Vacation 101  Its about having fun, peace of mind, not working and not worrying. If you do these things. you'll increase the chances of those things happening! And remember that the watchword today is not that it changes, but how fast it changes.

1.Pack those small things.

You havent had a vacation for a while, so youre forgetting what a hang nail, an itchy mosquito bite and a heel blister are like.

Those small things get really large on a trip.

The nail clippers, bandaids, hair bands, suntan lotion, and Neosporin will not only cost you 5 times as much on your trip, they will cost you precious pleasure TIME while you hunt them down.

2.Check your medical insurance and car rental insurance two weeks before you leave.

Policies are different and you need to know WHAT will be covered on your trip and WHERE. Some policies cover accidents, injuries, and illness abroad and some do not. You also need to know what your car insurance covers and where. Call your insurance companies to make sure, get names, etc. and take this with you in writing.

3. Then fill in the gaps with travel insurance.

Pay for peace of mind. Consider the health insurance that includes air evac back to the US unless you relish emergency gall bladder surgery in El Disastro, Peru when you don't understand Spanish. Bring proof of your coverage in writing.

3.If you buy special travel insurance, for instance, cruise travel insurance, read the fine print to see whats covered.

It may give you another cruise if you have an accident for instance, that interrupts your vacation.

4.Adopt the mental attitude that youve never flown, cruised or gone by train before.

Why? Because its changed since 9-11 and keeps on changing. New security measures, restrictions, and time-consuming safety procedures are being added all the time. On my latest cruise I heard people saying, They dont do it this way on cruise line X. Little did they know!

5.Call ahead for important information but, sigh, dont rely on it.

Go ahead and bring the hair dryer, converter, travel iron and toiletries and anything important to you, and be pleasantly surprised if theyre there. Do not trust the person on the phone, or your friend who has just returned. It changes. Realistically, its impossible to keep up with.

6.Keep documentation papers.

On my last cruise a couples luggage got really torn up. I listened to them argue it out with the purser. The cruise line claimed it says in their papers they arent responsible; its the baggage handlers on the dock & or maybe the airline. At any rate, at some time the couple is going to have to prove what the luggage cost. Photographs are also helpful.

7.Which brings up a practical point: your luggage and common sense.

The above-mentioned couple was claiming, She  that shed paid $300 for her fabric-type roll-on luggage. He - that his custom-made all leather carryon was not replaceable. Use your own judgment, but seems to me the best practical measure these days is to buy the sturdiest least expensive luggage you can find. I think it unrealistic to imagine your luggage wont be at least nicked, scratched or slightly torn, and you can save yourself some emotional turmoil by preparing for that fact, i.e., dont give a toddler a crystal goblet and then be surprised it gets broken.

8.Hot tubs and bathing suits.

Some hot tubs contain enough bromine (via health regulations) to not only bleach out your bathing suit, but loosen elastic, leaving you with a bleached bag. This information is posted near the hot tub, but wont help you if you dont know beforehand. Be practical. Bring an old suit, or bring an inexpensive one and treat it like a Bic pen: disposable.

9.If youre traveling abroad, alert your credit card company ahead of time.

10. Take your Emotional Intelligence with you.

Traveling is a microcosm of life because its full of
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