Planning Your Trip

Planning a trip can take a long time, so before you go, make sure that everything is absolutely in order so that your trip goes as smoothly as possible and your planning wasn’t for nothing. There are a variety of things you should remember, so here are the top tips that cover your travel planning. Make sure you review them before you go away.

• Make sure that your house is secure. Before you go away for any amount of time, hire a friend of neighbor to house-sit. This will ensure that your house and possessions are safe at all times. Also ask the post office to hold your mail so that you don’t lose any and so that mail does not get stolen from your box

• Check and recheck you airport tickets before you go. Sometimes, the mind plays tricks and even though you may think your flight leaves at 9:30, it may actually leave at 9:00. Be sure to carefully look at the time your flight takes off and make sure you get to the airport at least an hour in advance for domestic flights, and even longer for international flights.

• Confirm your reservations. About a week before you leave, call your hotel to make sure that your name is in the system and that you are set to arrive on the right day. If you do not, you may find that your reservation is lost and not being able to find a room is common.

• Pick up tourist information. If there are certain activities you and your fellow travelers want to do, make sure to schedule time for them and to pick up information that includes maps and times of operation.

• Prepare your paperwork. If you are flying to a foreign country (or driving there), you’ll need identification and, in most cases, a passport and/or visa. If you do not have the proper information, you won’t be allowed to board the flight.

How to Survive Airport Check-In  To survive airport check-in, start at home…  Before you begin to pack, check with the airport to see what items are not allowed on the airplane, and leave them at home.....

Conquer Your Fear of Flying  If your flying anxiety is based on personal experience, you may need therapy to help you overcome it.  If you or someone you know had a tragic flying experience, you may have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder instead of a phobia....

When Do You Need to Buy Travel Insurance  Other types of trip insurance that you may want to purchase for international travel include disaster insurance, evacuation/repatriation insurance and oversees funeral insurance. 

Make Life Easier by Traveling Light   Whether you are going to the grocery store for bread and milk or to Antarctica for three months, traveling light will make the trip easier.