#1) Always have your travel itinerary (with emergency contact information) and flight information handy and have extra copies.
#2) If no one is at the airport to meet you, don’t panic, but call the contact phone number immediately. And it sure is nice having a phone that works in the country where I am traveling.
#3) Check-in or reconfirm all flights 24 hours in advance (online or have the hotel make a phone call). If there are any problems with online check-in, call airlines immediately.
#4) Keep your passport, money, and credit cards on you or in a safe place at all times. Have a copy of your passport plus a backup credit card and money in a separate well-hidden place or swap a few with a travel companion.
#5) ATM’s generally work well, are more available than Currency Exchanges, and the exchange rate can be better.
#6) On longer trips, I always think I will do some laundry in the sink, but in the end, I just don’t like washing large items that way, and they end up all wrinkled if they dry at all. In the end, I find that I like having the hotel wash my clothes, and I just wash my underwear in the shower. I try not to pack cotton.
#7) Try to save your shopping to the end so that you don’t have to carry extra things around.
#8) Bring more money than recommended for guides and small bills for luggage carriers, etc.
#9) On any flight, take a mini toiletry bag in your carry-on (3 ounce bottles max if traveling through the U.S.). Make sure you have the bare essentials you might need if you have to spend the night in a hotel without your checked-in luggage. For long international flights, include wet wipes and deodorant.