TIP: Making sure your hairdryer will work on your travels

This is a reminder column. My kids say I'm terrific at nagging, but if you travel, this information is important.
Please check the expiration date on your passport. It must be valid at least six months from the return date of your trip. I would hate for you to miss out on an opportunity to take a last-minute trip, only to find your passport expired at the end of January. It is now taking six to eight weeks to get a passport. Go online or pick up a passport application at the Brookside Avenue post office. As it gets closer to summer, the waiting period to get a passport will be much longer.

The weight limit for checked luggage on most international flights is 70 pounds. No one bag can exceed 50 pounds with an additional cost. However, most domestic flights (flights within the same country, such as Cape Town, South Africa to Johannesburg, South Africa or Quito, Ecuador to Guayaquil, Ecuador) have a weight limit of 44 pounds. Most often with an international ticket, the domestic airline will waive the weight limit, but not always. Check with the airline - it could save you paying a hefty fee for overweight luggage.

Make sure to put your name and address on the inside of your suitcase as well as the outside. If your suitcase is lost and there is no luggage tag, the airlines will check inside for some form of identification. At least you have a fighting chance of getting your luggage back!

Traveler's checks are passé. Even though they may provide a certain sense of security, they are sometimes difficult to cash and often a surcharge is added when they are changed for local currency. ATM machines are becoming more and more common around the world, even in developing countries. I realize I won't find one in the middle of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, but I did find one in Ulan Batar (the capital city of Mongolia). On my last trip to Moscow, the ATM machine in the GUM Department Store (in Red Square) gave me a choice between rubles, U.S. dollars or euros.

I often have people ask me the difference between a converter and an adaptor. A converter changes the voltage. Voltage differs worldwide - 220 volt or 110 volt. Plug shapes, plug holes and plug sizes are also different in each country. Some countries, i.e. the United States, Canada and several countries in Central America run on 110 volt 60 cycles. Most other countries in the world use 220/240 volt 50 cycles. The difference in the voltage can be corrected by using a voltage converter.

In addition to voltage converters, the necessary plug adapters are needed since electrical wall outlets around the world differ in shape and size. Plug adapters only change the plug shape, not the electricity. Today, many small appliances have dual voltage. Dual voltage appliances such as hair dryers, shavers, travel irons, battery chargers, computers, etc. are designed to work on 220 volt or 120 volt for worldwide use. No voltage converters are needed. A plug adapter may be required to plug the appliance into the country's electrical outlet. You can buy a set of plug adapters or a universal adapter online or at any travel store or large retail store that has a travel section, such as Target or Wal-Mart.

Make sure to check on the back of your appliance to see what voltage is needed. It will say, in very small print, the necessary voltage required. Do not assume all shavers or battery chargers are dual voltage. When I was in Cuba, I used a friend's battery charger and assumed it was dual voltage. I assumed wrong. I plugged it in (with the use of an adapter) to the electrical outlet and soon discovered it was not a dual voltage appliance. I blew out the charger.

One of the most important things I carry with me when I travel, other than my credit card, is my small bottle of hand sanitizer. I realize I sound a bit paranoid, but when traveling you're always in public places, using hand rails, touching door knobs, shaking hands. And in many developing countries, washing facilities are not always available. I keep my bottle of hand sanitizer handy and use it all the time.

Remember to pack any travel documents in your hand-carried luggage, not your packed luggage. It's definitely easier to replace a sweater or pair of slacks than a passport or airline ticket (if your luggage should be lost). I know this sounds like common sense, but it happens more times than you would believe.

As I said, this is a "reminder" column. I hope my "reminders" will help you to have a safe, happy and healthy journey. Bon voyage.