Ten delicious pieces of wisdom I have learned from experiences (both first and second hand) traveling.

1. Do move your bowels.  Get yourself to a washroom when you have the urge.  Q: What is worse than going to the bathroom in a stinky crap infested hellhole with no TP?  A: Not going to the bathroom for a couple days while your feces turn into concrete that need to be surgically removed.  When you are traveling in a foreign land, nobody knows you, so just make time to move those bowels — even if its while standing over a trough behind someone else doing the same thing.  And if there is no TP, sacrifice some clothing. Think how good you will feel when its all over, and the stories! This tip has nothing to do with writing, but its very important.

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When you send or bring your passport to an embassy, consulate or high commission for the stamp or sticker required by a given country, it’s natural to assume that you will get exactly what you ask and pay for. But an issuing officer can sometimes make a mistake. If that happens, the onus is on you to discover it and have it corrected.

Take the case of Jean Pierre Hamelin of Midland, Ont., who on arrival in Mumbai India was told by immigration officials that his visa (recently acquired) was expired. He was ordered to reboard the plane he came on wrecking his travel plans. Even though Mr. Hamelin when through all the proper procedures to secure a visa, the visa was issued incorrectly and Mr. Hamelin neglected to check it before leaving for India.

�the conditions of contract for international air tickets make travellers responsible for having all necessary documents. Someone denied entry to a country can’t claim a refund from the airline and must bear the cost of being flown out.

He did not get much sympathy from the Indian consulate here in Toronto either,

The Indian consulate says it was Hamelin’s responsibility to check the visa when he received it and to ask for a change if one was required. “He can read. He’s an educated person,” says S. R. Grover, acting consul-general.

When planning for your next trip, make sure you check out with the Foreign Affairs Canada website, voyage.gc.ca to find out if you need a passport, visa or other documents. Make sure to check well in advance of your planned travel. It is also important to make sure that your passport be valid for six months beyond the end of your stay in a country, as some places will bar entrance. Be very aware of when you can enter and when you have to leave the country.

References: Globe and Mail on Saturday, April 23, 2005 Page T8, by By DOUGLAS MCARTHUR