The actual process of packing is the easy part of travel. Unpacking is also easy, because you can only unpack what you decided to bring along. But that's the problem – what to pack, not the packing or unpacking. Choosing correctly is a challenge..

It helps to know the climate of your destination, but don’t trust  weather prognosticators completely. A December day is expected to be cold but clear can quickly turn into a snowstorm, sleet or "wintry  mix," as the meteorologists euphemistically put it. Pack with caution. That means boots, woolen gloves and scarves and a couple of warm sweaters – unless, of course, you’re heading south. Even then, you can’t depend on even temperatures. You may need shorts and swimsuits one day and a cardigan or windbreaker the next day.

Remember the last trip you made and try to recall what you forgot to bring. Remember also what you’ve toted on several trips and never wore or needed.

List-makers pride themselves in creating check-off notes. Lists are a huge plus for the OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) crowd. They’re never the ones borrowing  toothpaste or heading to CVS to fill a prescription they forgot to take with them.

Before digital camera equipment and memory cards, I always packed extra film. That was until I realized we were all aging too quickly and photos were producing images of  faces that either needed serious Botox treatment or more drastic attention. I prefer to picture my friends as they looked a decade or so ago. And with my eyesight - and theirs - it’s probably just as well not to focus on those "smile" lines, more commonly known as wrinkles.

Air travel now requires strict adherence to new rules. A zip, clear baggie with no more than three ounces of any liquid is allowed, but the rules don't cover vodka or gin, or even boarding with a bottle of water. Slipping off shoes, jackets, coats is another regulated activity. Subjecting yourself to a prisoner-scan type of detector wand is another. Finally, you must put your handbag and any carry-on pieces through conveyor belt to be X-rayed for whatever bomb components you may be concealing. It's a sad but vital protective routine and none of us should complain about the close scrutiny.

It’s really getting to be less of a hassle to drive, regardless of the backup at the tunnels and bridges. However, when heading to London or Paris, that is not an option.

Regardless, travel should be fun, not frustrating or rage inducing. And if you have a DVD player, a laptop. good CD discs and maybe a GPS to guide you around bottlenecks, going from A to B, or even C or D will be a lot smoother, however you chose to travel.. 

Of course, that's assuming you've packed very carefully.