Checklists
Not aspirational lists. These are the ones that get used — a packing list two people actually argue over, the routine for every time you move on, and the three things you'll be glad you read before you needed them.
Before you fly
What to pack
Four things worth doing before you leave, whoever you are: check your passport has at least 18 months left, keep your home mobile number alive for bank security codes, tell your bank and your card providers where you're going, and buy your insurance before you fly rather than after.
On the road
Every time you move on
When it goes wrong
The three you'll be glad you read first
If a passport goes missing
Report it to the local police and get a written report — you'll need the paper, not just the conversation. Then contact your nearest embassy or consulate; an emergency travel document usually takes a couple of days. This is the reason to keep photographs of your passport in the cloud rather than only in the bag that just went.
If a card is stolen
Freeze it in the banking app first. That takes seconds and is reversible, which a phone call to a call centre at 3am is not. Then ring the bank. It's also the argument for carrying more than one card, on more than one network, with some cash somewhere separate.
If someone is seriously ill
Call the local emergency number — every country page here lists them. Then call your insurer's emergency line before agreeing to treatment or a transfer if there is any way to do so: they authorise the costs and they choose the hospital, and doing it in that order is what stops a five-figure bill. Photograph every receipt, letter and prescription as you go.
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General preparation, not medical or insurance advice. Your policy wording and the local emergency system are what actually govern — read both before you need them.