• Remember to carry a voltage converter so that all your electrical gadgets are compatible with electrical outlets in foreign destinations.
• Equip yourself with a Swiss knife or a penknife. A watertight wallet is a good idea if you’re travelling to the sea - side.
• Instead of carrying the regular iron that takes up a lot of place in your suitcase, carry a travel iron for your business suits and evening dresses. You’ll find it in most travel shops. You can also avoid wrinkling your clothes if you roll and pack them.
• Most hotels frown on guests doing their own laundry in the bathrooms, but if you do need to wash some smalls, carry a length of nylon twine to improvise a clothesline.
• On long-haul trips, stick to lightweight, drip-dry garments that require little ironing and maintenance.
• When choosing your travel wardrobe, remember that dirt does not show up as easily on busy prints, dark colours and polyester fabrics, so prefer these to light-coloured solids unless you're planning to do a lot of laundry!

• Pack a small first – aid kit of over- the- counter medicines equipped to deal with small health hazards. A tube of antiseptic, band-aids, pills for migraines, headaches and stomach upsets are essential.
• Carry a medical prescription if you suffer from any chronic illness. Make sure that you have the generic name of the drug, as brand names differ in countries.
• If you’re allergic to a particular drug, it’s advisable to keep a note about it  in your wallet.
• Carry water purifying pills if you’re planning to travel into rural areas where you might not get bottled or purified water. Just drop one into the water and that will ensure that your stomach stays fine.
• Contact lenses: Carry an extra pair of prescription glasses plus a copy of your lens prescription. Carrying a torch makes those floor crawling search exercises easier. If you are on the floor looking for your contact lenses with a torch, remember to keep the beam parallel to the ground.

• Tie a coloured ribbon or a luggage belt around your suitcase so you can easily identify it on the conveyor belt.
• Travelling light is a boon especially if you have a long wait at the airport between flights. You are less likely to set down light baggage and leave it unattended while you browse through an airport shop or use the toilet.
• Planning to shop on your travels? Just flatten an empty airbag at the bottom of your suitcase. Use this to stuff dirty linen at the end of your trip, and voila! You have an extra bag! Make sure the bag has double zip pulls for a padlock.

• If you’re travelling with a toddler, ask for bulkhead seats that give more leg space. If you’re sharing the seat, ask for a separate seat belt.
• Remember to give your child a drink before take off and landing that will keep his/her ears more comfortable. Even sucking on a sweet will do.
• If you’re travelling with a toddler, carry a change both for the child and for yourself.
• If you’re sharing a seat with your child, airlines do not serve extra food so carry baby food.

• Pack extra passport size photographs in case you need to get a duplicate passport made or need a visa extension.
• Carry copies of birth certificates, passport and visas in case you lose your originals.
• Why be flummoxed by tricky currency conversion every time you are shopping abroad? Carry a currency conversion cheat-sheet cut to credit card size and slip it into your wallet to check discreetly.
• Carry your State and International driving license if you plan to drive in a foreign country.
• Never carry large amounts of cash. Use Traveller's Cheques or credit cards for most     purchases, but first make sure they are accepted in the areas you will be visiting.
• Money, Traveller's Cheques, and credit cards should be divided into several portions. Large bills, cheques, and at least one credit card should be kept on the person in a money pouch or belt that is not readily accessible or obvious.

• If you’re coming from a yellow fever area, be sure you have your health certificate.
• Some countries make it mandatory for you to have travel medical insurance to enable you to get a visa - check with your travel agent on this

• It’s always a good idea to be insured when you’re travelling. The cover depends on the premium you pay but basic areas covered include medical costs, lost baggage and passports, losses incurred due to flight delays, cancellations etc, personal liability and legal fees.
• When travelling abroad, check with your medical insurance provider on how to reach a representative while you are abroad and how to obtain compensation for any care received.
• Seek professional advice from an insurance broker before you buy travel insurance. As long as your insurance agent understand the nature of your travel, they will draw up a comprehensive policy meeting all your requirements and covering all the risks you could  possibly be exposed to.

• Make your hotel reservations in advance, especially if you are visiting a place in peak season. You don’t want to be caught without a roof over your head!
• Don't depend solely on the hotel's alarm service. Carry your own little alarm clock to catch an early morning flight or that pre-dawn sightseeing trip.
• When you check into your hotel, ask the reception to give you a card with the hotel's name address and telephone number. This will come in handy if you get lost or forget the name of your hotel.
• Check whether your hotel has a hair-dryer, iron, coffee percolator, etc, to avoid carrying these gadgets and also making it easy to skip the 110/220 conversion problem when travelling to foreign countries.

HAPPY TOURING!