Tips to get ready for Vacation

1. its important to know every airline has their own rules and fees when it comes to luggage, strollers, car seats, golf clubs, etc (and they are always changing). Be sure to double check the baggage rules and fees ahead of time to avoid costly mistakes. This will give you time to plan exactly what gear your family will need to take. It will also give you time to purchase any gear you may potentially need (suitcases, umbrella strollers etc).Most ai .....

Print Your Boarding Passes

2. When you make your reservations, chances are you were given E-tickets. Etickets are computer print outs with all of your travel information. In order to get onto the plane, you will need to show or register your etickets and get BOARDING PASSES. You will not be able to pass through airport security or get onto your plane without Boarding passes.Go ONLINE directly to your airline's website and look in the menu for CHECK IN. Generally you will nee .....

Figure out how to get there

3. Prepare directions to your destination in advance. Have maps and alternate travel routes handy in case you hit traffic. Satellite navigational devices can also be helpful, but make sure any gadget you use is easy to operate and read. .....

Know what to expect

4. Check weather and traffic reports often as travel conditions can suddenly change. Look out for construction projects along your path. Often, the Department of Transportation in each area will list road closures or detours on their web site. .....

Decide when to drive

5. Be aware of peak travel hours. You can generally expect roads to be packed after 5 p.m. on the Friday before a holiday, and between 6 p.m. and midnight on the Monday or Tuesday after a holiday. To avoid jam-packed highways, consider taking personal days to travel. Although that may not be ideal, you may be saving yourself the headache of an accident. Since many people get up very early in the morning or travel late into the night to beat traffic, .....

Leave the lighters at home

6. TSA confiscates more than 30,000 lighters a day. Other items prohibited in carry-on baggage include knives, sharp objects, firearms, explosives, and flammable liquids. Also forbidden as carry-on: athletic equipment that could be used as weapons such as bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, and ski poles. .....

Keep valuables with you

7. Pack jewelry, cash, fragile items, electronics, medications, and undeveloped film in your carry-on luggage. .....

Dress for speediness

8. To avoid setting off the metal detector, steer clear of clothing, jewelry, or other accessories containing excessive metal. Examples include decorative zippers, buttons, large belt buckles, or underwire bras. Wear easy-to-remove shoes. Suggested footwear includes flip-flops and thin-soled sandals without metal. .....

Know what to take in and out

9. Laptops and video cameras with cassettes should be taken out of their cases, placed in a bin, and sent through the X ray machine on their own. Coats, blazers, and jackets should also be placed in a bin and screened. Before entering the screening checkpoint, place cell phones, PDAs, keys, loose change, jewelry, and large metal items in your carryon luggage. .....

Take the time to prepare for your trip

10. If you take a personal day off and think of it as part of your vacation, you have a better chance of going into your getaway more relaxed and coming out of it more rejuvenated. If you cannot take the time off, try preparing for your trip at least a week earlier than usual. .....

Manage jet lag

11. Remember that your internal clock prefers to have a longer day rather than a shorter one. This is why its generally harder to adjust to time change when you are traveling east as opposed to west. Anticipate the jet lag and schedule your vacation activities accordingly. Also make a special effort to get as much sleep as possible to reduce the effect of jet lag. If time zone changes remain a big problem for you, visit the National Sleep Foundation .....

Take naps

12. Short bouts of sleep during the day can help boost performance. .....

Use caffeine wisely

13. Caffeinated beverages can help enhance your performance and mood if used in a strategic way. Keep in mind that you will need 100 milligrams to 200 milligrams of caffeine (the equivalent of a big cup of coffee or several soft drinks) to get the desired results. It takes the stimulant 15 to 30 minutes to take effect, and lasts three to four hours. Just make sure you don't drink it close to bedtime as it can ruin sleep. .....

Involve the whole family in the vacation planning process

14. If the discussion is conducted with respect for the needs of all family members, everyone can learn negotiation skills, and produce a getaway that may not necessarily be ideal for all, but can work for each member. For a family vacation, try to balance days when the whole gang participates in a shared activity with days when the individual members pursue their own desired activities. This may mean that Mom and Dad may have a night out just the t .....

Be flexible

15. Even the best-laid plans go awry, so just learn to roll with the punches.Things come up that you ca not account for, says Cheryl Hausman, MD, medical director of the primary care center at University City, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.Its a wonderful learning experience for kids to see how their parents manage vacation and unexpected happenings. .....

Value unscheduled time

16. Its OK if you and your kids do not see all of the important sights in the city, or get on all of the rides at the amusement park. The purpose of a vacation is to let the day unwind in front of you and enjoy the people that you are with, rather than checking things off a list, says Debbie Then, PhD, a social psychologist working in California. At the end of the day, the kids will not remember all the museums that they went to, but they are going t .....

Do not go with the kids

17. Lets face it. Traveling with the kids does take extra effort. Sometimes the parents need time alone in order to truly unwind. A lot of people think that they are being neglectful as parents if they do not take the children along with them, says Then, also author of Women Who Stay With Men Who Stray. But, its very important as a couple to get away alone, even if its just for one or two days. This is the time for couples to focus on what they like .....

A special tip for parents

18. If you have children, put every outfit for each day in its own Ziploc bag. That way, they can pick out what outfit they want each day and everything they need is already put together, rather than trying to find things they need while they are antsy to do things. .....

Bring an empty water bottle

19. Fill up an empty water bottle in a drinking fountain rather than paying for a costly bottle of water in the airports. .....

Bring your own snacks

20. Snacks in the airport are ridiculously overpriced. Why spend precious traveling money on expensive snacks in the airport when you can pack them in your carry on. Just be sure you don .....

Pack extra plastic bags

21. Bring plastic bags for wet or dirty things that you would not want all over your luggage or all over your clean clothes. Bring more than you think because you never know how dirty or wet things may still be when you are leaving for home. .....

Bring a sunscreen stick rather than a bottle for sun protection

22. The sunscreen stick an amazing invention for kids and travelers alike. These sticks are great for packing while traveling because it is not a liquid, aka you can bring it in your carry-on, and it will not take up a lot of space in your bag. .....

Put paper clips and duct tape on your packing list

23. Have you ever been traveling and in the middle of your trip had broken luggage? Sadly, this happened to me when we went to Maui, except my luggage broke as soon as we got off the plane. If you find yourself with broken luggage, having a paper clip to clip through what is left of the zipper or duct tape to tape through broken parts will make traveling a lot less stressful. .....

Do not pack things you can buy there if they are not necessities

24. You get into packing trouble when you make a list of things that you might use. For example, you would not necessarily need to bring more than one razor (depending on how long you are traveling for.) Do not pack things you might use if you can buy those things at your destination. .....

Put all toiletries in a plastic bag separate from everything possible

25. It is never fun to have shampoo or lotion all over your stuff as soon as you open your bag. Avoid this by putting things in Ziploc bags. Be sure to bring extra Ziploc bags for the return trip, just in case some of your toiletries spill in the bags on the way there. .....

Roll your clothes when your packing and put your socks in your shoes

26. Until I saw my sister pack for deployment for the National Guard, I never rolled my clothes or put socks in my shoes. Sure, your clothes will get wrinkled a bit, but most hotel rooms have irons to fix that problem, or you can purchase wrinkle releaser. .....

Bring versatile footwear and accessories

27. Do not waste precious room for various clothing items on shoes that take up awkward amounts of space in your luggage or extra accessories that just add to your weight limits. Bring items that you can wear with multiple outfits and in all kinds of weather and occasions. .....

Use space saver bags or a compression sack

28. I did not even know they made these until I was reading a few travel blogs the past few months. Compression sacs seem like the best option while packing, especially for indecisive packers. .....

Pack at least one outfit in your carry on

29. Again, this is one where I have learned from experience. While on a mission trip to Boca Chica, Colombia, a member of the team got her bag lost while we were transporting things (not her fault at all, it just happened in the shuffle while our large group was traveling). Good thing she has a positive attitude because she did not get her bag for at least three days. And in a hot, humid environment with no extra clothes, I am sure she was uncomforta .....

Plan things from a guidebook

30. Often people will tell you to research online about the place you are going to before arriving at your destination. The technology the way it is today, people often do not think to look through a written, published guidebook. However, while we were planning for our vacation this time, I found it really useful to make a stop in the library for the latest edition of a guidebook and found places that would be great to see while on vacation. .....

Make sure all your credit card companies and banks know where you are traveling and the dates

31. Unfortunately, I have been on trips with people who have not called their credit card companies or banks before leaving the state they live in or even the country. Lets just say it didn .....

Clean the house

32. This may seem unusual as you will not even be in your home for the time you are gone. But speaking from experience, there is not a lot worse than coming home from vacation to a disaster of a house. Make sure you clean your home before leaving to prevent stress when coming back to reality. .....

Keep your vacation private

33. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, we ve become a nation of over sharers. We share our moods, meals and pictures and while most of the time all that information is harmless, posting when you leave and come back is an open invitation to robbers. People like to tell everyone where they are going on Facebook but the problem is they are telling everybody they are leaving, says Gustin. .....

Take care of yourself

34. Put together personal care kits for each family member in a zipper bag or cosmetics organizer. Include sample-sized bottles of shampoo, shower gel, lotion and sun block. Use motel supplies along the way to replenish care kits. At vacation's end, re-stock care kits and store inside suitcases for the next trip. .....

Establish Travel Central

35. Whether its a new divider in a household notebook, a dedicated section in a paper planner, or a Vacation category in your handheld organizer, keep all travel information in a single location. Include contact information for airlines, car rental agencies and travel agents, passport and frequent flyer numbers, and itineraries. .....

When to Go on Your Hawaiian Vacation

36. Before you start planning your Hawaii vacation, you first need to decide when you will go. While your decision will likely depend on your own schedule, considering travel trends is also important. Some of the best deals and rates can often be found during the summer months, but this does not mean that winter is not also a great time to visit the Hawaiian Islands. Since the weather is near perfect all year round, anytime is really a great time to .....

Finding the Best Vacation Packages in Hawaii

37. Another great tip is to compare the costs of different Hawaii travel packages carefully. Prices can vary greatly, so it always pays to spend some time researching your options and shopping around for the best deals. With a little work, you can literally save hundreds of dollars on your Hawaii vacation.One of the hardest parts of planning a vacation to Hawaii is deciding which of the Hawaiian islands to visit. Oahu is known for its amazing nightli .....

Prepare for Your Hawaiian Flight

38. Hawaii is served by 23 major domestic carriers and 16 major international carriers, including American Airlines and Delta Airlines. Finding flights to Hawaii that work for your budget and needs is easy. Honolulu International Airport (HNL) in Oahu is the major airport in Hawaii and handles much of the traffic in and out of the island. However, there are many smaller airports located on the other five major islands, such as the Hilo International .....

Where to Stay on Your Hawaiian Vacation

39. There are plenty of great Hawaii hotels, but try to book rooms that are fairly close to your intended destination. Are you planning to spend plenty of time at the beach? Then look for hotels and resorts near the coastline to help cut down on travel time.There are many outstanding hotels and resorts in Hawaii, so locating the right one is simply a matter of finding one that is right for your plans and budget. The Four Seasons hotel in Maui ($345-6 .....

Hawaiian Vacation Destinations and Activities

40. Before you leave for your trip, decide exactly what you want to do and see during your vacation. After all, who wants to waste valuable vacation time looking for activities and destinations? By having these details worked out beforehand, you will be able to concentrate on enjoying your time in Hawaii. Snorkeling, whale watching, sunbathing, horseback riding and surfing are just a few of the great activities you can enjoy on Hawaii .....

Packing for Your Hawaii Vacation

41. What should you pack for your Hawaii vacation? Casual, comfortable clothes are must, so be sure to bring along tank tops, t-shirts, shorts and light skirts. Chances are good that you will spend at least some time at the beach, which is why it is important to bring along at least two swimming suits. Most importantly, do not forget to bring sunscreen! .....

Dining Out in Hawaii

42. What would a great vacation be without a taste of the local cuisine? Whether you are eating on the run or making reservations for a romantic dinner, there are plenty of restaurants, cafes and eateries to choose from. In order to make things simpler during your stay, spend some time researching the available dining options near your hotel before you leave, and make a plan to visit as many of Hawaiis hottest restaurants and bars as you can. By havi .....

Enjoying Your Stay in Hawaii

43. In order to enjoy your Hawaii vacation properly, you need to make plans to stay healthy during your stay. Remember to wear sunscreen with the appropriate level of SPF protection in order to avoid painful burns. The weather in Hawaii is sunny, bright and unfortunately, many visitors do not realize how quickly they can become sunburned. Its also a good idea to drink plenty of water and other fluids to avoid dehydration and stay refreshed. .....

Planning for the Unexpected on Your Hawaiian Vacation

44. No matter how much planning you do, unexpected problems can always arise. Keep some basic first aid supplies on hand in case of minor injuries and always keep emergency contact numbers close by. Make sure that you have backup copies of your identification and credit cards, in case your wallet or purse is lost or stolen. By preparing for potential problems beforehand, you will be able to keep your cool and continue enjoying your Hawaii vacation. .....

Getting Ready to Go Home After Your Vacation

45. Of course, one of the hardest parts of planning your trip is preparing for the end of your vacation. After a week of relaxation, fun and adventure, you just might not want to say goodbye to this tropical paradise. However, by making the most of your time on the islands, you will be able to return home refreshed and ready to start planning your next Hawaii vacation excursion. .....