Travel Tips
Travel Checklist

The guiding principal is that your trip will be easier and more pleasant if you are able to travel light. The more intermediate steps you have and the more transfers with your luggage you have to make, the more important this principal is. The next time you travel, take a look at the business travelers and the airline personnel. You will be amazed at how small their personal luggage is.

Gil's rule is "all you really need is money and your ticket." That's an exaggeration, of course, meant to calm me when I'm going out the door and saying "What have I forgotten!?" But for most travel there's a lot of truth to it. You really can buy toothpaste in California, or even in France. Of course, for foreign travel, you also need your passport or other acceptable documentation of citizenship. For a business trip, your first priority is to ensure that you have everything you need for the work to be done.

On the other hand, Judy's rule is you'll be a happier traveler if you don't leave behind the things that make your life comfortable. That might be your walkman, the wherewithal to make coffee in your room, a book to read, or your favorite sunglasses.

Use this checklist to help remember those things you do want to take. You aren't supposed to take it all! It's up to you to balance the weight and inconvenience of bulky heavy luggage with your own comfort at having your things with you. Clearly you take different things to go on a ski vacation than to an all-inclusive in Jamaica or a cruise. In addition, you need more on some trips. One usually needs little for a beach vacation. You need specialty clothes for a ski vacation, a wide selection of clothing for most cruises, a variety of clothes in changeable weather, and professional clothes and other materials for a business trip.

Start packing or start making a list well ahead of time. As you go through your daily routine, take note of what you use and make sure that type of item is in your suitcase or cosmetic bag or on your list.

Have you made all the travel arrangements you need to? Have you arranged for your hotel? A rental car? If you're planning a business trip, have you considered extending the trip through the weekend as a short vacation? Often, if you stay over a Saturday night, your flight is less expensive. As your travel agent, we are happy to help you with these additional arrangements at no cost to you.

Set aside your ticket and other necessary documents such as a photo ID (for airport identification), passport, and visa. You might want to consider lightening your wallet of some of your credit cards and other materials -- not so much for consideration of weight, but to ease your burden if you were to lose your wallet or have it stolen. Check before you leave with your employer, insurance agent, or credit card company to find out whether you need the additional expensive CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance. You should carry with you important items such as important telephone numbers, your eyeglass prescription, and any important medical information.

Obtain any cash and/or travelers checks that you're likely to need. When traveling to a foreign country, its best to arrive with a little local currency, especially if your arrival time is outside of normal business hours. It is getting easier and easier to use credit and ATM cards worldwide and you get excellent exchange rates, but we take some traveler's checks just in case.

Choose clothes that can serve double duty and can be mixed and matched. Ladies especially tend to feel we need to bring lots of clothes. If you aren't seeing the same people every day, you don't need a different outfit every day. If you are seeing the same people every day, then your challenge is to mix and match so they'll not notice repetitions.

On long trips, plan to wash out your clothes. Bring some liquid detergent in a shampoo bottle for this purpose (or in a pinch, use shampoo or bar soap). To make life easier, choose clothes that dry easily, or, better yet, clothes that won't show soil and are wrinkle-resistant.

For protection against the weather, choose lightweight compressible materials. Layering can be efficient. Bring a lightweight jacket and a sweater to wear together or a jacket with a liner in case the weather changes. If it's likely to be rainy, consider investing in a folding umbrella. (Of course, if you bring it, you won't need it, and if you leave it at home, you'll end up purchasing another because it rains all the time.)

Pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and brush, deodorant, cosmetics, medicine in a lightweight waterproof bag. Use small convenient containers that won't leak. If you have any doubt about leaking, pack bottles in ziplock plastic bags. Remember, the luggage compartment is not fully pressurized and containers may leak there that normally wouldn't. If you travel frequently, you may want to keep your cosmetic bag packed with small containers of your necessities including specially designed travel items such as a travel toothbrush. Ladies, if you want to make sure you have a washcloth, take one with you (and a plastic bag to store it in)

And don't forget your alarm clock and an extra pair of glasses if you need them.

Be sure to take comfortable shoes. Vacations are a good time to take those long walks you never get a chance to take. Touring cities is no fun in uncomfortable shoes. Even on a business trip, you may find you do a lot of city walking. And don't forget to break in your walking shoes before you go so you know they're comfortable.

Don't take your expensive jewelry. Be satisfied with inexpensive costume jewelry and you'll worry less. Lightweight accessories can add variety.

Do you really need those electrical appliances? If you plan to take them out of the US, make sure the voltage is 120 or you'll need a converter. The power may also be 50 cycle rather than 60 cycle, but that doesn't matter for things like hair dryers and shavers.

Now what about those pounds of guidebooks that you purchased? There are several options: memorize them, take notes, lug them all, Xerox the pages you think are important, or rip out the pages you want to take. Don't forget your local library for travel information!

Put an ID tag on the outside and inside of each piece of luggage. In addition, to make sure they aren't likely to pop open, use luggage straps, or, in a pinch, tape.

Carry medicine, cash, jewelry, business papers, cameras, and other valuables on board with you. You are unlikely to lose your luggage, either temporarily or permanently, but you can minimize the impact if it does happen.

Is your baggage within your allowance? Some flights allow a certain number of checked bags (usually two) and a certain number of carryons. Other flights, normally non-US, specify a maximum weight for checked baggage and may have more restrictive carryon rules. Be careful that you note any change of rules during your trip. For example, your transatlantic flight may go by the piece method but internal flights within Europe may go by the weight method. Cruise lines and tour operators may also limit the amount of luggage that they recommend.

Extras: Do you want to take an inflatable pillow for the airplane? A portable reading light for the hotel? Coil heater, cup, and instant coffee for the hotel room? Portable radio? We take reading material for the flight that we leave behind when we're finished, like magazines or cheap paperbacks.

Traveling with children? Take along a quiet toy or a book. Its fun to follow your route on the map (on airplanes, you should find in the pocket in front of your seat).

Consider joining the frequent flyer program for the airline you're traveling on. Note, you can join at the airport and get credit for that day's flight.

Give a copy of your itinerary and contact telephone numbers to those you leave home.

If your house will be uninhabited while you're away, you'll probably want to do some things so it isn't an obvious target. First, have someone pick up your newspapers and mail or have the post office hold your mail and notify the newspapers not to deliver. Put some strategic lights on timers so the house looks inhabited. If you have some lights on timers all the time, whether you're home or away, the house appears much the same all the time. Don't say that you're away in your telephone answering machine message. If you have a security system, notify the company of your absence.

If you want to shop on your trip, you may want to leave some space in your luggage for your souvenirs or take along a collapsible bag. If there is good shopping at your destination, you might plan to take less than you need and supplement your clothes with the new ones that you purchase. This can be particularly suitable at resorts with good shopping opportunities.

There are some additional techniques for long trips. Some people take old clothes and leave them behind along the way. It is also possible to mail some of your property (new or old) home. If you're traveling a lot on a long trip, you can wear the same clothes over and over, washing them when necessary.

After you've made your preparations and you're on your way to the airport or heading out in your car, it's time to forget about what you have forgotten and concentrate on the trip ahead. We hope that your trip, whether for business or pleasure, is pleasant and memorable, and we'll do our best to help you make it so.