Photocopy all your travel documents:
Photocopy all your travel documents including your passport and any document that has your signature on it and leave them with a relative or friend that you know you can contact in the event that you loose all your documentation. The copies can be faxed to you.

Beach Shoes:
Wear beach shoes when walking in the water on the beach.

Ocean Undercurrents:
If you get sucked out into the ocean by an undercurrent follow these instructions:

Do not panic, save all your strength.
Act immediately. Swim parallel to the shoreline. Even if you cannot, keep trying until you can.

What you are doing is swimming out of the undertow and into the current that will more than likely push you back to shore. Remember, in saltwater you float so you can stay alive for any number of days. Unless you are on a secluded beach a boat will reach you in time to rescue you should you fail to not be able to swim out of the undertow.

Suitcase Tip:
Pack a dryer sheet in your suitcase for long flights - this helps to eliminate that musty "airplane odor" and you'll have a "just washed" air to your clothes when you unpack.

Clothes Packing:
To help prevent creasing of clothing, roll up a small towel and place on the inside of where the garments will fold. Or roll your suites up instead of folding.

Luggage:
Mark every piece of luggage inside and outside with your last name and first initial only. Do not use a title [Ms.] Do not put your home address or destination address on the luggage unless your destination is a hotel or resort.

Packing Tip:
When you are traveling as a couple, each of you should put one complete outfit in the other's suitcase in case one suitcase is delayed or lost. It is also a good idea to carry a change of underwear and socks in your carry-on.

Fragrance Tip:
Instead of lugging bulky, breakable perfume bottles, soak some cotton balls in your favorite scent and stuff them into empty film canisters. The airtight canisters keep the fragrance fresh!

Wet Clothes:
To get wet clothes dry overnight, hang them on a coat hanger and hang them in the bathroom - Leave the light on.

Wet Clothes:
You can cut your clothing drying time in half. Roll the wet laundry in a towel, push down hard on the roll, and your washed item is partly dry.

Pepto Bismol:
When traveling to areas that are pron to diarhea, take two teaspoons of Pepto Bismol before each meal and the chances of you getting diarrhea are reduced.

Cuts and Scrapes:
Be sure to pack an effective topical antibiotic cream. The smallest scratch or insect bite can quickly become infected. Try "Bactriban" or "Polysporin". To prevent ringworm, the most effective product is "Nizoral" - sold over the counter as an anti-dandruff shampoo.

Shower Water:
Most people know to ask for unopened bottled water when traveling, but may not realize that it's all too easy to get sick from ingesting water while showering. The solution: Keep mouthwash in your mouth while showering.

Bottled Water:
In a restaurant, ask for a bottle of water unopened. Have them open it at the table, and you can be sure you won't get local water, bottled. This will also tell you that they use bottled water to cook and clean with.

Camera Tips:
Always keep your film, tape, or computer disks out of the sun. Carry an extra supply of batteries, and be prepared to turn on your camera, camcorder, or laptop to prove to security personnel that the device is real. Always ask for hand inspection of film, which becomes clouded after successive exposures to airport X-ray machines, and keep videotapes and computer disks away from metal detectors.

Entry and Exit Requirements:
Entering: Most countries allow you to visit for up to two or three months if you show proof of U.S. citizenship and a return or onward ticket. Some countries, however, require that you have a valid passport. If you are arriving from an area infected with yellow fever, many Caribbean countries require you to have a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever. Some countries have an airport departure tax of up to $25. For authoritative information on a country's entry and exit requirements and on its customs and currency regulations, contact its embassy, consulate, or tourist office in the United States.
Returning - Caution! Make certain that you can return to the United States with the proof of citizenship that you take with you. Although some Caribbean countries may allow you to enter with only a birth certificate, U.S. Immigration requires that you document both your U.S. citizenship and identity when you reenter the United States.

The best document to prove your U.S. citizenship is a valid U.S. passport. Other documents of U.S. citizenship include an expired U.S. passport, a certified copy of your birth certificate, a Certificate of Naturalization , a Certificate of Citizenship , or a Report of Birth Abroad of a U.S. Citizen.

To prove your identity, either a valid driver's license or a government identification card that includes a photo or a physical description is acceptable.

If you lose or have your U.S. passport stolen while overseas, report it immediately to the local police and the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. A lost or stolen birth certificate or driver's license cannot be replaced outside the United States. There are several countries, most notably Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, and Jamaica, where airlines have consistently refused to board American citizens with insufficient proof of U.S. citizenship. The resulting delays can be inconvenient as well as expensive.

Safety Tips:
Crime Information. Most visitors to the Caribbean have a relatively safe trip. However, thievery, purse snatching, and pick pocketing do happen, particularly in cities and at beaches. There has also been an increase in violent crimes, such as rape and assault against tourists. In some places, U.S. passports and identity documents are especially attractive to thieves. Robbery of yachts is a problem in some marinas.

Here are some precautions to keep in mind:

-- Safety begins when you pack. Leave expensive jewelry, unnecessary credit cards, and anything you would hate to lose at home.

-- Use a concealed money pouch or belt for passports, cash, and other valuables.

-- To facilitate replacing a lost or stolen passport, carry two extra passport photos and a photocopy of your passport information page and other identity documents with you in a separate place from those items.

-- Do not take valuables to the beach. When possible, use the hotel safe when you go to the beach or into town.

-- When you enter a marina, register with the local government authorities.

Water Safety:
Make certain that sports equipment, including scuba equipment, that you rent or buy meets international safety standards.

If you use a beach without a lifeguard, exercise extreme caution. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for Americans in the Caribbean.

Do not dive into unknown bodies of water because hidden rocks or shallow depths can cause serious injury or death. In some places, you may need to wear sneakers in the water for protection against sea urchins.

Driving in the Caribbean:
If you plan to rent a car, be aware that most jurisdictions of the Caribbean drive on the left. The only places where you drive on the right are Aruba, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Martinique, and the Netherlands Antilles. In other places, if you are not used to driving on the left, proceed slowly and with utmost caution. You may wish to ride as a passenger for a while before trying to drive yourself.

Driving conditions and local driving patterns are different from the U.S. Many roads are narrow or winding, signs may not be in English, and in some places, domestic animals roam freely. Defensive driving is a must.

Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance is the best way to protect yourself against financial loss. The most useful plan is a comprehensive policy that includes coverage for trip cancellation and interruption, default, trip delay, and medical expenses (with a waiver for preexisting conditions).

Without insurance, you will lose all or most of your money if you cancel your trip or have to cut it short, regardless of the reason. Default insurance covers you if your tour operator, airline, or cruise line goes out of business. Trip-delay covers unforeseen expenses that you may incur due to bad weather or mechanical delays. Study the fine print when comparing policies.

For overseas travel, one of the most important components of travel insurance is its medical coverage. Supplemental health insurance will pick up the cost of your medical bills should you get sick or injured while traveling.

U.S. residents should note that Medicare generally does not cover health-care costs outside the United States, nor do many privately issued policies.

Residents of the United Kingdom can buy an annual travel-insurance policy valid for most vacations taken during the year in which the coverage is purchased.

If you are pregnant or have a pre-existing condition, make sure you're covered.

Always buy travel insurance directly from an insurance company or agent; if you buy it from a cruise line, airline, or tour operator that goes out of business, you probably will not be covered for the agency or operator's default, a major risk. Before you make any purchase, review your existing health and home-owner's policies to find out whether they cover expenses incurred while traveling.

Precaution Drugs:
Take extra precautions. In your carry-on luggage bring an extra pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses and enough of any medication you take to last the entire trip. You may also want your doctor to write a spare prescription using the drug's generic name, since brand names may vary from country to country. Never put prescription drugs or valuables in luggage to be checked. To avoid customs delays, carry medications in their original packaging. And don't forget to copy down and carry addresses of offices that handle refunds of lost traveler's checks.

Bag it:
Bag it. Plastic bags -- for everything from toiletries to shoes to aerosol cans -- have prevented many a suitcase fiasco.

Basic Emergancy Kit:
Band-aids, antibiotic ointment, tweezers, nail clippers (for some reason we think our nails grow faster down there???), tylenol, anti-bacterial wipes.