Flights to North Medford, Nova Scotia from NT$30,288

If you're poorly prepared, air travel can be a real challenge. But there's no need to hit the panic button just yet. Follow these helpful hints and enjoy a pleasant start to your getaway in North Medford. What to pack in your hand luggage:

• First and foremost, pack your passport, official ID, wallet and daily medications. Next, you'll want some entertainment to while away the time. A thrilling novel and a phone crammed with your favorite shows are some wonderful options. If you hope to catch more than just forty winks, a quality neck pillow and a pair of earplugs will also be useful. Finally, leave space for a toothbrush and some deodorant to ensure you touchdown looking and feeling fresh.

Do not pack the following items in your hand luggage:

• Check carefully that you don't have a pocket knife hiding in one of the zippers of your hand luggage. Other restricted items include flammable or explosive substances, such as fuel and fireworks, and gels and liquids in containers with a capacity of more than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters).

What to wear on a flight:

• Your goal here is to be as comfortable as you can. Opt for a pair of slip-on shoes, dress in loose, natural-fiber clothing and don't forget to take a sweater in case you get chilly in the cabin.
• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a risk on long-distance flights. It's the result of blood clotting due to poor circulation, so do some gentle foot and leg exercises in your seat and consider wearing compression tights or socks.

The simple answer is — be prepared. We've put together some helpful hints for a hassle-free trip through security. Look out North Medford, here you come:

• Your travel ID and boarding pass will need to be presented to airport security personnel. Have them easily accessible so you don't have to dig around for them.
• Time to strip down. Well sort of. Your belt, jacket, keys and other items in your pocket, like coins, will be required to go through the X-ray machine. Make the whole process easier by removing them as it gets closer to your turn.
• All your electronics, including your phone and laptop, are also required to be separately scanned.
• Any gels or liquids, such as lip balm or cologne, that you want to take on board need to be in containers no greater than 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters). They must also all fit inside a quart-size (one liter), zip-lock bag.
• Slip-on shoes are a clever footwear choice as you're less likely to be required to remove them when passing through security. Boots and other heavy-style shoes are usually subjected to additional screening.
• Airlines won't allow any pocket knives or other sharp items in your carry-on luggage. If you need to bring these kinds of items, pack them in your checked luggage.