Pre-trip checklist for Europe and Japan (printable)

TL;DR

A printable checklist of 25 things to check before a trip to Europe or Japan: entry rules, health cover, cabin bags, customs, money, roaming, driving, pets and your rights. Each item links to our guide, and each guide links to the official sources. Tick boxes are not saved.

Tick what applies to your trip and skip the rest. Each item links to our guide, and each guide links to the official pages it is built from. Rules change, so check the guide close to your departure.

Entry and documents

If you need no visa, count your days in the Schengen area against the 90/180-day rule. The EU 90/180-day rule for short stays, explained
Check which countries on your route are in the Schengen area. Which countries are in the Schengen area?
Read what the Entry/Exit System and ETIAS mean for your trip. EES and ETIAS: what changes at Europe's borders
Going to Japan: see what Visit Japan Web is for and whether you want to use it. Visit Japan Web: what it is for, per the Digital Agency

Health and safety

Check what your EHIC covers, if you have one, and what it does not. EHIC or travel insurance? What the card does not cover
Going to Japan with medicines: check what the health ministry asks for. Bringing medicines into Japan: what the ministry says
Note the emergency numbers for the countries you are visiting. Emergency numbers: 112 in the EU, 110 and 119 in Japan

Bags and customs

Check the rules for power banks and liquids in your cabin bag. Power banks and liquids in cabin bags: 2026 rules
Check the duty-free allowances for what you will bring back. Duty-free allowances: EU and Japan side by side

Money

Check which countries on your route use the euro. Which countries use the euro in 2026?
Decide in advance: pay in local currency or your home currency when a card machine asks. Pay in local currency or home currency? The EU rule
Visiting the EU from outside: read how VAT refunds work before you shop. VAT refunds for visitors to the EU: the 3-month rule
Shopping in Japan: read the tax-free rules. Japan tax-free shopping from 1 November 2026: new rules
Going to Japan: check the departure tax and any local hotel tax. Japan's travel taxes in 2026: departure and hotel taxes
Staying in Florence, Barcelona or Amsterdam: check the tourist tax. Tourist tax in Florence, Barcelona and Amsterdam

Phone and time

Check where EU roaming applies on your route, and where it stops. EU roaming: where 'roam like at home' stops
Check whether the clocks change during your trip. When do Europe's clocks change? EU summer-time rules

Driving

Driving in Europe: check the alcohol limits and rules for each country. Driving in Europe: alcohol limits and rules by country
Driving in Japan: check whether your licence counts. Driving in Japan with a foreign licence: what counts
Driving in Austria or France: check the motorway vignette and Crit'Air sticker rules. Austria's motorway vignette and France's Crit'Air sticker

Pets

Bringing a pet into the EU from outside: start with the rules, as the steps take time. Bringing a dog, cat or ferret into the EU from outside
Bringing a pet to Japan: read the quarantine rules early. Bringing a dog or cat into Japan: the quarantine rules

If things go wrong

Know your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled. EU flight delay compensation in 2026, and the reform
Know your rights on trains, buses and ferries. EU train, coach and ferry delays: your rights
Travelling in Italy or Portugal: check for announced strikes close to your dates. Transport strikes in Italy and Portugal: where to check

Key takeaways

Every item points to a guide that cites the official pages.
The checklist states no rule itself, so read the linked guide for the details.
What we would skip: any checklist that gives you a rule without saying where it comes from.

Sources

Each linked guide lists its own sources. See how we research.

Each linked page states its sources and method.