1. WATERPROOF YOUR PASSPORT!

Fine, we all have nice and colorful passport holders, but unless they are made of waterproof material, they’re useless! A few years ago, when I was in China, I bought strawberry-like fruits from a street vendor and placed them inside my bag. They unfortunately got squeezed and before I knew it, my bag, along with my passport turned into one big red blob and I had to explain what happened to the Immigration Officer! Good thing, red is a lucky color in China!

2. CHEAT SHEET

Unless you know your passport numbers and details by heart, I suggest you save the trouble of getting your passports from your bags whenever you fill out those immigration cards. Get a post-it note and write your passport number, date of expiry, date of validity, flight number, etc. You can also add currency conversions for quick reference!

And oh, don’t forget to bring your own pens too! It’s so uncool not to have one in your bag. It costs less than P20.

3. CHECK FOR BLANKS

Before leaving, make sure there are enough blank pages on your passports where Visas (if any) and immigration marks can be stamped.?? {Note: Visas are usually stamped on the right pages.}

4. VALIDATE

In addition, make sure your passports are valid within six (6) months upon date of arrival.

5. USE VACUUM SEAL BAGS.

These bags come in handy especially when traveling to cold countries and jackets and woolies take so much space. You don’t even need to use a vacuum to let the air out (I sit on the bags to flatten it while watching TV). The bags will also waterproof your clothes and protect them from possible liquid leaks (i.e. shampoo or lotion, etc.).?? Editor's Note: This is available at your nearest Ace Hardware and they're very inexpensive, too!

Image used under Creative Commons from Victor Bayon.

Tania Makalinao

Tania is a well-traveled Events Manager, who shared travel tips based on her personal experiences.