Flights to La Mirada, Los Angeles from NT$17,012

If you're poorly prepared, air travel can be daunting. But there's no need to panic. Follow these tips and tricks for a pleasant start to your time in La Mirada. What to pack in your hand luggage:

• Air travel can be a cruisy experience if you take the right gear. Firstly, you'll need toiletry items, such as lip balm and hand cream, a spare pair of socks and a few magazines. Next, find room in your bag for your mobile phone, a charger, your important medications and maybe a blow-up neck pillow too. Lastly, and most importantly, don't forget to bring your passport, travel documents and some money.

Do not pack the following items in your hand luggage:

• Check carefully that you don't have sharp or pointed objects hiding in the bottom of your hand luggage. Other banned items include explosive or flammable substances, such as fuel and matches, and liquids and gels in containers with a volume of more than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters).

What to wear on a flight:

• Choose comfort over style. Prepare for temperature changes by donning layers, and pick easy-to-remove shoes like sneakers.
• Most travelers have heard about deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clotting condition caused by prolonged periods of inactivity. To lessen your risk on board, stay hydrated, consider wearing compression socks or tights and keep your legs and feet moving.

The answer is — be prepared. We've compiled some useful tips for a stress-free trip through security. Watch out La Mirada, here you come:

• Airport security personnel first need to verify that you have a valid passport and matching travel documents before anything else. Have them within easy reach, ready for inspection.
• Next up, both you and your carry-on bag must be X-rayed. To speed things up, take off anything that might set the alarms off. Items such as your jacket, belt and earphones need to go through the machine.
• Your electronic gadgets like phones and laptops will also have to go through the machine to be scanned. Don't worry, you'll be back online soon enough.
• Any gels or liquids, such as lip balm or cologne, that you want to take on board must be no greater than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters). Also, everything must fit inside a quart-size (one liter), clear zip-close bag.
• There's a good chance you'll be asked to take your shoes off for scanning, so wearing slip-on sneakers is always a good idea.
• Airlines won't allow any sharp objects in your hand luggage. If you must bring these kinds of items, pack them safely in your checked luggage.