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10 things to check off before take-off

Make sure you’ve checked off these essential tasks on your travel to-do list before departure day to ensure your trip is smooth sailing, not a bumpy ride.

4 minute read

From passports and phone plans, to visas and vaccinations, overseas travel comes with a lot of baggage. And just so you can cross “make a to-do list” off your to-do list, we’ve gone ahead and made one for you. Here’s a handy travel checklist, featuring our top 10 things to remember before you travel overseas.

1. Get travel insurance

Travel insurance is a crucial safeguard for your holiday as it provides an additional financial safety net in unforeseen circumstances such as trip cancellations, lost luggage, or medical emergencies. Things like medical expenses overseas can often be exorbitant, and travel insurance can ensure that you receive necessary medical care without draining your savings. Having travel insurance goes beyond mere protection – it's a gateway to worry-free exploration. 

If you’ve got a BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum¹ or Advantage Visa Business¹ credit card, visit our BNZ travel website to confirm you’re covered for travel insurance, buy any extra cover you need, and download the Travel Assistance app before you take off. 

2. Make sure your passport’s valid

Making it all the way to check-in, only to find out you’ve left your passport in your bedside drawer, is everyone’s worst travel nightmare. Equally, having your holiday dreams crushed by an expired passport can be just as painful. With New Zealand passports valid for either five or 10 years (depending when you last got yours), their expiration date can easily pass by unnoticed.

Make sure you dig out your passport well ahead of your travel date, so you can check whether it’ll be valid during your holiday, and have time to get it updated if needed. 

Quite a few countries, including Fiji and the European Schengen area, require your passport to be valid for a certain period of time after your intended departure, so be sure to check up on the specific requirements of the country you’re visiting.

3. Sort out your visa

This time, we’re not talking about credit cards. Certain countries require Kiwi travellers to have some sort of documentation to enter their country – whether that’s a physical visa, eVisa, or Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) – even if you’re only stopping over for an hour or two.

You might be surprised by which countries require a visa, and processing times can vary, so it always pays to check up on this one early – maybe even before you’ve booked your flight.

4. Get your jabs

Needles aren’t much fun, but neither is getting sick during what was meant to be the overseas trip of a lifetime. And for some countries, vaccines are actually required before you can travel there.

So avoid catching anything nasty by researching any vaccinations you might need, and going to see a qualified medical professional. Some travel vaccinations call for multiple doses over a period of months, so you’d be best not to try and tick this one off last-minute.

5. Register your travels

Once you’ve told everyone you know that you’re heading off on your dream holiday, take a moment to tell the government you’re going, too. You can do this by registering your travels online, so that you’ll be easy to track down and contact in case of an emergency – like a natural disaster, or civil crisis.

Knowing you’re easily contactable while you’re relaxing on holiday will mean your friends and family back home can relax.

6. Sort your money before you fly

After a long flight, the last thing you want to worry about is tracking down an ATM so you can pay for your bus ticket into town. Get it sorted in advance so you have some local currency to bring with you. 

7. Have a money plan B, C, and D

Overseas travel can come with some unexpected hiccups, and you don’t want to let any of them see you stranded without access to your hard-earned holiday savings. Make sure you have a plan B, C, and even D in place – by travelling with a combination of different debit cards, credit cards, and a mobile wallet³.

One of our favourite travel tips is to keep each card in a separate spot. So if your debit card gets stolen out of your bag, you’ve got a credit card stashed in the hotel safe as back-up.

8. Download an exchange rate calculator

When you’re dealing with switching between currencies, keeping track of what you’re actually spending is tricky. Those leather cowboy boots from Texas may look like a great bargain in US dollars, only to make your eyes water when the payment shows up on your statement in New Zealand dollars.

To help you get an idea of what you’re spending, download a currency converter to your mobile phone before you take off. You can then convert foreign prices to New Zealand dollars – this will give you an idea of how much that matching cowboy hat is actually going to cost you.

9. Download the BNZ app

Before you jump on the plane, jump onto your phone or tablet, and make sure you’ve got the BNZ app downloaded and ready to go.

It gives you total control and flexibility over your money, from anywhere in the world – as long as there’s an internet connection. So you can move money between accounts in a cash-flow emergency, temporarily block and unblock your card, and keep track of how much you’re spending during your overseas trip.

10. Set up your phone to roam with you

Avoid ending your big overseas trip with an equally big phone bill by sorting a mobile plan before you leave. Talk to your mobile provider about an international roaming plan that’s right for you – and arm yourself with all the minutes you need to call home, and all the data you need to let your friends see what they’re missing out on.

Bonus tip: Let your bank know that you're travelling

Let your bank know that you're heading overseas and check that they have up-to-date contact information for you. If you're a BNZ customer, you can fill us in on your plans here. Telling us when and where you’ll be travelling can help ensure that your card isn’t flagged for fraudulent activity. We can help to make sure your cards and transactions are protected while you’re away, so you can just kick back and tick “dream holiday” off your to-do list.

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¹BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum and BNZ Advantage Visa Business card insurances (‘Insurance’)  is subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions (for example age limitations etc.), eligibility criteria, and activation requirements contained in the policy documents. You should read the policy documents to make sure that the Insurance meets your needs. The Insurance is provided to Advantage Visa Platinum and Business cardholders by AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited (‘Insurer’) under an agreement with BNZ. BNZ does not underwrite the Insurance, is not an agent of the Insurer, and does not guarantee the obligations of the Insurer. Premiums are payable for additional cover options. Refer to the policy documents for further information. Visit the BNZ travel website to check your cover eligibility.

²Eligible cards include BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum, BNZ Advantage Visa Classic, BNZ Advantage Visa Business, BNZ Lite Visa, and BNZ Flexi Debit Visa. BNZ credit card and Flexi Debit Visa card terms and fees apply when you use your card in Google Pay or Apple Pay.

³Available with BNZ Flexi Debit Visa and BNZ Visa credit cards. Excludes Business First Visa, Corporate Visa cards and Eftpos.

Account opening and lending criteria, terms and fees apply. BNZ standard terms and conditions apply to all BNZ transaction and savings accounts. BNZ credit card terms and conditions apply to BNZ Advantage Visa Platinum and BNZ Advantage Visa Business. See our Fees Guide for rates & fees.

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This article is solely for information purposes. It's not financial or other professional advice. For help, please contact BNZ or your professional adviser. No party, including BNZ, is liable for direct or indirect loss or damage resulting from the content of this article. Any opinions in this email are not necessarily shared by BNZ or anyone else.

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