Depending on where you are going you should visit the State Department website and check travel and business section for any travel warnings of the country or region you are visiting.

You should also take this opportunity to with register with the embassy (there is a link "Registering with US Embassies" from the travel and business section of the site). Registration at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (in the country you are visiting) makes your presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a consular officer to contact you in an emergency. During a disaster overseas, American consular officers can assist in evacuation were that to become necessary. But they cannot assist you if they do not know where you are.

You should make two copies of your passport and visa(s) for the country you are visiting if you have one. Give one copy of the documents to someone at home, it will make it easier for them to contact you, should something happen. Keep the second copy with you at all times.

With that said, always keep your passport and visa(s) locked in the safety deposit box at the hotel (keeping the paper copies with you). Also note, the safe at the front desk typically is the best place to lock up these items as opposed to the safety deposit box in your room.

You should also give all your hotel and flight information and itineraries to your main contact person here in the States. Again, hopefully they will never need to use that information, but in case they do, they will have it.

On to lighter subjects, well maybe not lighter, but at least, not a serious. Luggage! Regardless of if you are traveling domestically or internationally, it is a good idea to visit your airlines website to find out how much luggage you are allowed. There is nothing worse than getting to the airport and been told you have to pay another $25.00, $50.00 or $100.00 because your bags are too heavy.

Keep in mind that baggage allowance varies upon many things: are you traveling internationally or domestically? Are you flying First, Business or Economy? Are you a member of their frequent flyer program, or one of their partners? If so, what level are you (standard, silver, gold or platinum)? And finally, see if you are allowed one bag, two bags or in some cases, three bags and what are the allowances for your carry-on bag. Yes, it does vary and yes, I will be the first to admit that airline travel has become a chore.

While you are on the website checking out your baggage allowance information, you should also check to see, what exactly is included in terms of meals, snacks and drinks. More and more airlines now only offer complementary water and soda during the flight and unbelievably, some do not even offer that anymore. If your airline is on that charges for meals, snacks and drinks, it is a good idea to take a lot of one-dollar bills and a few fives. This will make paying for your purchases easier and your flight attendants will thank you.

These are just a few ideas that will help to make your travels faster, easier and safer as you are out exploring the world.