Evocative names, disappointing places

As summer nears, vacationers are getting ready to pull out their wheeled luggage and begin the arduous task of packing. There are all the critical checklist items—Passport, check. Wallet, check. Bathing suit, check. Do you really need anything else? Well, unfortunately, yes. Here are some easy-to-overlook items and we invite you to add to the list with your suggestions of things to bring on a trip that travelers typically leave behind. Electronics/technology - Batteries, power cords and international power adaptors: Make sure you have everything you need to power your cameras, tablet devices, smartphones and whatever gadgets and gizmos you plan on bringing along - Storage/memory is always an issue, so either be prepared to download photos to a laptop or bring enough storage Toiletries/medication Don't forget the Transportation Security Authority's 3-1-1 rule for carry-on luggage! All liquids and gels must be in 3.4-ounce containers or smaller, placed in one clear, zip-lock bag and placed separately in its own container when heading through security. - Prescription medication: It might prove very difficult to get your prescription filled once you've left home - Vaccinations: Are there any required vaccines or preventative medication you need in the destination you're heading to? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has good advice on this front - Additional medications: Unfortunately, sickness happens on vacation, so be prepared for common ailments such as upset stomach, colds and the flu - Travel tissue packs: They serve a million purposes, from napkins, to toilet paper, to makeshift band-aids (and make sure to bring some of those as well) - Wet wipes - Smaller items such as cotton swabs and floss are easy to forget - Sunscreen (and aloe for overexposure, ouch!) - Specialty grooming products, such as hair brushes, electric shavers, curling/straightening irons, etc. Clothing There's nothing harder than packing for a different climate than the one you live in. Try to transport yourself there, to the beach, the rainforest, the mountains, wherever it is you're heading and think of all the things you'll need, all the climates you'll be encountering. - Hats: Will you be in the sun? Will it be cold or windy? - Inclement weather: If it might rain, rain jackets or umbrellas will be needed - Gear: Think about specialty activities you might partake in that require special clothing or footwear (and different types of footwear require different types of socks) - Accessories: The devil is in the details, details such as hair accessories (headbands, hair bands), jewelry, watches, scarves (great for protecting against the sun and the cold), belts, etc. Sleeping aids - Neck pillows, eye masks, ear plugs Random items to consider - Travel speakers or an auxiliary cord for the car for those who want to play music on their trip - A smaller backpack/fanny pack for day use, or a beach bag - An additional, folded up luggage bag for purchases - Some detergent for spills and stains or an emergency bathroom sink laundry load For the kids - You've got yourself packed, now think of whether you need any special items for the kids, ranging from baby food and formula, to games and activities that will keep them occupied. Lastly, if traveling by air, make sure to check with your carrier about luggage size and weight limitations. You don't want to get stuck paying extra or worse, being that person off to the side at the check-in counter, luggage thrown up, desperately ditching the family-sized shampoo and conditioner bottles. Always better to pack smart and light. More from Budget Travel: The Ultimate Packing Guide Be a Packing Genius: Step-by-Step Photos Solve Packing Conundrums With These 9 Household Items

Hear are five ways to contain all the little items roaming around in your bags for your next trip: One Budget Travel reader uses stretch hair bands instead of using rubber bands, which tend to break, for binding electronic cords together. (Find them at dollar stores.) Toilet-paper tubes can have a surprising second-life as storage tools for digital gear. Wrap cell phone and digital camera cords, chargers, and other cables inside the cardboard tube. (A pro trick: Secure each plug end in a notch cut at the tube's rim.) A fancier way to stay tangle-free is to buy the Grid-It system, from $9. It's essentially a set of elastic bands that are woven into a solid surface and protected by a neoprene sleeve. Many travelers swear by Eagle Creek's packing cubes and half-cubes, which are zippered mesh compartments. Each container lifts out of your bag and is "squishable" to fit into tight spaces. Prices start at $10. Last but not least, clear plastic bags, such as by Ziploc, make it easier for you and the TSA to find stuff, of course. Many of our readers stow their electronic accessories and cords inside of such bags. One clever reader marked each bag with masking tape, on which he wrote the name of what is supposed to go inside the bag. That way, when re-packing his luggage, if he sees one of the Ziploc bags without an item inside, he'll be prompted to remember to find it in the room where he accidentally left it. Now what about you? How do you pack gadgets without having the cords tangle up inside your bag? Please share your tips in the comments. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL Be a Packing Genius: Step-by-Step Photos Solve Packing Conundrums With These 9 Household Items How to Bring Wine Back from Overseas 6 Made-to-Squish Items That Are Perfect for Travel

Gas prices are reaching $4 per gallon in some places and airfares have risen 15 percent since last year. Still, the majority of Americans (59 percent), are planning on traveling, according to Ellen Bettridge, Vice President of American Express Travel. So which method of transportation—car or plane—is more affordable these days? With Memorial Day just around the corner I was motivated to find the answer to the question. Here's what I learned: There are several major factors that influence the cost of a trip, including how fuel efficient your car is, how far you're traveling, how many people are traveling with you, and whether or not there is a low-cost airline that flies to your destination. In general, the more people that are traveling with you, the more cost-efficient driving will be because you're not purchasing airline tickets for each individual. Obviously, the more gas efficient your car is the cheaper it will be to drive. The easiest way to figure out what makes the most sense for you is to do a quick cost comparison. Here are the four things you'll want to consider as you do the math: Step 1: Determine your vehicle's gas mileage. You probably already have a good sense of what kind of gas mileage your car gets, but if you want to be really precise a good resource is the Environmental Protection Agency's car comparison calculator, which provides miles-per-gallon estimates for both city and highway driving. Step 2: Check gas costs. Determine how much it will set you back to fill up your tank on your trip. The best source for this is AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, which provides detailed gas prices in hundreds of markets across the U.S. Just punch in your origin, destination, and your vehicle's year, make and model and the website will churn out an estimate on fuel cost for your trip. Step 3: Factor in the cost of tolls and hotels. Don't forget to consider the amount of money you'll be spending on tolls and, if you're traveling long distance, any hotels you might need along the way. For example, a round-trip drive between New York City and Washington D.C. costs $60 in tolls alone if you take the major highways. On the other hand, many regions in the south don't have any toll roads. There's no one single website for determining toll costs, but many states have toll calculators (to find these websites google the state you're in and "toll calculator"). The website Toll Fare Calculator has links to such resources in 16 states including Texas, New York, California, and Oklahoma. Certain GPS units, such as Garmin nuvi 3750, also give you the option of plotting toll-free routes. Step 4: Check airfare costs and compare. Last but not least, check how much it will cost for your party to fly to your destination and do a cost comparison. Start your fare search with sites such as Kayak or Expedia, but keep in mind that not all airlines share their data with online travel agencies (Southwest and Vision Airlines are two examples of companies that only sell tickets via their own websites). Finally, don't forget about trains and buses, which can provide affordable options as well. To see what kind of public transportation options are available in your state, check out the American Public Transportation Association's helpful map. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 7 Deals for Memorial Day 8 Common Air Travel Snafus (and How to Beat Them) 10 Beach Products You Never Knew You Needed

I used to be very scared of flying (I know, not the best trait for a travel journalist). I'm not anymore. But because of my past, I had very mixed feelings about the recent New York Times Magazine article about the deadly fate of Air France Flight 447, the flight that crashed somewhere between South America and Africa in June 2009. My first reaction, as both a journalist and a frequent flier, to the headline question: "What happened to Air France Flight 447?" was "Yeah, whatever did happen to that flight?" I read on. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('0599a581-e21d-4c7c-9152-fab9de549ca2');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)But as I delved into the detailed investigative report about the flight, and the mechanical and communication problems that likely led to its demise, for the first time in years, I got that nervous pit in my stomach, that one from years ago, from my battle with my fear of flight. That "whoah, that's all it takes for a plane to go down?" feeling. I mean, did you know that there are these small cylinders called pitots "that sit outside the body of the plane to calculate airspeed," according to the article, and "without them, a plane's flight computer has no way to determine speed, and the automatic pilot shuts down?" If the pitot probes get clogged with dirt or ice, "the plane will suddenly revert to manual control, forcing pilots to take the stick of a half-million-pound aircraft in whatever conditions disrupted the pitot in the first place." "In theory, this shouldn't cause a crash," the article then assures. I combated and ultimately beat my fear of flying like many people combat fears, with an arsenal of mental, logical and emotional exercises. I worked on myself to view flying as a relaxing escape, much like I once viewed it as a little girl, curled up in the window seat, either peering outside at beautiful landscapes, or consumed by soothing activities like reading, listening to music, and watching movies. I also tried to fight the irrational fear with rational facts. I learned up on flight safety statistics, and the causes of turbulence. The sheer number of flights I'm on every year helped too. The more experiences I had, both smooth and bumpy, pleasant and not, the more confidence I had in flying. I remember being on a flight once and clearly looking so nervous that a flight attendant offered to take me into the cockpit, to show me what it all looks like from the drivers' seat. I declined. Though it helped to know that my chances of dying in a plane crash were much lower than dying in a car crash, somehow seeing all the buttons and dials and the complexity of the cockpit wasn't appealing to me. Some people opt to take classes to learn more about the inner workings of an airplane. That wasn't for me either. But I knew I couldn't keep doing my job, living my lifestyle, arriving at destinations drenched in stress-induced sweat and tears. So I just kept at it, until finally I beat the fear down, and in many ways simply lost my patience with what had become such a drain on me emotionally and physically. Now, almost nothing in the air scares me. I have finally become one of those fliers I envied for years, able to sleep or read through the most jostling turbulence, takeoffs and landings. For anyone who has ever experienced a fear of flying, we all know or own boundaries and what we need to do to try (or not) to fight it. What about the rest of you nervous fliers? Does it help to know more about how planes operate and how safe they are, or would you rather know as little as possible and fight the fear in other ways? Let us know by voting in our poll or telling us how you have combated your fear of flight in comments below. More from Budget Travel: 8 Things an Airline Would Never Tell You Why airlines cancel some flights but not others Hilarious new safety video from Air New Zealand