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Worst of all, if you're traveling for business, you probably do not have spare time built in to your schedule to resolve problems, and if you're traveling on vacation, the whole concept of your (often expensive) travel is to have a relaxing time free of worries and problems!

For all reasons, it is prudent to do all you can to minimize potential problems when traveling.  Hopefully these tips will assist.

• Carry at least two credit cards, from different credit card issuers.

• If traveling internationally, the best way to get foreign currency is usually through an ATM machine using a bank card.  Withdraw the maximum amount you can each time you make a withdrawal so as to have fewer ATM fees (from both your bank and the ATM owning bank).  Don't get a cash advance on a credit card unless an absolute emergency.

• ATMs aren't as common or as reliable internationally as they are in the US.  Always keep several days of spending money in reserve and plan ahead, recognizing that in smaller towns and villages it might be difficult to find an ATM to replenish your money.

• Always have a cellphone with you and make sure the battery has plenty of charge in it and your airtime account has plenty of credit.  If something goes wrong and you need to use your cellphone to resolve a problem, you might end up spending an hour or more on the phone during the process - you don't want the battery dying or the airtime running out halfway through.  See our series about international cellphone service for information on how to get cellphones that work outside the US.

• It is better to not break your journey but to go all the way to (and back from) your final destination in a single long continuous journey, and then to have extra time at the destination to relax and recuperate from the long travel experience.

• Wearing a set of noise reducing headphones on long plane journeys will help you to feel much less fatigued and more refreshed.  They also make the sound quality of airline movies or personal music players much better, too.  See our series about noise reducing headphones for reviews and recommendations.

• When booking a hotel room in a small town in Europe, ask for a room not overlooking the street. Chances are the room isn't air conditioned, and in mid summer, you'll want to have the windows open for cooling, which means the street noises will assail you all night long if you're facing the street

• Rent a car comparable to the car you have at home - you'll probably be spending more time in it than you do in your home car, you want the experience to be comparable or nicer, and the extra cost of a car upgrade is a very small part of the total travel cost.

• Check with your personal car insurance policy provider and with your credit card issuers to see how much risk they will cover for you when you are renting a rental car in the US or internationally.  Most of the time, you'll find you don't need to spend any money on any of the rental car company's insurance options.

• Cheaper is usually not better when on vacation - the whole concept of travel is to give yourself a wonderful set of happy memories, and a slightly better hotel and slightly better hotel room, a nicer meal at a nicer restaurant, etc etc are more likely to give you such memories than are less expensive alternatives.

• Don't pack anything in checked luggage that you can't do without for several days.  Any essential medications or documents should always be kept in your carry-on luggage.

• Make your suitcases visually distinctive by adding something brightly colored to them.  This not only makes it easier for you to spot them when they arrive on the carousel, but it also prevents other people from both accidentally taking your bag by mistake or deliberately taking your bag on purpose.  If your bag is visually distinctive and unique, then other people won't confuse it with their bag, and thieves won't take it because they are more likely to be spotted with your bag and can't then claim it was an innocent mistake.

• Pack a collapsible tote bag.  If you buy lots of things while on vacation, you can use it as an extra piece of luggage to bring everything back with you.

• Have a 'disaster recovery plan' in place for what to do if your tickets, credit cards, and passport are lost or stolen (see our three part series about protecting against document loss)

• Warning - if you're buying an airline ticket from outside the US, or for foreign travel that doesn't start or stop in the US, then your baggage limit may be only 44 lbs per person.  US flights typically allow two pieces of luggage per person, weighing 50-70 lbs per piece, foreign airlines on foreign routes often only allow 44 lbs (20 kg) of baggage per person (and Aeroflot includes the weight of carry-on luggage into that entitlement, too!).  Excess baggage costs, in such situations, can be $10-20 per extra pound per extra flight.

• Always carry a modern form of anti-diarrhea tablet such as Immodium.  Nothing can ruin your travel plans more than a touch of 'travelers' tummy' and modern medications such as Immodium work wonders in almost immediately returning you to normal health.

• Melatonin can massively reduce the impact of jetlag when traveling across timezones (see our two part series about Jet Lag Causes and Cures)

Do You Have a Travel Tip?

If you have a travel tip that you'd like to add to this list, please send me an email.  All suggestions are welcomed and much appreciated.

Tell David your opinion. Send him an Email - dr4@thetravelinsider.info

Originally published 8 Nov 2003, last update 25 Oct 2008
Copyright 2003 by David M Rowell.
You may freely reproduce or distribute this article for noncommercial purposes as long as you give credit to me as original writer.