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Take These With You Next Time


1. A durable, lightweight, smooth-rolling wheelie bag that holds a lot and doesn’t tip over easily. REI makes the Stratocruiser 25″, which comes with handy backpack straps and a detachable day pack. Four-wheeled bags are even less likely to tip over, but they’re slower to walk with and prone to rolling away when you’re standing in line somewhere.


2. A slim digital camera that turns on and focuses quickly. Canon’s PowerShot series does both jobs well.


3. Duct tape…because you’ll inevitably wish you had some. Packing a whole roll is annoying, so take a 2-ft. strip and wrap it around a pencil, a straw or marker.


4. A copy of your passport. You’ll probably never need it, but if you lose your passport, having a copy greatly expedites the process of getting a new one. A scanned copy that you e-mail to yourself works fine.


5. One-quart zip bags for getting liquids, gels and toiletries through airport security. I always pack a few extra ones in case one rips or someone you’re traveling with forgets to bring one.

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Travel Insurance


According to Time Magazine, travel insurance is worth purchasing for big-ticket trips that are largely non-refundable. The typical plan will cover emergency medical expenses and baggage loss and delay, and recover at least some of the cost of your trip if your vacation has to be canceled or cut short (the amount is partially determined by which state you live in), including if the travel operator goes belly up.

Note: Most insurers consider a layoff to be a valid reason to cancel a trip.

Always buy from a third-party insurer, not the company selling your cruise or tour. And considering the fragile state of the insurance industry these days, you’d be wise to choose a large, established company that’s less likely to go under, such as American Express, instead of one you’ve never heard of. Other reputable travel insurers include Travel Guard, Medex and Travelex.