Do Your "Mise en Place" and Travel

To complete any task, it is much easier to have all of the necessary equipment and materials ready and waiting to be used. Chefs call this "mise en place," a French term that literally means "put in place." This step is crucial in the kitchen where the next move is always only seconds away. If chefs fail to plan for the next step, their movements are disjointed and inefficient, delaying your meal.
Like many chefs, I apply "mise en place" to everything I do, including and especially traveling. Where unlike in a kitchen, when prep time ends and service begins, it is possible, however rushed, frantic and frustrated it makes the entire kitchen, to make more prep; however, once you have left home, anything you forgot is unavailable until you return.
Arriving at the airport and realizing you forgot your passport or getting sick on vacation and not having your own medicine waiting in your bag will definitely spoil the trip. Because depending on where you are traveling, the cultural views of medicine could be very different from your own and you don't want to be relying on suspect remedies. Once, I got sun poising in Mexico and could not find a soothing sun lotion or even aloe lotion to save my life. The pharmacist gave me a lotion that burned and only made my symptoms feel worse. I had to butcher a neighbor's aloe plant (which puzzled my Mexican friends because they don't seem to use aloe for burns) and sleep with bags of frozen vegetables to find any relief.

I consider myself an experienced traveler and these "mise en place" practices have never failed to make a successful trip:
A Baggage Scale

This was a birthday gift from my mom last year, and a great gift at that! You simply clip the strap around the handle of your bag and pick up the bag by holding the scale. This scale is digital and reads in pounds and kilos and is also compact so that I can bring it with me to weigh my bags on the trip home. It has become an invaluable tool that takes all of the guess work out of packing checked bags and allows me to pack to the exact weight limit; it has never been wrong. I'm not sure what it costs, but it must pay for itself by avoiding any weight overage charges.
Proper Shoes

It is not uncommon to walk everywhere while traveling and good shoes are critical. This might seem obvious, however, the obvious details are the ones most often overlooked. Sore, or blistered feet will not be overlooked, they will remind you with each step that you forgot to do your "mise en place." My shoes have been up and down Manhattan New York, from Rome to Munich, across China and all over Mexico. They have become tattered and dirty and the souls are separating, but they are great shoes! After I replaced the lining with Dr. Scholls inserts they were like new again. I love these shoes, but I fear they may have seen their last trip. 
Passport with my Toiletries

It might seem odd, but  my passport is always in my toiletries bag. I joke that in case I ever need to escape the country, I can make a quick get away. However, the real reason is practical and speaks to my itinerant nature. I move so often, that my belongings rarely stay in the same place long and become misplaced in new locations. My toiletries are among the few things that I ALWAYS have with me. It is convenient because whenever I travel I need my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant... and my passport.
Carry Ons

For better or worse, the regulations regarding carry on baggage seem like they are always changing. However, my carry on items remain the same: I bring a back-pack that I have had for many years and a small blue duffel bag that I have had for even longer. The back-pack contains my camera and accessories, my laptop, a folder containing all of my travel information and anything small, fragile or valuable. The duffel bag contains my laptop's power cord(because it is too bulky to go in the back pack), a sandwich baggie of travel size toiletries, a variety of pills for a variety of symptoms, a change of clothes (every time I do not follow this rule, I get stranded somewhere or my baggage gets temporarily lost and I actually need a change of clothes), and coming home it is full of heavy souvenirs.
Packing Patterns
Like any experienced line cook, who can look at their station and see what is out of place or missing, I travel so often that I have developed packing patterns. These patterns come from using the same luggage on every trip and they help me notice missing or out of place items.
Whether you are making a meal or packing for vacation, remember to do your "mise en place!"