Smart Traveler
In his book Easy Travel, Mike Connelly, shares some pointers on making travel easy:
DOCUMENTS Make sure you have all your documents: passport, visas, tickets, traveler’s checks, etc. You should always check the expiration date of your passport. Many countries won’t let you enter with less than six months left on your passport. Don’t forget to buy medical insurance. Medical bills can be very expensive, especially in the United States and Europe. Finally, you should make copies of all your important documents and credit cards and keep them in another bag.
PACKING My advice is—always travel light! I hate to carry heavy bags. Just take the minimum. There is an old saying: Breakfast in Berlin. Dinner in Delhi. Bags in Bangkok! So, don’t pack anything important in your check-in bag; put important things in your carry-on bag. You don’t want to arrive home without your house keys. Another tip—don’t use expensive suitcases. People don’t steal dirty old bags. Finally, here’s a good little tip—tie a sock or brightly colored string to your bags. Why? So you can quickly see your bag on the airport carousel.
THE AIRPORT My first piece of advice is that you should always carry a good book. It helps to pass the time as you wait for your delayed flight. Don’t forget to take a sweater or a jacket on the plane. It can get very cold on a long night flight. And then there is airline food. Take a snack (cookies or fruit) with you. Sometimes the food is late, sometimes it doesn’t arrive at all, and it’s never very good.