

Day of travel

Recheck the flight status before you leave for the airport
Carry documents, cards, and phone in one place you control at all times, not spread across bags
Arrive within the airport arrival windows below, earlier during peak season or with checked bags
Keep a copy of your booking reference accessible without needing signal or battery

Documents

Documents worth copying before you leave

Keep one copy on your phone, in a cloud folder you can reach without your own device, and, for longer trips, one printed copy in a separate bag.

Documents and copies

Passport photo page, visa or travel authorisation, and any required vaccination certificate
Full flight itinerary with booking reference and the airline's contact number
Accommodation confirmation for at least the first and last nights of the trip
Travel insurance policy number and the claims phone line
A card providing emergency backup funds, kept separately from your main wallet

Carry-on essentials

Passport, boarding pass, and any printed authorisation, even if you also have a digital copy
Prescription medication in original packaging, with a copy of the prescription for longer trips
Phone charger, a spare cable, and a portable battery within the airline's watt hour limit
One change of clothes and any essentials you cannot easily replace if checked baggage is delayed
A printed or downloaded copy of your accommodation address, in case your phone has no signal on arrival

Quick reference

Numbers travellers look up most

Typical values, not guarantees. Individual airlines and airports vary and these figures move.

Item	Typical value
Cabin bag, common limit	About 55 x 40 x 20 cm including wheels and handles
Personal item, common limit	About 40 x 30 x 20 cm, must fit under the seat
Checked bag, economy	Usually 23 kg with a linear dimension cap
Liquids	100 ml per container, one clear bag of roughly one litre
Power banks	Cabin only, under 100 Wh without approval
Domestic airport arrival	Two hours is comfortable for most airports
International airport arrival	Three hours, more in peak season
Bag drop close	Commonly 45 to 60 minutes before departure
Gate close	Commonly 15 to 20 minutes before departure
Delayed baggage becomes lost	Around 21 days in most schemes

Money

Money and payments while travelling

Carry more than one way to pay, and expect at least one of them not to work the way you expect.

Cards and cash

Carry at least two independent ways to pay, ideally from different providers, so a single blocked card does not leave you stranded. A small amount of local cash covers the moments a card machine is down or a vendor only takes cash, especially soon after landing before you have found an ATM. Tell your bank you are travelling if that affects whether your card gets flagged for unusual activity, and note the international collect number on the back of the card in case your phone is lost with it.

Connectivity and eSIM

Decide before departure whether you will rely on your home carrier's roaming plan, a local prepaid SIM, or an eSIM bought in advance. An eSIM installed and tested before you fly means you land already connected, which matters if you need to reach an airline app, a rebooking page, or a map the moment you step off the aircraft. Keep the activation details somewhere that does not depend on the phone already having signal, and confirm the eSIM covers every country on your itinerary, not only the first one.

When it goes wrong

A quick index by problem

Jump straight to the article that matches what is actually happening to you right now.

Your flight is cancelledRead the guide You are facing a long delayRead the guide You missed a connectionRead the guide You were denied boardingRead the guide Your baggage is delayedRead the guide Your baggage is lostRead the guide Your baggage is damagedRead the guide You need to rebook urgentlyRead the guide You need to reach the airlineRead the guide You are deciding between a refund and a creditRead the guide

Planning tools

Tools in the pipeline

In design

Trip timeline builder

In progress

Document checklist generator

Live as article

Disruption playbook, printable

Go deeper

Open the Station behind each resource

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