Roll up a duffel and put it in your luggage. In case you buy some breakables, like wine, pottery, etc, roll them in your soft clothing, and pack this in your luggage. Put the rest of your clothes that won't fit, in the duffel.

Learn to say please, thank you, hello, good-bye, and a few other basic words in the home language of countries you visit. A little effort goes a long way.

All of the above AND when renting a cottage/bungalow/small house/casita in Hawaii, Mexico and St. John
be very cautious of TWO things:
1. If the rental shares property with another house (seems somewhat common in Hawaii that it's the owner)Beware! We have bad experiences with invasive busybodies.
2. Ask, ask, and ask again "How close is it to the road and how busy is that
road ?"
Lived and Learned!
R5
R5

If you can't carry it (on the plane) you don't need it.

Another good tip that I learned here was when and how to tip the pilot. I love learning stuff like that from this board. ;-)

And of course NEVER EVER bring your monkey on the plane, no matter how well-behaved he is.

What if you feed your monkey kielbasa while on the plane? Is it okay to bring him along then?

I find that if you tip the pilot BEFORE you take off you can bring both a monkey and a kielbasa aboard.

Do you have to purchase a seat for the monkey ?

Be flexible and never never stay with relatives when traveling.

karens: I can relate to what you said about distances out west. On a recent road trip in Arizona traveling in the four corners area was the following sign: "Burger King 86 miles" ... That really puts those long distances with nothing in perspective!

: "Not if you tip the Flight Attendant too."

Should your monkey tip the pilot?

Fannypacks count as carryon so wear your fannypack under your clothes.

Do wrapped Christmas presents count as carry on?

If you tip the flight attendant, they'll let you check your bags on YOUR flight....

Would a gift wrapped kielbasa be an appropriate tip for the flight attendant?

Now for some honest tips:

Stay at an airport hotel with Park and Fly the night before your flight - you won't have to get up so early and may break even with the cost of parking.

Check the national hotel reservation number for any discounts you may be eligible for but don't know exist. Ask nice, and they'll work with you.

Thanks to all who replied, great tips and a few laughs but be careful in case the monkeys lawyer reads this post!!

dump your itinerary the first day and pretend its a memo from your boss.

bring one pair of shoes. the ones you're wearing!!!

don't be afraid of starting a conversation.

Bring old clothes with you and throw them away as you go. More room in your suitcase for souveniers.

Buy camping clothes - they wash and dry in minutes. They also pack smaller than jeans and traditional t-shirts.

Organize clothes in jumbo-sized ziplock bags. Makes it easier to locate things. Also keeps things neater if TSA rummages through your suitcase (and empties all your trail mix which they did to me on my last trip).

Bring the right shoes for the trip. I've seen too many people on hiking trails wearing sandals or flimsy Keds. Think about the investment you've made on your trip and what would be lost if you end up spraining your ankle...or worse.

I agree on spending the night before at a hotel. Just make sure you'll be able to leave your car there for the rate you've been quoted AND they have an airport shuttle (a lot of the extended stay places do not).