1.  If you must take your laptop on vacation, here is a useful website to help locate free wi-fi hotspots along the way:

     www.wififreespot.com

 2.  A small blow-up beach ball can become a pillow of any size, a back support or a soft seat on a long journey, and is a

     great connector with little kids around the world.

 3.  Airlines are cutting back on the number of bags you can check for free. Learn to pack light. Every item you pack should

     be mutually compatible. If shirt A doesn’t go with slacks B, one of them should stay home. By mixing and matching you

     can get different outfits for several days.

 4.  Keep your jewelry, keys, wallets, eyeglasses, tickets, money, passports, cameras, and other valuables with you in your

     carryon luggage. Also carry on any medication that you may need during your trip.

 5.  Put your name and address on the outside of all baggage, both checked and carryon, but cover it or turn it to the inside of

     your luggage tag. Thieves roam airports, watching people leave—especially whole families. If they can get an address off a

     luggage tag, they know which house will be empty for a while. It’s a good idea to put your name and address (and your

     itinerary, or the address at your destination) on the inside of the bag, too, since outside tags can come off.

 6.  Your bags won't arrive at your cruise cabin for a few hours after you board, so pack everything you might want in the

      interim (a book, swimsuit, sunblock...) in your carry-on bag.

 7.   Pack a large zip-type storage bag and mark it permanently for dirty clothes.

 8.  A tiny LCD pocket light can be used to light stairways and walking paths at night, as a night light to find the bathroom, as

      a reading light on night flights or in hotel rooms, to light hard-to-read thermostats in hotels, read maps when it's dark, to

      find something in your purse ... the list goes on.

 9.  Pack a rain hat that fits in a pocket.

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