The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends travelers be caught up on their vaccines before traveling. There are both recommend and required vaccinations depend on the destination country. Travelers should address this from 4 to 6 weeks before their trip, as some require a series of injections. Travelers commonly consult their doctors on the correct vaccinations, and the CDC offers a listing of required and recommended vaccinations.
Checked baggage surcharges for exceeding weight and luggage count can cost up to hundreds of dollars. Typically, a traveler gets one to three free checked bags, depending on class of ticket, and each must not exceed a certain weight, which commonly is 50 pounds. Any more checked bags or any extra weight will cost the traveler.
The Department of Customs and Border Protection recommends that travelers document everything they are bringing home from their international travel. While part of this is to pay the right amount of duties, there also are health and security ramifications of inappropriate items crossing the United States border. The CBP keeps a list of prohibited items. Food, medicine and Cuban cigars are among prohibited items into the United States.
