Travel Etiquette - Do's and Don'ts of travel

I am a frequent traveler, not a road-warrior, but I try to take 2-3 trips every year, some international. Needless to say, I fly most of the time. Air travel can be horrendous at times, in part due to the airline and sometimes due to our fellow passengers. Here are some basic Do's and Don'ts of travel, so we can all have better experiences.

At the Airport:

1. DON'T hog seats: Earlier this year, I was traveling from Chicago to San Francisco and back during a really busy time of the day. With many flights delayed (cant remember why), the airports were teeming with travelers. To find a seat to sit was impossible and then we came upon a young couple who had piled their luggage on to 2 seats while they themselves occupied 2 more. You may not think this is wrong, but seats are for humans, not luggage, especially on a busy day.

2. DO clean up after yourselves: Simple and basic, but people think they can eat and leave their trash on the seats/tables and someone will come and clean up after them. It takes only 30 seconds to actually take the empty containers and trash them.

3. DO share outlets: Just like you want to have a fully-charged phone, everyone else does too. Share as much as possible, instead of hogging the outlets.

4. DON'T wear bracelets, watches, belts and other extras that would delay getting through the security line. If you do, make sure you remove them and place them in your carry on before it's your turn to go through the metal detector.

5. DON'T talk loudly on the phone. Phone conversations are meant to be private and other people don't want to be forced to listen to your conversation.

On the plane:

6. DON'T block the aisle by trying to remove items from your carry on as soon you stow it. Settle down and when you are at cruising altitude, you can remove what you need.

7. DO be mindful of personal space, don't occupy too much space so your neighbor feels cramped.

8. DON'T recline your seat suddenly - make sure the person behind is not eating or drinking or has enough space. Turning back to take a quick look will do. With today's shrinking seats, oftentimes, the person behind will be extremely inconvenienced if you recline your seat.

9. DO train your kids to be well behaved and not run around and disturb other passengers while traveling. You might adore their pranks, but your fellow travelers may not.

10. DON'T use the seat in front of you to get up or sit down. It is very annoying and disturbs the passenger in front of you.

Simple mindfulness is all it takes to make the travel experience better for yourself and others surrounding you. Happy traveling!

6 Essentials to Pack during any trip

Packing is always a pain, you need to make sure you take everything that is needed so you wont be stranded in a new country searching for something you left behind. A lot of people tend to overpack because they pack for the worst case scenario. But these six items are the staples of any packing list. Don't leave home without these!

1. Toiletries Although many hotels provide shampoo, conditioner and a soap, many do not provide face washes or combs/brushes or lip balms. Hotel soaps tend to dry out your skin and strip it of essential oils. You can buy travel sized face washes and even brushes at the local drugstore (I go to Bed Bath and Beyond, they have a huge section of travel sized essentials).

2. Chargers for phone and laptop: Many a time, people forget this and end up not being able to use their phones or laptops beyond a limited period of time. If you are traveling international, ensure you also carry a voltage converter as well.

3. Plastic grocery bags: These would be useful to sort the dirty clothes from fresh ones. Very useful and most forgotten! You can also use them to wrap fragile souvenirs (like bubble wrap).

4. Ziplock bags: One of the best things to carry around so you can keep your receipts, snacks while sightseeing or simply to store a leaky bottle.

5. Extra tote bag: We all buy stuff when we travel and sometimes, it exceeds the available space in your luggage. Buying a new bag in a foreign country (especially if it Europe) can become an expensive affair. So, I recommend taking a foldable tote bag or day backpack that you can store in your carry on, to bring your souvenirs and other extra purchases that wont fit into your carry on.

6. Sunscreen lotion: Most often forgotten and most required, irrespective of weather at the destination. It is a common myth that sunscreen lotions are not required on cloudy or rainy days. So wrong! The sun's harmful rays reach you irrespective of rain or shine. Disregarding this could cause serious skin damage.

So what are your staples?