Your phone is your map, translator, camera, wallet and boarding pass. That makes it the single most useful thing you pack, and the most painful thing to have problems with in a foreign country. Spend half an hour on this checklist before you fly and you will avoid most common surprises.
1. Update your phone and apps
Install system and app updates at home on fast Wi-Fi. Updates can be large, and you do not want them downloading over mobile data abroad.
2. Back up your phone
Back up your photos, contacts and files to the cloud or to a computer. If a phone is lost, stolen or broken, a recent backup turns a disaster into an inconvenience.
3. Check that your phone is unlocked and supports eSIM
A carrier-locked phone may refuse another provider's SIM or eSIM. Ask your carrier if you are unsure. Most newer phones support eSIM, and you can check yours on our supported devices page.
4. Sort out your data before you leave
Decide how you will get online abroad, whether that is a carrier roaming pass, a local SIM or a travel eSIM. If you choose an eSIM, you can buy and install it before departure. With eSIM2Fly your QR code arrives by email, and the plan starts when you first connect to a network at your destination. Browse all destinations to find your country or region.
5. Download offline maps
Save maps for every city you will visit in Google Maps or Apple Maps. Offline maps keep working when your signal drops, and they use no data while you navigate.
6. Save your documents offline
Keep digital copies of your passport photo page, visas, flight and hotel bookings, travel insurance details and emergency contacts. Store them somewhere you can open without a connection, and keep a separate copy in secure cloud storage. Some countries also require a passport with several months of validity remaining, so check the entry rules for your destination.
7. Secure your phone
Set a strong passcode, turn on your phone's find-my-device feature, and enable biometric lock. If you set up two-factor authentication, an authenticator app is more reliable abroad than text-message codes sent to a number you may not be able to receive on.
8. Get your payments ready
Add your cards to your phone's wallet, carry a backup card kept separately from your main one, and check whether your bank wants a travel notice for your trip.
9. Pack the right power gear
Bring a plug adapter for each destination, a charging cable and a power bank. Most airlines require power banks and spare lithium batteries to travel in your carry-on bag, not in checked luggage, so check your airline's rules.
10. Download the apps you will need
Save your airline and hotel apps, ride-hailing or transit apps for your destination, and a translation app with offline language packs. Log in to each while you are still on home Wi-Fi so you are not fighting verification codes in the arrivals hall.
Before you leave the house
- Phone fully charged and updated
- Backups complete
- Maps, documents and tickets saved offline
- Data plan or eSIM installed and ready
- Chargers, adapters and a power bank packed
Have a great trip.
