· When you check out of your hotel, be sure to destroy your plastic key card. Hotels can encode these cards with information about your stay, including your home address or credit card information. Many hotels encode nothing more than your room number and the length of your stay. However, as identity theft becomes more and more prevalent, the last thing you want is for any personal information to fall into the wrong hands.

· To foil pickpockets, look for clothing with inside/secret pockets. Tilly Endurables (www.tilley.com) has a good selection of such gear. Their clothes are also designed to be washed in a hotel sink and worn the next day with minimal wrinkles.

· Before traveling, scan your important documents (e.g. passport and driver’s license) and send them to yourself via a free email account (e.g. Hotmail). In case of problems, you can print your documents from any cyber cafe in the world.

· Traveling with kids? Keep color photos of your child in your purse or wallet in case he or she gets lost in a crowded airport or store.

· To beat wrinkles, roll your clothes – don’t fold them.

· Pack your toiletries in small plastic bottles. They are practically indestructible, so you’ll avoid the “exploding shampoo bottle trashes the suitcase” syndrome.

· Bringing important medicine with you? Keep it in your carry-on bag just in case your luggage is misplaced en-route. And don’t forget to bring a few extra days worth in case you are delayed on your trip home.

· By this point, you’ve likely used the electronic kiosks at major airports to check-in for a flight. Good news: major hotel chains are now adopting this technology, too. Check in or out via the kiosks and you’ll avoid long lines at your hotel’s front desk.

*Tips courtesy of SideStep: The traveler's search engine.