Passports, connections, money, arrival. The things nobody tells a first-time traveller because everyone assumes you already know them.
Short answer: check your passport has six months' validity beyond your return, keep every document in your hand luggage, allow at least two hours for any connection requiring a terminal change, carry a small amount of local currency, and know your accommodation address before you land — border officers ask for it.
Passport validity. Many countries require six months beyond your departure date, even for a four-day trip. Renewals take weeks. Check this before anything else.
Transit visas. You may need one for a country you never leave the airport in. This catches people out constantly — check every stop on the itinerary, not just the destination.
Name matching. The name on your ticket must match your passport exactly. Middle names, hyphens, spellings.
Give yourself more time than seems necessary. A ninety-minute connection is fine when everything runs; it is not fine when your first leg lands twenty minutes late and the next gate is in another terminal requiring a shuttle and a second security check.
For a trip that matters, two hours minimum on international connections. Three if you change airline alliances, because your bags may not be through-checked.
Never put documents or medication in checked baggage.
Carry a small amount of local currency for the first day — a taxi, a SIM card, a meal — and rely on a card afterwards. Tell your bank you are travelling, or the first transaction may be blocked.
Airport exchange rates are poor. Change a little there and the rest later, or withdraw from a bank ATM.
You will be asked the purpose of your visit, where you are staying, and how long for. Answer plainly: attending a conference, here is the invitation letter, staying at this address, leaving on this date.
Have the address written down. "The conference hotel" is not an answer.
Many countries require six months beyond your intended departure. Check the specific requirement for your destination and any transit country before booking.
Sometimes, even without leaving the airport. Requirements depend on your nationality and the airport, so check every stop on your itinerary.
Three hours is the standard advice for international departures, and it is realistic during busy periods.
Report it before leaving the airport and keep the reference. This is why a change of clothes and any medication belong in hand luggage.
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