Ombudsman: Hard-Won Wisdom

4. Return Your Rental Car the Right Way
Readers have been known to drop off a car in perfect condition only to discover, weeks later, a hefty charge on their credit card statement for damage to the vehicle. To ensure this never happens: At the point of return, always get an employee of the rental company to sign a statement saying that the car is in satisfactory condition. If nobody is there at drop-off, take pictures of the vehicle when you leave it (dated photos are even better), and hope that this evidence will persuade your credit card company that any damage charge is unwarranted. Or, when you pick up the car, purchase the rental company's collision-damage waiver.

5. Make It to the Port on Time
Cruise ships, like time, wait for no one. Readers often write to tell us how they arrived at the port late—usually because their flight was delayed—and discovered that they had missed the ship completely. If the delay was the airline's fault, then it might fly you to the ship's next port without charge. But if the delay was caused by weather, you're out of luck. Save yourself the distress by arriving at the port city at least one full day before the ship's departure; that way, even if your flight is delayed, you should be there prior to sailing time.

6. Get the Room You Booked
When is an ocean-view room not an ocean-view room? Readers have booked and paid for this category of accommodation only to find that what they actually looked out at was a construction site or a giant parking lot. Most hotel Web sites have photos of rooms that one assumes accurately represent the place. But if the actual room is markedly different from the one online, speak with the general manager immediately, voice your concerns, and propose some sort of solution: a cut in the room rate, some money back if the booking was prepaid, a free meal—something he or she can work toward on the spot. It might further help your case to have some proof, such as a printout of the Web site's photo or description promising uninterrupted vistas of the surf rather than the steel beams visible from your balcony.

7. Research Visa Requirements
There are countries that American citizens can visit without visas, and there are countries they can't. Then there are countries where they didn't used to need a visa but now do, and there are others for which the opposite is true. In other words, the rules for entry to other nations are constantly in flux. Prior to any international trip, check the most current guidelines from the consulate or embassy of the country you'll be visiting. If possible, get them in writing—often they can be found on the consulate's or embassy's Web site. (This will prove handy if you get into an argument over the need for a visa at check-in.) Do not rely on the advice of a travel agent, a cruise line, or an airline, since it may not be up-to-date. And since procuring the correct documents is the traveler's responsibility, you will pay the price for someone else's error.