The essential checklist for international business travelers

If you are traveling internationally for work, perhaps to the UK, it can often come with a lot of moving parts. Travelers will have to consider things like visas, time zones, approvals, presentations and keeping spend on track. 

This article will provide business travelers with an essential checklist for international travel, including details on visa rules, eSIMs and the shift towards biometrics. 

What do you need to consider before an international work trip?

As soon as you make your way to the airport, you won’t have access to anything in your office or at home, so it’s really important to assess what you will need to bring with you, what information you need to find out before you go, and prepare anything you’ll need for arrival.

If you are traveling internationally from the US, you might be on a longer flight, so consider if you want to pack a pillow for comfort, or what entertainment you might want to bring. 

Executive assistants traveling for work will likely have additional things on their checklist, like how much in-trip support they are expected to give, and getting information about all those traveling as they manage the trip. 

Pre-trip planning 

Firstly, start by confirming who booked the trip and where your travel details are stored. Typically, this will be a travel manager, and they can tell you who you are flying with (and times), where you are staying, and details of any food allowances, etc.

Keep these details easy to reach while you travel:

• Destination and dates

• Meeting locations, schedules, and the purpose of the trip

• Any planned team dinners, supplier meetings, or events

• The travel manager's best contact details

If your company uses an automated travel platform, much of this information may already be available digitally.

Visas

Some destinations require a visa before your travel, so it's worth checking entry requirements early.

For example, if you are traveling from the US to the UK, you will need to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA). You can apply for this on the UK Government website.

And if you are traveling to mainland Europe from the US, travelers will need an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), which will be operational from 2026. This will only cover short-term stays, will cost 20 euros (about $23) and will be valid for three years or until your passport expires.

Check the US State Department’s guidance before you travel.

Check your currency

Check Bloomberg to see current exchange rates for some of the most commonly used currencies across the world.

Before traveling, not only is it wise to check the currency and exchange rate, it is also worth learning about the tipping culture to give you an idea of how much physical cash you are likely to need. For example, it is generally not expected to tip in most of Europe, but some restaurants in Italy might expect a 10% tip.

And you should also check the accessibility of paying by card. This provides easier payments without the need to carry around potentially large quantities of cash. There are many card providers where you can avoid international fees, such as Starling, Wise or Charles Schwab.

Choose an eSIM

Work trips don’t stop once you board. From approvals to supplier updates, staying connected across calls, Slack or Teams keeps work moving.

Ensuring you have an eSIM helps you stay connected without hunting for Wi-Fi or dealing with roaming surprises.

Here are some recommended providers for using data in the UK:

Here are some recommended providers for using data in Europe (with France as an example):

More things to check before you fly 

Passport validity 

It goes without saying that you’ll need a valid passport to fly. This needs to be in date and comply with the countries requirements around months left on your passport when you fly.

For example, flying to Germany requires you to have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.

Electronic documentation

Your passport may still be physical, but most travel documents and boarding passes are digital and live on your phone.

For example, if you are planning on doing multiple trips to different countries within Europe, you might fly with Ryanair, who have announced they are 100% digital, and you’ll need their app to download them.

Time zones

Long-haul work travel often means adjusting quickly to a new time zone.

If you are heading to London from New York on an evening 5pm flight, the time upon landing will be 9pm, but it will feel like 1am the next morning, so you are likely to feel some jet lag. 

Here’s a rough guide to flight times and time differences from the US:

Note: between March and October, the UK is in BST, which adds an extra hour

The class you are flying

Not all classes offer the same flying experience. If you are booked on a long-haul business class flight then you will have more variety and frequency of meals on board.

For economy, this won’t be the same, and you might want to prepare by bringing or buying some additional snacks for the journey. 

Baggage allowance

Packing for work travel already comes with enough decisions. Check your baggage allowance before you pack. 

It’s also worth checking whether you have entirely carry-on, or checked bags too, so you can pack accordingly.

Packing your baggage

A few essentials can make work travel smoother. Your business travel checklist might include:

Here are some things you might need to pack:

• Laptop and chargers

• Notebook and pen

• Headphones

• Reusable water bottle

  • If your bottle is over 100ml, this will need to be emptied prior to travel to comply with TSA liquid rules

• Portable charger

• Snacks

Preparing for business

If you’ve got a trip planned with lots of business meetings, or perhaps even a big presentation, you’ll likely have various documents to do with it.

We recommend bringing a folder or something to keep them all organized, and even in the order in which you’ll be needing them. 

We also recommend ensuring you have any documents that are stored on a laptop backed up to an external hard drive. You don’t want to arrive ready to do the presentation and find the original files won’t open!! 

Things to know when you land

Once landed, there will be additional things on the checklist that you’ll need to consider, starting with the arrival airport.

Biometrics at security

Several European countries now use digital border checks for international arrivals. On arrival, travelers will be asked to create a “digital record”, by having their fingerprints scanned and photo taken. 

Border queues may take longer during busy travel periods, especially during rollout phases. If you have onward travel, leave extra time between connections in case border checks take longer than expected.

Transport to hotels

This will likely have been organized by a business travel manager and should be included as “must-have” information in your checklist.

It might simply mean looking out for your name when you arrive, but in other cases, you might have been booked on a train and will need to locate the airport train station. 

Tips for first-time business travelers

Your first international work trip can feel like a lot to manage.

Presenting to potential clients can always be challenging, but when you might be jet-lagged or in a non-English speaking country, it can be extra difficult. 

Some things you can do

• Make sure you are aware of the location of the business meeting, its surroundings, and maybe even a place to grab a coffee beforehand

• If you have a long flight, try and sleep where appropriate to get rest for the days ahead

• If you are traveling to a non-English speaking country, try and learn some of the basics before

• Bring things that you find relaxing to calm your nerves. Perhaps that’s a book you love to read or even a stress ball.

These things can really help business travelers prepare for their first work trip.

Download your own checklist for international business travel

Download your very own PDF checklist to be fully prepared for your next international business trip.

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Now you are ready for your international business trip

With our downloadable checklist for international business travel, you can feel assured that you’ll have everything you need for that all-important trip.

You’ll be on top of the time zone, you’ll have your laptop, charger and important documents, and be well prepared if you have a slightly longer wait at the security checkpoints. 

And if anything changes with your flight, and you need to change your plans, Perk’s platform can help by notifying you of any travel restrictions, cancellations or delays.

Ready to focus on your international travel and let Perk help to manage everything else? Sign up today for a free demo.