by Billy Kolber-Stuart, Editorial Director, OUT & ABOUT Traveling can make anyone edgy.

Combine edgy with late, and you've got an almost foolproof recipe for frustration. You career into the airport parking lot, shove the parking ticket in the pocket of your jacket, fumble through your wallet for your frequent flyer number at the check-in counter, and run like O.J. (oops, sorry!) to the gate.

Two days later you're on the shuttle bus back to the parking lot, and you have no idea where your ticket or the car keys are.
Aaaaaarrrrrrgh! Here's the better way.

Keep Things in Place Your airport parking ticket, house keys, and rental car contract should always go in the same place, whatever that is. My parking ticket goes in my travel wallet behind my upgrade/discount coupons. My house keys go in the side pocket of my carry-on.

My rental contract goes in the glove compartment of the car.

Don't Carry Everything with You On a blank business card, write all of your frequent flyer/stayer/renter numbers, credit card assistance numbers, and travel agent hotline number.

Leave the unnecessary plastic at home. (Make sure your travel agent has all of your critical numbers in your reservations profile -- then they are available through the agent or his/her 24-hour hotline number.)

Assemble Separate Travel Toiletries and In-Flight Kits, and Keep Them Ready for Travel Look for travel-size versions of your favorite products or purchase small containers.

Be sure to include occasional-use items such as nail clippers, super glue, Q-Tips, aspirin, and safety pins.

Not only will these procedures prevent a little missing item from ruining your day, but you might just be able to save someone else's.