Although I have been living for almost two years now at the East side of the United States, I did not had the chance of visiting the West coast and wet my feet in the Pacific Ocean until very recently. A friend's visit from back home and an invitation to join her during her stay gave me the excuse I needed to base my decision that it was time to visit the other US side. But although I have printed out the necessary maps and have reserved and researched on every single location I planned to visit, one of the things I missed was checking the weather and packing my bag accordingly.

Even if my inability to think clearly had a justifiable excuse since I was about to see friends who I have not seen for a long time, the fact that I forgot to check the weather conditions of my destination and base my wardrobe on mere assumptions has been a mistake I would not want anyone else to make. Thus, the following points are actually my advice for you, which you should keep in mind whenever you plan to make a trip anywhere in the world, so as to have a pleasant stay and enjoy yourself and your company as much as possible.

You have reserved your plain ticket and you are now counting the days until you are going to leave your current premises to visit the location of your choice. But before scheduling the trip to the airport it is best if your schedule to find out some important information regarding your destination. Search engines and local websites can reveal all the information you need to be absolutely sure you know where to go and when. First, check your passport if you are traveling out of the country. Does its expiration date approaching? If yes, then check to see if the dates fall inside your "going away" period. It might be necessary before reserving your plane tickets to request your passport's renewal so as to avoid any nasty surprises when you are on your way there or even back. Second check the city, country, specific location of your stay. Different information can lead you to the best caf? of the city and you will not miss that historic area for which everyone talks about. Do your homework beforehand and you will enjoy finding out how exciting it is to be prepared. If this does not correspond to your adventurous type, then at least ask around for some useful feedback and ideas in relation to your trip.

One thing you should definitely check is the weather conditions that you will have to experience first-hand when you arrive to your end-location. It might be summer where you currently live, but Australia, for instance, has the opposite seasons than the Northern hemisphere. Look for usual seasonal temperature and humidity levels so as to compare them to the ones you are used to. Then you will be able to pack your bags and be sure to include heavier and lighter items from your wardrobe as seasonal differences exist even if you have researched on last week's weather.

Finally, perhaps it is not necessary to carry an umbrella or a tanning lotion in your suitcase-you can always buy such things from your final destination-but it is important to carry at least a jacket if you think it will be chilly or a hat if the sunlight is really strong. In addition remember to pack light. In most cases you will not need four pair of jeans for a three-day trip.