Before you go

1 Never take more luggage than you can run with.

2 Always take more money and fewer clothes than you think you'll need.

3 How to pack: take one wheely suitcase, ideally small enough to pass as cabin baggage. Lay out the absolute bare minimum of clothing you think you can get away with for the type and length of trip. Pack half of it.

4 Always travel with a picture of a large English country house and make out it's yours. This works particularly well in the US and can lead to you getting laid.

5 Always travel with someone apparently more appetising to mosquitoes than yourself.

6 Photocopy passport, credit cards, driver's licence, vaccination certificates, even airline tickets and travellers' cheques. Leave the copies with a friend at home who has a fax machine. If you have your documents stolen, you can have a copy faxed to the Embassy - which can issue you with a full replacement passport in 24 hours, instead of seven days.

7 Obvious but important - always take a credit card on holiday even if you think you have enough cash (so that you don't run out of money in Portugal, have to run away from the resort restaurant and live on melon and chips for three days.).

8 Check out whatsonwhen. com before you go away to find out about any interesting happenings in the place you're going.

9 Check the best route from the destination airport into town on the Web before you leave for the airport.

10 Get an e-mail address you can access through the Internet, such as hotmail - in lots of traveller-type places, especially in south-east Asia, Internet access is easier to find and more reliable than a phone.

11 If your mobile phone works where you're going, connect to an update service with your football club, so you'll get the scores by text message while you're away.

12 Take a Palm Pilot loaded up with software from www:avantgo.com to pick up the Guardian wherever you travel.

13 Get a BT chargecard. Cheaper phone calls from abroad without the hassle of finding coins.

14 Eat live yoghurt two weeks before you leave - it builds up a "friendly" bacteria in your system and you can then tolerate more things.

15 Those anticipating travel sickness and who take travel sickness pills, do better if they start taking them two or three days prior, whatever the label says. This is particularly helpful in the case of Stugeron, the brand favoured by sailors, because of minimum side effects.

16 Three days before flying, start using a nasal spray two to three times a day and again during the flight. Your sinuses will all clear up and you won't suffer from that horrible pain in your ears during landing.

17 Take three tablets of Immodium with you: bungs you up for a good 24 hours.

18 Unplug everything in your home before you leave. One of the most common disasters is a fire while you're away, and the most common cause of fire is electrical.

19 Always pack a pair of underpants in your carry-on luggage, just in case your suitcase is lost . . .

20 Remember PMT - passports, money, tickets.

21 And finally . . . don't forget to cancel the milk and newspapers. Lock that small loo window. Tell your neighbours (if you trust them) that you're going away. Oh, and lock the front door behind you.

At the airport

22 Best way to get an upgrade: arrive on the lateish side, don't make a fuss till it's really late and then raise hell. The airline always overbooks on the assumption that some people won't turn up. They stick you in first class. Hurrah!

23 If you're delayed at an airport or have got a transfer wait, you can pay to go into a first-class lounge. Different airlines charge different amounts, ranging from £5 - £15. In exchange, you get free coffee, croissants, juice, papers and even showers. And, of course, they're quiet.

24 If you've got hours to kill in Hong Kong airport, the spa lounge costs $25 but, as well as showers and sofas, has free e-mail facilities, massage chairs for stiff backs and as much food and drink as you can eat (they even give you bottles of water to take on your next flight).

25 Stuck waiting for a plane at JFK? Despite the name, anyone can get a check-up at Dentists for Airport Employees, a facility that serves passengers and employees alike. Call for an appointment (718-656 4747), or stop by room 2311 in terminal 4.

26 At O'Hare airport in Chicago, there's Hilton's health club, where for $9, you can use the club's sauna, steam room, lap pool, and gym equipment.

27 Use a strip of sticky tape to hold down the button on your alarm clock. Otherwise it goes off when you chuck your hand baggage on the X-ray machine and men with guns start twitching.

On the plane

28 If you're flying to the US, ask for a seat at the front of the plane so that you'll be among the first passengers off - that way, you'll beat the worst of the stand-behind-the-line visa queue.

29 If you find you're hemmed in when you get on a plane, listen out for the captain starting his welcome chat, as that means all the passengers are on and it's time to jump up and find yourself a lovely row of empty seats to crash out on.

30 On long flights, take your watch off and don't look at any clocks. If you're not aware of the time, you can just enjoy a glass of wine, watch some films, read some magazines, sleep a little. Next thing, you're landing. And drink lots of water, too. And take ear plugs.

31 Or... as soon as you get on a long-haul flight, adjust your watch to the local time in your destination and act accordingly (ie sleep and eat according to the time zone you are travelling towards).

32 If you're a nervous flyer, try a dab of lavender oil before take-off to quell anxiety and help you sleep.

33 Take a pair of warm socks on the plane; take your shoes off as soon as you're in the air and put your socks on. Feet swell in the air and this helps make your journey more comfortable.

34 Take a jumper on the plane. They're always colder than you think.

35 Drink lots of water to combat jetlag.

36 Try to get a seat at the front of the plane - the air is better than at the back.

37 Get an exit seat - more legroom.

38 On charter flights, buy a headset then take it on all future flights - one headset fits all planes.

39 Buy a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. You can use them instead of the ones supplied by the airline. They don't eliminate all plane noise, but they're a big help. (Recommended: Sony MDR NC20 phones.)

40 When you walk through first class to get off, look out for any goody bags that haven't been taken away - Virgin's Upper Class gives out lovely proper-sized Jo Malone smellies and Cathay Pacific's first-class kit has a fantastic velvet eye mask.

For the kids

41 Make sure you pack that favourite toy. Nothing beats a GameBoy unless it's two GameBoys and a link cable.

42 Take a two-day supply of favourite drinks.

43 Always take a puncture repair kit: be the poolside hero when little Jeremy's inflatable dinosaur goes limp.

44 Check about high chairs and cots.

45 Include Calpol, wipes etc.

46 Get youngsters into a routine as quickly as possible.

47 Take Chuba Chips lollipops for take-off and landing so your ears pop properly. Also good to give to annoying, noisy children. Strawberry and vanilla is the connoisseur's flavour of choice.

48 If you are forced to spend a few hours in Miami International airport between flights with children in tow, take them for a walk along the giant glass xylophone, which stretches between the main terminal and the British Airways departure gates. As you pass by the 20ft sheets of rainbow-coloured translucent glass, you become the hammer that "plays" the notes. It's the most fun you will ever have pretending to be Jean-Michel Jarre. It's free and the sound is pretty and soothing.

49 Warning to the Florida-bound: Disney classes children aged 10 and over as adults.

50 Take the babysitter.

For the fashionable

51 Buy a high-altitude moisturiser (Molten Brown) and apply on the plane every hour (and on your lips) - it helps avoid tight and dry skin when you get where you're going. It also makes it easier for women to apply make-up when nearing the end of a flight . . . therefore, you look better when meeting potential holiday friends.

52 Body Butter from Body Shop is better than after-sun and comes in massive tubs for a couple of pounds, so much cheaper, too.

53 Essential for all women: Think pink but pack black.

54 Sunglasses are good for looking glamorous at the airport for upgrade purposes and also for hiding red-eye after overnight flights.

55 Always have St Tropez all-over fake tan done before you go somewhere hot, so that you don't look English and pale when you go sunbathing for the first few days.

56 Beach etiquette 1: when sunbathing, lie on a sarong, not a towel. Towels take much longer to dry, and sand sticks to them. Not a good look.

57 Beach etiquette 2: after swimming, forget the towel and dry off in the sun - by standing or wandering - before you lie down again. Otherwise sand will stick to your skin - very uncouth.

58 No longer the height of fashion, maybe, but - for women - a soft, cosy pashmina is still de rigueur on long-haul flights. So much nicer than nasty, synthetic airline blankets.

59 A thin cotton sarong is really useful as it can be used as a pillow case, sheet, towel, sunhat, shawl, bag, picnic rug, tablecloth, or, of course, a skirt.

60 Beware of buying cheap silk in the Far East - it may turn out to be shimmering viscose (which you can identify by the way it burns: if it produces acrid smoke and little blobs of plastic, it's not real silk); in Bangkok, resist the lure of the Khao San Road and buy from the Silk Shop in the arcade at the Shangri La hotel. It has a huge selection of cloth and gorgeous shot silk cushion covers for about £2.50.

61 Don't turn your nose up at wheely luggage - so much better for your back. And prim flight-attendant chic is now very cool.

62 To keep your clothes clean, take Spotkleen - brilliant stain-removing wipes from John Lewis.

63 Always carry two metres of thin elastic shock cord, which can be used for anything from a makeshift clothesline to keeping your trousers up.

At the other end

64 Women travelling alone should take a wedding ring - a fake one if necessary - to prevent being hassled. A huge fake diamond ring (the kind you buy in Top Shop for a fiver) works even better, as people think you have a scary gangster fiancé.

65 Mel Brooks in his 2,000-year-old man routine suggested "never travel in a small Italian car". He's right.

66 Cover your Travel Guide so it doesn't get stolen and sold on and so you don't look such a tourist.

67 If staying in a hotel, always befriend (and tip) the maid - she'll have all the local info and gossip.

68 Make friends with the restaurant manager at the resort, learn his name and enjoy the best sea view every night.

69 At all-inclusive hotels, if you want a bottle of water, ask at the restaurant where they will give you them free - in the shop, you will have to pay.

70 Always leave your key at reception in hotels as men will invariably dive into the sea with it in their swimming trunks pocket.

71 If you book a room at a Fairfield Inn or a Residence Inn next door to a larger, plusher Marriott resort hotel, you have full access to the hotel's amenities and room-charging privileges, which can make a huge difference to the holiday budget.

Money matters

72 In poor countries, go to a bank on arrival and get a large number of small-denomination notes. Keep large-denomination notes separate. Keep a small wad of small notes available in a pocket for tips, porters, beggars and all sorts of other people. Once they spot large notes, you will be killed in the rush.

73 On trips to India and Sri Lanka, take loads of Biros to give to the children (plan about five a day). The girls also like make-up testers.

74 In Rio, mugging capital of the world, carry a wad of small-denomination notes in an obvious place - back trouser pocket, shirt breast pocket - so when you are mugged, these notes are grabbed and the larger notes are still safe in an inside pocket.

75 For women, if you're in a really dodgy area and are concerned that you're going to get fleeced, wrap up your money and cards in a plastic bag, then a sock, then pin the sock inside your knickers; just leave a bit of cash and one card out somewhere with your passport to look convincing. While it may sound gross, it makes you feel very safe if you're travelling long distances and will have to spend some of that time asleep. Money belts are too obvious and too easy to slice into.

76 Always have sterling or dollars with you; useful for extras, bribes etc.

77 Don't buy travellers' cheques - clumsy and a waste of money - most countries have cashpoints now. (Check beforehand.) And most places take Visa - which often takes quite a long time to come through on the bill.

78 In New Delhi and other large Indian cities (particularly Bombay and Calcutta), always go to the pre-paid taxi counter. These are regulated by the city authority and you state your destination and how many pieces of luggage you have. Customers are then given a receipt and are guided to a taxi outside where they are taken to the destination they have paid for. Don't give any more.

79 Never buy coffee on the Champs-Elysées - go one street away and pay a quarter of the price.

Survival instincts

80 For anyone either travelling to/from/between any of the gold triangle states (Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand), in which drug smuggling is a capital offence: on internal flights inside those states, should your luggage pop up on the airport reclaim with so much as one clip open, don't touch it; grab a customs officer/cop; inform them what has happened and that you have not touched the case; insist they search it thoroughly. It could save a lot of trouble (and worse) should someone actually have placed drugs in the luggage.

81 Tropics only: four large jam jar lids. Put the feet of your bed in them, top up with water, and the ants can't climb up and bite your arse.

82 For survival fantasists: carry a square of bright metal with a hole in it. When lost on the tundra, look through the hole at a passing aircraft and the reflecting sun will catch the pilot's attention. Nice idea, anyway.

83 African camping safari tips: if confronted by a lion, stand stock still; if confronted by a rhino, climb the nearest tree; never look a leopard in the eye; and always drink half a bottle of Scotch before settling down in your tent for the night.

84 Cute as they may look, hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal. If you're out in a boat or camping in the bush, avoid them. They are extremely volatile.

85 A few limes placed around your bed at night will keep the centipedes away.

86 The only foolproof protection against the Highland midge? A pair of knotted tights slipped over the head, mugger-style. Even the most persistent beastie won't get through. Avoid fishnets.

87 If you're going to a malarial country - and that currently includes most of Africa and large parts of Asia - eat lots of garlic. It's not a substitute for anti-malarial drugs, but mosquitoes seem to be as averse to garlicky fumes as we are.

For the view

88 Get to see the Statue of Liberty for next to nothing by boarding the Staten Island ferry ( for free) rather than paying top-whack on a regular cruise. You get to see Staten Island, too.

89 When sailing from Scrabster to Orkney on the St Ola, stand on deck on the right (starboard) to gaze at the Old Man of Hoy; move to the left (port) as the boat turns into Scapa Flow to see the sun make long evening shadows over Stromness, a town almost as beautiful as Venice. This assumes the sun is shining, which is quite rare, and that you are not being seasick in a gale.

90 The best view of the Spanish Steps in Rome is from the first floor of Prada. No other tourists, thus uninterrupted view . . . and lots of expensive shoes.

91 Ignore open-top bus tours of London. Instead, board a southbound No 12 bus in Praed Street, Paddington. It passes Marble Arch, goes up Oxford Street, down Regent Street, through Trafalgar Square and over Lambeth bridge via Whitehall and Parliament Square. It then passes Lambeth Palace (top deck for best view of George Carey in his Speedos) and under the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo. Wealthy American tourists are advised to alight before they get too near the bottom of the Walworth Road. They should then cross the road and take a northbound number 12 asap.

92 In Prague, the number 22 tram goes past a lot of the tourist sites in the city - the castle, the national theatre , through Malá Strana etc etc.

93 Paris has very few green spaces, so if you're craving lush grass and fresh air and don't have time to make it to the suburbs, head for the garden at the Musée Rodin, near Hpital des Invalides. You pay a few sous for the peace and quiet and are surrounded by Rodin.

94 In Berlin, dodge the hour-long queue to get into Norman Foster's new Reichstag by booking the restaurant on the roof terrace. If you have a reservation, they let you in a small side entrance with no hassle and you can spend as much time as you like in Norman's cupola. Whether you then keep the reservation is up to you - though it's a nice spot with great ice creams in particular. The Cupola and restaurant are open daily from 8am to midnight. For restaurant reservations call +49-30-226 29 90.

Sport

95 Diving aficionados on a budget: forget paying hundreds of pound for a diving course at the Red Sea or the Barrier Reef. The cheapest courses in the world are in Lake Malawi, from US$25 a day with qualified instructors.

96 Rollerblading heaven takes place in Paris every Friday night from 10pm to 1am when the grands boulevards are closed to traffic and the bladers whizz through the Parisian streets. A smaller version is organised for beginners on Sunday afternoons, starting at Place Bastille.

Technicalities

97 If you use a notebook computer, always carry UK/US and UK/Continental mains adaptors and a US phone plug adaptor.

98 Instead of plugging the modem cable into the wall, see if you can plug it into a telephone handset.

99 Take a universal plug for baths and sinks.

They think it's all over

100 If at the end of your holiday, you have no money to buy snacks at the airport café, offer to buy someone else's duty free goods on your credit card in exchange for their cash, and then you can go on a munchies raid.

101 If you've got this far and are still worried, then stay at home.

Ask a fellow traveller

Your fellow Guardian readers are some of the most travelled people and someone out there can help. We are starting a new series called Ask a fellow traveller. If you have a question - whether it be wanting the name of a cheap hotel in central Paris or a restaurant off the tourist track in Sienna, needing to know how to get into Bhutan or the name of a reliable guide for a trip into the Amazonian rain forest - then write in. We will publish questions in Guardian Travel and invite readers to send in their advice which we will print two weeks later. Send your questions to: Ask a fellow traveller, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. Or e-mail: ask.a.fellow.traveller@theguardian.com

• Send in your Travel Tip - and we will give a Lonely Planet guidebook for each one we publish. There are 480 titles to choose from (www.lonelyplanet.com) Send your idea to Travel Tip, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER or e-mail us at travel.tips@theguardian.com