Spring is steadily melting into summer and once again it's time to pack our bags and venture onto our individual journeys. How will you be spending your summer 2010? Regardless of where you go and who you decide to go with, ResLink this month has created a friendly checklist for you to consider, with eight important aspects of research that you should look into before you head out

1. Confirmation of all flight tickets. Ensure your tickets, visas and all valid documents have been put together from a reliable source.
2. Do not forget to buy travel insurance. Does the country you are visiting have sound medical care for the public? If not, carry the essentials you will need and invest in travel insurance. Remember it's better to be safe than sorry.
3. Be vigilant for weather reports. Remember the importance of typhoon warnings when you first came to Hong Kong? Same rules apply when you visit another country.
4. If you will be traveling within the country you are visiting, research the means of transportation, so that you can bargain to get an appropriate price.
5. Far East Asia recently established a protest warning signal as a result of the violent protests in Thailand's airport. Make sure you are aware of this hierarchy of warnings, which is recognised as the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA).
6. You should carry appropriate identification with you at all times and it is also handy to have an emergency contact person's details at easy reach.
7. Between the option of using credit cards or cash, try to use cash more, as it may be difficult to monitor your account activity whilst traveling.
8. Most countries are tourist friendly. However, it is best to learn about the customs of the culture you are about to visit, in order to avoid doing anything that would offend the natives

For more travel tips, visit the celebrated Anderson Cooper's blog “28 things I wish I'd known before I started traveling”. The ResLink team and I would like to wish you a safe and happy summer. For those of you who will not be returning: it was a pleasure getting to know you and we wish you good luck in your future endeavors. For those of you returning to our halls: be safe and we'll see you soon.