Travel Check List for Europe

A great way to ensure that when you travel you have everything with you that you need is to use a checklist.

Now clearly a checklist can be a bit of a personal thing in many ways, some of us are on medication for example and need to know that medication should be carried in the original packaging and with a copy of the prescription if possible. This makes it easier to prove it is for personal use.

But there are also items that we all may need to think about and the generic travel checklist below is intended for that purpose.

Important Items Useful Items Travelling By Car
Passport (ips.gov.uk) Insect repellent Valid full driving licence
Money/Credit Cards Insect bite cream Vehicle registration document
Tickets Mobile phone Motor insurance certificate
Travel Insurance Guide books Motor breakdown recovery insurance
Contact Numbers Travel Adapter European motoring kit
European Health Insurance Card (ehic) Camera Sat Nav
  Binoculars Maps
  Sunglasses See the driving in Europe requirements page for further information.
  Sunscreen  
With respect to any documents listed, it is always worth considering carrying separate photocopies of the originals. Especially your driving license as in some countries they may ask you to hand your license over to them if you inadvertently commit an offense.

For a printable version of the check list you can download this PDF - Travel Check List

UK Passport Online & European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)

You can order your passport on line or request a European Health Insurance Card on line using the links provided.

For essential foreign and commonwealth office travel advice and tips visit >>> foreign and commonwealth office For travel advice specifically for France, visit the FCO know before you go website page dedicated to France.

Visit the Travel Shop for any items you may be missing or for ideas on other things you may need.

Rabies Regulations for the UK

Note:the rules for entering the UK with a pet are changing from the 1st January 2012 ref: new rules

The basic requirements for rabies regulations in the UK up until the 31st December 2011:

  • the animal must be electronically chipped before being vaccinated and it's subsequent blood test
  • the animal will need a properly completed and verified rabies passport to travel
  • the animal will need to be treated against ticks and tapeworms at least 24 hours and no more than 48 hours before entering the UK , this will need to be entered into the pet passport and signed for by the vet
    *entering the UK should be considered as the time you board the transport that takes you to the UK e.g. the ferry
  • the blood test result showing that the animal has a satisfactory anti-body level against rabies must have been verified at least 6 months (from the date the successful blood sample was taken) before travelling to the UK (note: it is possible for the vaccine to fail and for a need for further boosters to be applied to achieve the required anti-body level, but after the 30th June 2011 having the blood test done is a pointless exercise as the new rules coming into effect are sooner)
  • What to check is present in the pet passport before travelling:
    • date of birth/age of the animal
    • the microchip number, date of insertion and its location in the animal
    • the date of vaccination
    • the vaccine manufacturer, product name and batch number
    • the date by which the booster vaccination must be given (i.e. the “Valid until” date). This date is calculated by reference to the validity period of the vaccine given in the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet.
    • the entry for the tick and tapeworm treatment with dates and times when returning to the UK
  • These rules only apply for certain European countries, so for the official government advice on the Pet Travel Scheme use this link and ensure you have the very latest information available and understand the difference between an EU country and a non EU country

The basic requirements for rabies regulations in the UK from the 1st January 2012:

  • the animal must be electronically chipped before being vaccinated
  • the animal needs a properly completed and verified rabies passport to travel
  • the animal no longer needs to be treated against ticks.
  • dogs still need tapeworm treatment. The treatment must be administered by a vet no less than 24 hours and no more than 120 hours before its scheduled arrival time in the UK.
  • the blood test for cats and dogs is no longer required but the vaccination against rabies must have been administered at least 21 days before travelling back to the UK
  • What to check is present in the pet passport before travelling:
    • date of birth/age of the animal
    • the microchip number, date of insertion and its location in the animal
    • the date of vaccination
    • the vaccine manufacturer, product name and batch number
    • the date by which the booster vaccination must be given (i.e. the “Valid until” date). This date is calculated by reference to the validity period of the vaccine given in the vaccine manufacturer’s data sheet.
    • the entry for tapeworm treatment has now been detailed as above, so ensure the vet signs and dates the relevant page with the time of administration.
  • These rules only apply for certain European countries, so for the official government advice on the Pet Travel Scheme use this link and ensure you have the very latest information available and understand the difference between an EU country and a non EU country

FOC Advice

You can find the Foreign and Commonwealth Office staying safe check list here.

French Holidays Aude