TOP 10 WORST TRAVEL MISTAKES TO AVOID

or not having at least 6 months validity left. This has happened to more of us than care to admit it.

Most seasoned road warriors will only have carryon luggage - you'll never see them waiting at the carousel.

Unfortunately they hold all the power and occasionally you'll encounter someone who abuses it. Getting frustrated or angry won't help get you through to your gate any faster - in fact, you can end up missing your flight. Under no circumstances mention the word bomb anywhere in the airport.

Getting stuck in an airport for 8 hours isn't much fun and will have you wishing you'd spent the extra few hundred dollars to fly direct. Use something like http://hipmnnk.com to visually compare how much agony each flight entails.

Airplanes already dehydrate you - drinking will make that worse, stop you from sleeping properly and leave you more susceptible to catching a bug.

Check your alarm clock - know what it sounds like and then put it out of reach so you can't simply turn it off. Also ask for a wake up call as a backup.

Ask your hotel concierge about peak traffic hours and if anything special is going on in town. A marathon can cut a city in half - leading to delays of over an hour.

The reality is they are often difficult to redeem and expire quickly yet many road warriors go out of their way to fly on an airline, even when it's more expensive, takes longer and is less convenient.

You should consider medical, car, flight and belongings.

If your laptop gets stolen, the trip won't be a total waste.