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Travel Preparation List   Always come prepared...

Day of travel: Be at the airport early (at least 2 hours for international flights and an hour for national flights). This way you can ask for your favorite seat and avoid stressing out at the last minute when something goes wrong.
Have your ticket, passport and tourist card/visa (if required) handy at the check-in counter. Take your valuables such as an expensive regulator or dive computer as carry-on luggage instead of checking it in with the rest of your stuff.

Two days before travel:
Check and reconfirm all flights and times 48 hours in advance of all flights (or make sure that your travel agent/tour leader does this).
Find out about luggage allowance beforehand to make sure. (It is usually 2 check-ins plus a carry-on but divers do get better allowances on certain airlines and or routes.)
Check that you've got everything on your packing list, buy all the last items you forgot and make sure it fits in your pack and your luggage is not overweight.

Two weeks before travel:
Check your dive luggage and gear for broken straps and zippers. Buy the items you need, get your gear serviced and make sure everything works properly. Refer our Resources page for usefull travel and dive information.

Don't forget the following but...pack lightly
Cash in small bills ($1’s and $5’s) for tips, taxis and snacks.
Plenty of film…it can be very expensive in some places.
Insect spray or a insect coil to burn at night.
A light plastic raincoat, windbreaker or umbrella (it rains often in the tropics and it can get cold on a moving boat).
C-card and any specialty diving cards (tech or cave diving).
Logbook (many dive outfitters want to see how experienced you really are...)
Protective box for your mask.
The right wetsuit, drysuit, skin and or shortie. (Make sure you know what the water temperature is going to be like beforehand).
Pepto-Bismol and Immodium for any stomach problems and any other personal medications you might need.
Take a travel clock to make sure you wake up in the morning, some hotels do not provide them in their rooms nor have they heard of wake up calls.
While you're there...
Don't forget to put on sunscreen in the morning and reapply during the day. Even if it is overcast, you can still get sunburned.

Get plenty of rest on the first day of your trip, eat lightly, especially at night and go easy on the alcohol. Drink only bottled water and avoid raw salads and snacks from street stalls. Remember that jet lag may have some effect on your physical and emotional state so take it easy until you are over it!

When you arrive, make sure all of your dive gear is properly adjusted so that you don't have to fiddle with it on the boat just before a dive. Having to adjust your gear aboard the boat can force you to rush; rushing leads to anxiety and that can lead to problems. Listen well when the divemaster explains the diveplan and ask questions if you are unsure about anything.

Check and reconfirm your return flights. Third World airlines have a tendency to change their flights without notifying their passenger properly.

Dive, relax and enjoy!

SERVICES > Custom Dive Trip Planning > More on... | Trip of the Month | Destination of the Month | Liveaboards | Diver's Tales | Critter Calendar | Seasonal Calendar | Site of the Month