Someone once said, "a vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia." The discomfort often comes from things like rushing at the airport, getting lost on foreign roads, and spending three hours selecting an appropriate and affordable venue for dinner. Imagine eliminating some of those stresses and experiencing your next vacation the way you envisioned it before you left: everything falls into place and you can truly relax and enjoy your travel investment.

These tips will help you do just that. Sure, you'll check the local weather before you leave and you'll confirm your flight and hotel reservations. But you should also:

1. Check for toll roads and road construction. The unexpected appearance of toll roads can be stressful, particularly when you don't have any small change in your pockets. Use a mapping service to locate the toll roads you may have to use. Arrange to have small denominations of money of hand to pay your tolls in cash. Your rental car company may also have a toll-paying service, but check the costs first. Sometimes the convenience of not paying in cash is pricey.
   
   Also, contact your hotel and ask if there is any major road construction scheduled for the dates of your stay. If you've been to St. Louis, Mo. recently, you'll understand what I mean; Interstate 64 and Highway 40 have been closed, leaving most GPS systems incapable of providing navigable directions.
2. Check cell phone coverage maps. Don't assume your cell phone will work everywhere. Visit your provider's website and review the coverage maps. If you are traveling abroad, verify your international phone and data rates. You don't want to spend several hundred dollars checking email on your smartphone. It might be less expensive to rent an international phone for your trip.
   
   
3. Make plans for dinner. Deciding on where to eat lunch or dinner can take time away from sitting by the pool, playing golf, exploring local culture, visiting museums, or taking part in any other vacation activity you enjoy. Use Restaurant.com to buy discounted gift certificates for restaurants near your hotel. You'll save time and money at the same time.
   
   
4. Double- and triple-check the spelling of your name on your air/cruise tickets. You'll be in for a lot of frustration if you show up at the airport or cruise terminal with a misspelling on your tickets. Get errors corrected early.
   
   
5. Tag your baggage. Put sturdy luggage tags on your bags; the paper ones supplied by the airline routinely get torn and disappear. Also, ask a friend to read your contact information on the tags. Just because your writing is legible to you doesn't mean everyone can read it.
   
   
6. Check your car insurance and health insurance. Do not assume your car insurance and health insurance will cover you while your away from home. Call your car insurance agent and find out how your policy covers rental cars. Then, ask your health provider how you should handle medical emergencies while you are out of town. If there are holes in your coverage, budget for a rock-solid travel insurance policy. It's just not worth it to risk being without coverage. 
   
   
7. Arrange for airport parking. If you plan on leaving your car at the airport, arrange for your parking space ahead of time at AirportParkingParkingReservations.com. It will spare you from unexpected delays if you happen to arrive on the day all the lots are full.