Taking a well deserved vacation is good tonic for almost anyone, but it’s traveling to get to the destination that can be difficult and stressful. However, there are lots of things that you can do to make the trip more pleasurable and successful, and here are some travel packing tips to help you have great family vacations:

* If you are traveling by airline, often it’s a good idea to get luggage that makes transport much easier for you. For instance lots of luggage these days comes with rollers that let you just pull the luggage along behind you very easily instead of having to carry it through the airport. Many luggage makers also design their bags so that they can be easily stacked together and rolled by one person.

* Here are some things that you should always bring with you in a carry-on bag whenever you travel: your driver’s license, wallet, credit cards, traveler’s checks, airline tickets, information on your lodging, insurance cards, and your passport if you are traveling outside the country. If the airline loses your other luggage for any reason this will insure that you have your most important documents with you anyway.

* It’s a good idea to buy film before traveling in order to save money, but film can easily be destroyed by the increased security devices that are in use now, so consider buying a special case made especially for carrying film when you travel. If you are carrying the film on board with you, you can tell the security personnel that you are carrying film and ask for a manual inspection and they will often comply. If you do wind up buying your film at your destination, be sure to develop it before you leave to be sure that don’t lose any valuable reminders of your fun vacation.

* If you are bringing some valuables with you as you travel, be sure to keep them in your carry on bag instead of the checked luggage to prevent loss or theft.

* Bring along some plastic bags to keep your dirty clothes separate from the clean clothes while you are on your trip if you want to keep the clean ones fresh. Also put your shoes in plastic bags to keep them from rubbing against your clothes and making marks while in your luggage.

* If you have medications it’s usually best to take them on board with you to avoid the possibility of being lost along with any checked luggage. It’s also a good idea to keep them in their original bottles to avoid raising any suspicions as you go through security checkpoints. And be sure that all medications that you use in the US are allowed in other countries too, as that is not always the case and you can actually have them confiscated or even worse, land in jail because of them.

Be sure to read the second part of this article series on travel packing tips that can help you have great family vacations for even more valuable information.

* Find out as much as you can about what paperwork will be required of you to enter and leave the country where you are going. What passports and/or visas will be needed? Will you be required to have a copy of your birth certificate?

* Find out if any vaccinations will be needed before you travel to that country. Also if you use medications, are they considered legal there?

* If a foreign language is used, try to get at least somewhat familiar with the basics of the local language just in case it may come in handy.

* If you plan on driving while in the foreign country, find out if you will need an additional driver’s license to do so. There are international driver’s permits that are accepted in 150 countries that may be what you need, and you can find out about it at the aaa.com website. And be sure that you have adequate auto insurance that applies in that country before driving there too.

* If you plan on using your computer while traveling, check in advance for any necessary equipment such as voltage converters or electrical plugs that will be required in order to plug in and safely use your computer equipment while you are away. Also, how will you connect to the internet while outside the country?

* Will you be covered for any medical emergency that may arise while traveling in that country? Many health insurance policies do not extend beyond the borders of the US, so additional trip insurance may be required to be adequately covered.

* Try to get familiar with metric conversions or at least bring along a metric conversion table with you so you can understand what measurements actually mean as most of the world outside the US actually uses the metric system for measurement and this can be very confusing for Americans traveling abroad if they aren’t prepared.

Be sure to read Part 2 of our article series to get even more international travel tips that can help you have the best family vacations.

Traveling in foreign countries can be a wonderful, uplifting experience that will never be forgotten, but there are also perils and difficulties that can arise on any trip, especially those that are outside your own country. In part 2 of this article series we discussed how to prevent sickness from local foods and water while away, how to carry cash with you safely and how to use credit cards while abroad and much more. Now here are even more international travel tips that can help you have the best family vacations while you are abroad:

* As with any plane trip you take, airlines can lose the luggage that is checked in as baggage on the flight. So to counteract that possibility, be sure to take all important papers that will be needed for the trip including visa, passports, medical and insurance documents, trip schedule, lodging information, driver’s licenses and so forth in your carry-on luggage just in case. That way it never leaves you as you make the trip.

* It is also a good idea to include a few clothing items in your carry-on bags that can get you through a couple of days in case your luggage is lost.

* To cut down on the amount of luggage that you have to carry, consider shipping the larger, more bulky items instead so that you can retrieve them at your first lodging destination and nor risk having them lost or misplaced on the flight.

* It’s always a good idea to have a small first-aid kit along with you on the trip that can be retrieved handily in the case of an emergency.

* White sneakers often brand you as a tourist in foreign countries, so try to use medium brown to black shoes that are also comfortable for the trip as they tend to blend in with almost any kind of foreign attire.

* Be sure that you know what the local taxes are that apply to any purchase made as they vary widely in foreign countries and can sometimes be more expensive than the item itself.

* Become familiar with all customs requirements regarding foods, plants and so on before you travel so you aren’t denied entry for any item that you have purchased while on your trip.

All trips require some advance thought and preparation but vacations outside your own country call for even more diligent research beforehand. By using the international travel tips and suggestions made in this article series, you should be able to be better prepared and have the perfect family vacation.