How to Survive Air Travel - Third and Last Installment

In order to enjoy your holidays, and be able to leave your destination as planned, it is important to familiarize yourself with the laws and customs of your place of destination. Laws are more stringent in some areas than others, and unless you are aware, you could be offending unintentionally. However, ignorance is no excuse, so when traveling to unfamiliar places, consult a travel agent, and get some up to date literature on the subject.

You will also need to know if you face any health risks at your destination. In some areas you could contract diseases, such as hepatitis or malaria, unless you make sure you are vaccinated prior to traveling. You should discuss with your doctor, how long in advance you need the vaccination. Keep in mind, that the hepatitis vaccination generally is a series of three shots over a 6month period. So you need to give yourself plenty of time to make sure you are covered. Nobody wants to spend the holidays flat on their backs in a hospital bed.

You will also need to find out how safe the water is for you to drink. Just because the locals drink it, you may still get sick. You may not be used to certain bacteria, that they have become immune to. The same goes for the meat. That information is easily obtained from a good travel agent. The Internet also has a wealth of information on the travel sites.

The day before you depart, you might want to pack the majority of your things. You may need to purchase an extra piece of luggage, depending on how many purchases you have made during your stay. It is prudent to
determine what, and how much you may bring back with you. If you don't, you may be paying for extra weight, or leaving items behind at the airport..

Some countries have limitations on how much currency you can bring back out of the country, so if you carry cash, make sure you know the rules at your destination. The same goes for antiques. You may not be allowed to take certain items out with you, so before you make your purchases, know the laws.

On the other hand, if you are bringing art or antiques into certain countries, they may be exempt from duty, but it varies from place to place, therefore, do your homework.

You will want to check , that all your travel documents are in order and handy, and you will need to get a good nights sleep.

Before you leave for the airport, make sure you check your accommodation a final time, to be sure nothing is left behind, and phone the airport to make sure the departure time has not changed. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, through security, and to the gate. The advise is the same for the trip home, as it was for the trip out.

Finally, when you arrive home, make sure you have a couple of days to recover from jet lag, if you came from a different time zone. Don't plan on going back to your regular routine right away. If you do, chances are it will take longer for you to recover.

It is my hope that the three installments I have written on how to survive air travel, will help smooth the way for anyone that is new to the experience. I have drawn on my own experiences for this content. A great deal of my family lives in Denmark, where I grew up, and consequently, we visit as often as possible.

Enjoy your flight.