• Mix & Match Clothing: Choose clothes you can mix and match to save space without sacrificing variety. Choose items that layer to accommodate changing weather.

• Quick Dry Clothing: Bring clothing made of fabrics that dry quickly, such as synthetics and lightweight cotton.

• First Aid Kit: Bring a "first aid kit" with tweezers, nail clippers, aspirin, antibiotic cream, cotton swabs, antidiarrheal and cold
  medications. Pack these items in your checked luggage.

• Sealable Bags: Place liquid makeup, shampoo, toothpaste, and other items that could spill into a sealable plastic bag.

• Small lint brush.

• Inflatable pillow and earplugs for plane and train travel.

• Universal Adapter: When traveling internationally, bring an adapter and converter for your small appliances.

• Day Bag: Bring a day bag to hold your umbrella, camera, a guidebook, souvenirs, and other incidentals.

• Carry On Essentials: Pack prescription drugs(in original containers), toiletries, your passport,important documents, jewelry, cameras, and your laptop in your carry-on.

• Single Dollars: American currency is widely regarded and accepted throughout the world. Having ten or twenty single dollar bills with you will be invaluable if you arrive at a destination without local currency, banks are closed and there isn't an ATM in sight.They also make great tips for service and can be used to bring the price down when bargaining in markets.

• Safety Pins: Pack safety pins in your checked luggage to use in an emergency if a button falls off in a strategic location. They also come in handy if you keep valuables in your pocket - pin your pocket closed from the inside of your pants/skirt and would-be pick-pockets won't stand a chance.

• Photocopies of Documentation: Make photocopies of all your important documents including your credit cards. Keep the copies in a separate place than the originals. In the unfortunate event of theft, you will have a back up of all your documents for temporary proof of identification.

• Bottle Opener & Small Knife: Pack a compact bottle opener and small knife in your checked luggage. Carry with you on day trips during your vacation to use for an impromptu picnic after a visit to the local market. Remember to put them in your checked luggage again before flying home and leave them back in your room during visits to places like museums.

• Mini Hard Drive for Pictures: In this era of going digital, a nice addition to have on your trip is a mini hard drive for downloading digital photos or videos. Many on the market today have storage capabilities from 40 to 100 GB of data and weigh mere ounces.

Tip!
Iron before you pack to save time during your trip, then roll (don't fold) clothes. Leave dry-cleaned items in their plastic bags to avoid wrinkles. If clothes do wrinkle, hang them in the bathroom while taking a hot shower.

• Exchange your currency in advance at a major bank. Ask what the transaction fee is for exchanging.

• Best rate of exchange abroad is with your credit card.

• Wear a security pouch under your clothing to safeguard your money, traveler's checks, passport, and other valuables.

• Double-check your itinerary and make sure your airline tickets, vouchers (hotel, car rental, sightseeing, etc), and other documents are in order. Have your hotel voucher(s) readily available to present at the hotel registration desk upon arrival.

• Leave a copy of your flight times, your itinerary, the name and phone number of the hotel, and a copy of your passport or birth certificate and photo ID with a friend or family member.

• It's always a good idea to leave your credit card numbers with a family member in case they are lost or stolen.

Tip!
Before you go, stop mail and newspaper delivery, or arrange for a neighbor or friend to pick it up for you. Pick up your dry cleaning, pay upcoming bills, and arrange for the care of your pets. Inform your credit card company that you will be out of the country. Unverifiable out-of-country charges could cause your credit card company to put a hold on your card.

• Pack light, so you can carry all of your bags yourself. Check with your airline for weight and size allowances. Luggage should not exceed 50 Ibs - some airlines are charging an additional fee per bag that exceed the weight limit.

• Label each piece, inside and out, with your name, address, phone number, and your destination address.

• Carry-ons must measure less than 45 inches of combined height, length and width, and most airlines limit passengers to one. An average-sized handbag or laptop is not considered a carry-on.

• Never leave your luggage with a stranger or unattended.

• Never carry, pack, or check luggage for a stranger.

• Be prepared to answer questions about your luggage.

• Do not lock your checked luggage. Security will break locks to check contents.

• Do not wrap any gifts you may be bringing with you.

• Remember to pack any sharp objects in your checked luggage.

• Do not pack lighters or matches in your carry-on, they may be confiscated.

• Parking, airport shuttles, security checks, and luggage checks take time. Give yourself plenty of time for unexpected delays, such as traffic or lines at the airport, or for connecting flights.

• 24 hrs ahead: Call your airline to confirm your flight.

• 2 hrs ahead: Arrive at the airport.

• 72 hrs ahead: Call your airline to confirm your flight.

• 3 hrs ahead: Arrive at the airport.

• Airport parking fills up during many peak travel periods, therefore, consider parking your car off airport property. We recommend a service such as Avistar. Ask your Liberty agent for the Avistar location at your departure airport. If Avistar is not available in your market, your agent can recommend another facility.

• Contact your airline in advance if you plan to travel with your pet. Certain restrictions may apply and documentation may be required, particularly when you travel outside the continental United States. Also, make sure your pet is current on all vaccinations and licenses.

• Liberty Travel is here for you before, during, and after your trip. If you should encounter any problems with your travel arrangements, please contact us as soon as possible. If a problem occurs while you are at the hotel, contact your travel agent immediately. To receive a prompt refund for unused services, submit written proof from the hotel or other operator that services were unused no later than 30 days after the termination of your trip. A copy of your checkout bill from the hotel will help to expedite the processing of any refund (if applicable). If you paid for your vacation by credit card, it may take more than one billing cycle for your credit to appear.Without proof, Liberty Travel can issue a refund only after an investigation, which may take up to 90 days. Sightseeing tours, transfers, or land transportation via chartered or independently rented vehicles are nonrefundable. Liberty Travel cannot issue a refund if you are denied boarding or entry as a result of improper citizenship or visa documentation.

• Unused hotel nights are refundable only if they cover a minimum of two consecutive nights, and only to the extent that the tour operator receives a refund from the hotel, after deducting cancellation charges levied by the hotel, if any. Unused transfers and/or sightseeing tours included in basic tours will only be refunded to the extent that the tour operator receives a refund from the supplier. No refunds or adjustments will be made for any changes, cancellations, or modifications of services provided in your itinerary, if such changes are made by the tour participant during the tour.

• Liberty Travel never charges a fee for arranging your vacation, with the exception of buying or changing airline or Amtrak tickets bought without a package vacation. Costs are $20 per ticket with a maximum of $100 for passengers traveling together on the same itinerary. If you have purchased a Liberty Travel vacation within 18 months, your ticket "service fee" is reduced to only $10 per ticket, with a maximum of $50 for passengers traveling together on the same itinerary. We will gladly credit the amount we charged for ticketing fees toward your next vacation package.

• Your package price does not include porterage at airport; tips to local representatives, sightseeing guides, restaurant employees, or hotel bellmen and chambermaids; wines, liquors, laundry, or any items of personal nature, as well as any item not specifically mentioned within itinerary. Tipping is left to your discretion unless you've purchased an all-inclusive vacation where tipping is not required. Many all-inclusive packages include drinks, meals, and non-motorized water sports.

• Local room tax, energy surcharges, and service charges on room and meals are not included unless specified. Taxes and service charges are based on hotel's posted daily room tariff, which may be higher than your package rate.

• Car rental rates do not include gas, local taxes and fees, optional collision damage waiver insurance, additional driver fees, or under age fees for drivers under 25. These are paid directly to the car rental company.

• Check with your doctor if specific flu shots/medications are needed before traveling to certain destinations.

• Carry traveler's checks or a preloaded travel card; you can replace them if they are lost or stolen.

• Carry money and credit cards in a money belt.

• Bring only the credit cards you intend to use.

• Carry a small amount of cash. Most destinations have ATMs that dispense cash in local currency.

• Many destinations require the traveler to pay a departure tax. Other fees may also apply. Check with your travel agent.

• Leave valuables at home or locked in a hotel safe. Keep cameras and laptop computers with you. If you have to leave them behind, put them in a bag. They are safer out of sight.

• Park in well-lit areas and always lock your car doors. Have your keys ready before you get to your car. Always try to walk in well-lit areas. Have someone with you, if possible.

• Watch for scams and for people who "accidentally" bump into you.

• Keep hotel keys out of sight when in public areas. Always keep your hotel room locked, even when you are in it. Never allow a stranger into your hotel room.

• Never give your room number to anyone other than hotel staff.

• All bags must have the cruise line luggage tags attached before you leave home. If you have a pre-cruise hotel booked, attach the tags before leaving the hotel for the cruise ship.

• Avoid lines at the pier by pre-registering online. Check with your cruise line.

• Have single dollar bills in your pocket to tip the baggage handlers and transfer driver.

• Leave a copy of your flight times, the name of your cruise ship, and a copy of your passport or birth certificate and photo ID with a friend or family member. While at sea if someone needs to contact you, arrangements can be made through 1-800-SEA-CALL.

• Check the cruise ship itinerary to ensure that you have packed all the appropriate clothing, including formal wear, if necessary.

• Cruise lines reserve the right to change or alter itineraries without notice and in most cases, without compensation.

• Cruise line representatives carrying identifying signs will meet you in the baggage claim area. Check in with one of these representatives. They will advise you to claim your luggage and then proceed to a designated waiting area. From there, a transfer bus will take you to the pier, if included in your package.

• A cruise line representative will instruct you either to carry your luggage with you into the cruise terminal or to identify your bags and place them in a luggage container. Because your bags may arrive in your room later than you do, keep all medications, a change of clothes, and other essentials in a carry-on.

• You will now proceed to the cruise terminal and check-in. Have your proof of citizenship, cruise ticket, signed customs forms, sail information, and credit card ready for inspection and processing.

• Upon check-in, you will receive an ID/swipe card. This card serves as your boarding pass to exit and enter the ship, your charge card aboard the ship, and your room key. If you lose this card, immediately report the loss to the purser's office, your onboard front desk.

• Book all of your shore excursions, spa treatments, and beauty appointments right away (unless you have pre-booked your excursions). These activities sell out quickly. Most cruise lines have online shore excursion booking capabilities.

• Make the most of your time onboard by attending the shows, participating in the games, and enjoying the food.

• Every evening, your cabin steward will provide you with an information sheet. This sheet outlines the activities for the next day and the expected attire for dinner the next evening.

• Have at least one member of your party attend the disembarkation information meeting on the last full day of the cruise.

• If your flight leaves before 12:00 noon, let the purser's desk know that you need an early departure time.

• You will be asked to leave all luggage outside your room by 12:00 midnight on the last evening of the cruise. Keep a change of clothes, medications, tickets, proof of citizenship, and any other necessities with you in your cabin.

• You will receive a printout of your purchases on the morning of disembarkation between 6:00 and 7:00am. If you have a cash deposit and an outstanding balance, or a discrepancy, you must settle your account at the purser's desk by 8:30am. If you choose to pay your account with your credit card on file, you do not need to settle onboard.

• As you disembark, you must have your ID/swipe card to punch out of the cruise line security system, proof of citizenship, and your customs card (customs cards must be filled out completely and signed).

• By this time, the luggage that you left outside your cabin is already off the ship and in a retaining area. You will need to identify your bags and take them to the transfer bus, if included in your package (directly across from the luggage claim area in the cruise terminal).

• Upon boarding the transfer bus, advise the driver of your airline. The transfer bus will drop you off at the correct terminal.

• This section contains general information on the uses and restrictions of your airline ticket. These guidelines are intended to increase your awareness however, they are not hard and fast rules. Uses and restrictions vary by airline carrier and circumstance. Call your airline carrier for definitive information.

• Be absolutely certain of your plans before purchasing an airline ticket, as tickets are typically nonrefundable, nontransferable and nonendorsable.

• Nonrefundable means you cannot get your money back for your ticket; once you buy it, it's yours. That same ticket is also nontransferable, which means only the person listed on the ticket can use it. For the same reason, name changes to tickets are not allowed.

• Nonendorsable means that a ticket is only valid with the airline that issued it. An airline cannot endorse a ticket from another carrier.

• Partially used tickets have no value — the unused portion falls under the above nonrefundable, nontransferable, and nonendorsable restrictions.

• With some airlines, you may change the date of your ticket for a fee. Fees - and the availability of alternate flights - vary by situation and airline carrier. Often a fare change accompanies a date change. Date changes are only valid prior to the original departure date on the ticket.

• When you no-show for your flight(s), you lose the value of your ticket. A no-show, by definition, is a scheduled passenger who never shows up to check-in and never contacts the airline to advise that he/she will not be traveling as scheduled.

• Under certain circumstances, which vary by airline, carriers do accept cancellations. However, the airline always has the final say which may vary by circumstance and carrier. You must, however, cancel directly with the carrier or with your travel agent prior to the original departure date on the ticket.

• For valid cancellations, tickets can typically be used up to one year from the original issue date.  Again, limitations vary by airline.

• To rent a car you need to satisfy an age requirement (varies by company and region), and have both a valid driver's license and major credit card in the same name. (A debit card is subject to acceptance by the individual car rental company.)

• If you do not have a credit card or an approval to use your debit card, you are typically required to put down a cash deposit. This must be pre-approved through the car rental company.

• A standard rental includes use of the car and applicable minimum state-required liability insurance. A collision damage waiver, in which reponsibility for any damage shifts from you to the car rental company, is available for an additional charge. However, your personal insurance or credit card may already cover you; be sure to investigate. Be aware that you may be protected domestically, but not internationally.

• Local, state, and federal taxes; airport parking fees or surcharges; drop-off and refueling charges; additional drivers; child safety seats; ski racks and navigational equipment typically cost extra as well.

• If you or another driver are between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five, additional charges apply.

• Cars are available by the day, weekend, week, or month, typically with savings for longer rental periods. Categories range from compact to luxury. Small groups may want to consider a van.

• When renting your car, geographic restrictions may apply. Some auto rental companies may not allow you to leave the state or country with the rental car. Check with your travel agent and/or car rental company.