The 10 Commandments of the good traveler

Lots of travel in this time of the year. Some travel tips, "commandments" for a smooth travel.

•   Carry all the necessary documents: Travel documents such as ID or passport must be in your possession. You cannot travel anywhere without your passport. Ensure it's valid for a period of at least 6 months otherwise the majority of the countries will not let you in. Your passport is your most important travel document.

• Find the specific requirements for each destination: Visa and vaccinations are major concerns during your travel and require considerable time during your preparations for a trip, especially if you traveling to  a destination for the first time.  Even some countries where you will have a stop over might require "transit visas". The most commonly required vaccine is the Yellow Fever vaccine. Ensure you carry the yellow fever certificate with you during your travel.
• Have a "smart bag": Too many clothes, shoes, personal items is recipe for headache. Keep valuable items with you. Money, laptop computers, electronic files, and other items of high value or importance should be kept in a carry-on bag, preferably one that is small enough to stow under a seat. The airline may insist on checking larger carry-on bags if the overhead bins become filled.

• Travel only with your carry-on luggage: When the trip is short of if it's a business trip, the best you can do is take only a small a suitcase on board. The time saved by not boarding a suitcase is immense. Upon landing, you can just exit the airport because it's not necessary to wait for your luggage or have to deal with lost or stolen luggage. You also avoid long queues formed at the immigration. In case you will have extra luggage, customize the look of your bag to make it easy to identify. Many bags on a flight may have a similar design, so customize the bag to make it easy to spot on a baggage carousel. This will keep other passengers from picking it up by mistake.

• Do not carry liquids in hand luggage: Watch out for liquids. The maximum limit is 100ml per unit, packaged in clear small plastic bags.

• Weigh your luggage before check-in: To avoid unpleasant surprises when boarding, such as the pay pound surplus or even being prevented from boarding due to excess baggage(that has exceeded the limit), it's important to verify the weight of your luggage before check-in for smooth boarding.

• Live on the same time-zone as the time of the destination a few days before the departure if there's a time difference: To avoid suffering from too much jet-lag, you can begin "living" in the same time zone as your destination  few days before the flight. Once in your destination, do not succumb to fatigue, sleep at night and get up in the morning to fit to the new zone and routine, especially if you are on a business meeting. Exercise and eating light meals will help you adapt to the new environment.

• Get to the airport early to get plenty of time checking in and for the immigration procedures: In general, it is recommended to get to the airport at least two hours before your flight(for international flights) and one hour(domestic flights) . Add an extra hours or 30 minutes in each of these cases to avoid unnecessary hustles.

• Do not eat heavy meals or drink excess alcohol during the flight: Fatty foods can cause discomfort or dizziness. The effect of alcohol is becomes worse with the difference of pressure and high altitude. 

• Always carry your own extra entertainment: Bring books, games and laptop in hand luggage. They will be handy in case of delays or lengthy connection.

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