My Travel Checklist

Traveling is one activity that I try to enjoy whenever I can. In preparing for a trip, I note of the following things in my checklist:

• Travel documents - passport, visa, ticket, mileage number, insurance, and local embassy number.
  
  
• Clothes - it should be sufficient that can be used for formal, casual, and leisure activities. Be careful not to overload.
  
  
• Credit card - although having sufficient cash is important, having a good credit card on standby is much better. Travelers checks are good as well but I find the process of converting them to cash tedious.
  
  
• Enjoy the flight - funny sometimes as taking an airplane is often the only opportunity I get to watch movies that I've missed. If you are returning the same month (and on that airline), it will be useful to have a book that you can read during the flight.
  
  
• Calendar of activities
  
• Meetings - make a trip as productive as possible is important especially if you are on a business trip. Writing or calling people you want to meet earlier on is a must. Avoid congesting your business calendar as it will hamper you to concentrate and prepare for meetings effectively. Always leave a gap.
  
  
• Fun and personal care - of course, one should try to have fun as well - as all work without pleasure can be stressful. This includes relaxing with your friends or relatives. If there's medical, dental, or other concerns (like your hairdo) that requires attention, get that done before leaving (or do it at destination location if that is the intention).
  
  
• Shopping - no trip is complete without taking time to shop for personal items and buy gifts to family members back home. Be careful not to overload.