If you have already planned ahead of time, made arrangements and pre-packed the major luggage, all that’s left is to prepare for the travel day.

Most importantly, what items should you include in your carry-on? Here is a checklist of items that you should have on hand for easy access and safety:

• Travel tickets (don’t leave these dangling from a bag; tuck them into a zippered pocket or carry them on your person in an inside pocket)
• A travel itinerary
• Cash (some homeland denominations and some converted)
• Credit cards, an ATM card, and a phone/calling card
• Traveler’s checks
• Passports, birth certificates, marriage certificate, driver’s license, and visa.
• Duplicate set of house, car, mailbox, and safe deposit box keys.

Health Care and Prevention Items

• Prescription and OTC (over the counter—aspirin, pain killers, etc.) medication, a small first aid kit, a small sewing kit and, if necessary, motion-sickness pills
• Contact lenses and saline solution, eye drops, eyeglasses, magnifiers, sunglasses

Recreational and Communication Items

• A cellular phone
• An address book/phone book, and stamps
• Camera and film (which must be in a carry-on so you can pull it out at security checkpoints, saving it from the damaging x-radiation of the security scanners)
• Toys, stuffed animal, games, books, magazines, writing tools (not all of these will fit in a carry-on, obviously, but they are considerations)
• Laptop and/or CD player.
• Ear plugs, eye glasses, candy, and gum

Simple Hygiene and Beauty Products

• Breath mints or small travel-sized mouthwash
• Hair brush or comb
• Moisturizer and lip balm
• Travel-size deodorant, one or two tampons/pads, and a few towelettes/tissue packets

What to Wear on Travel Day

The buzzword is “comfort.” Wear clothing that is non-restrictive, clothing that breathes, and shoes that stay on your feet (in case you have to race from terminal one to terminal six, for example) as well as shoes that are orthopedic (that you can wear to stand for periods of time if necessary).

You may also be the type who has extreme body sensitivity to either heat or cold, so dressing in layers is a good thing to do: wear a t-shirt with a sweater or jacket that you can cast off if you tend to get hot and that you can put back on when you feel cold. Temperatures change quite quickly from airport to airport, plane to plane, and location to location.

As well, since your body (and feet) will expand/swell up to 10%, loose clothing and breathing shoes that stretch (or give) will be a blessing over tightly laced dress shoes or enclosed boots.

Of course, if you fly on business, your carry-on items will include a suit/business outfit, but you should still be at ease in some sweats or jeans while traveling. And to be safe is just as important as to be comfortable, so shorts (which leave you vulnerable to possible cuts, burns, and frigid temperatures—in an emergency), ladies’ nylons (which will melt into skin in a fire, for an extreme example), and sandals should be avoided.

Don’t worry about making an impression to strangers when your comfort while traveling is much more important. Besides, when you get to the airport or train station you will see that almost everyone else is in jeans, sweats, t-shirts, and sneakers. And that helps you blend in rather than stand out as a tourist all dressed up in your plaids and cameras.