Show up at the airport on Thursday, so you have time to clear security.

How long is the flight?

Don't forget sunscreen, bug spray (probably won't need it), a hat, pain reliever, something for upset stomach, a skin cream just in case you get to much sun. Also, a small folding umbrella. It's a tropical area and it not unusual to have short sudden downpours. Don't forget to put all the creams and jels and stuff in the checked bag.

I live and work in Europe most of the year but home for me is California, so the long flight and I are well-acquainted. Here are some tips.

Before you go, call your bank and let them know that you're going to be abroad for some time - that way if they see some activity on your account from overseas they don't lock your account! I've never had a problem when I've told my bank in advance.

You can check-in online and print out your boarding pass at home for many, if not most flights, even international ones; check with your airline's website to see if they allow this. ALSO check the website to see how much luggage you're allowed to take or check-in without a fee. On international flights, allowances are usually more generous than on domestic flights.

While packing, it's a good idea to bring as little as possible. The official rules (which you'll see reproduced at the checkpoint) are here. After a period of relative insanity a few years back when the rules kept changing, things have stabilized to a mostly common-sense level: meat cleavers no, nail scissors yes. The rules about cosmetics and liquids are listed in exhaustive detail at the link above.

You can check the estimated security wait times at the airport you're departing from (your profile said NJ, so here are Newark Airport's historical wait times on early Friday mornings). The longest wait seems to be up to an hour, but only in one area of the airport, in other parts of the airport, the wait time is 50 minutes less! Hopefully you're leaving from a less-congested terminal, but if not, bring a book. Also, check the airport's website for a map - if all the terminals are linked "airside" (ie, past the security checkpoints) it may be possible to go through security in a less congested terminal and then move on foot to the more congested terminal your flight may be departing from.

On the day of the flight, see if you can have a family member or friend drive the car to the airport for you; that way you won't have to waste time looking for parking. If you are parking at the airport, many airports have valet parking now, as well as off-site lots which are cheaper than the airport's own lots, so if you're short of time or money in this area, those are some options to consider.

If you're being dropped off at the airport, it's often faster to be dropped in an "arrivals" area instead of a "departures" area, especially in the morning.

The security checkpoint itself is not really a big deal as long as you're ready and think about your outfit in advance. I think the frustration some people feel comes from not being as organized as one could be, and from having multiple layered outfits that take time to remove. I like to put all my metal objects in a side pocket of my carry-on before I even get in line. You could wear sandals or flip-flops, too, since you're going somewhere warm! You may have heard horror stories about security these days, but aside from being more visible, it's pretty much the same thing as 23 years ago - things go through an X-ray while you go through a metal detector. You may be called aside for a random "secondary" inspection, which means a same-sex (gentle) pat-down and a glance through your bag, if you've got one. They'll also look to see that the name on your passport matches that of your boarding pass.

(It's also nice, if you can, to just forgo the carry-on entirely: a book, a wallet, and a boarding pass makes life so much easier.)

After you get through security, check the monitors in the terminal to see which gate your flight is leaving from, and mosey on over there. The times printed on boarding passes as your "boarding time" are often just the time the airline wants people at the gate, so if you'd prefer to wait a few minutes and you've got an assigned seat anyway, don't panic too much about being at the gate before this. This is another area where having a tiny/non-existent carry-on is nice, because even if you're the last one on the plane, you can just stick that book or purse under the seat in front of you.

Now that you're on the plane...don't expect too much. You can bring liquids that you buy in the terminal past the security checkpoint on board, so coffee and a smoothie plus some pastries or something might be nice. Food service on board has been cut back on all but a few airlines to pretty much a buy-on-board situation, so don't expect a hot meal unless your airline says you'll receive one (again, check the airline's website - usually they list what passengers on different flight lengths are offered).

I've never been to the Dominican Republic so I don't know what to expect on landing there, but I imagine it'll be less work than getting there! Have an awesome trip!

Wear shoes that are easy to put on and take off, because they make you at security.

mdonley's advice is great - there are a few tidbits I'll keep in mind for my next flight. My only thing I alway do when I fly is buy a water or two when I get past security. They don't start the beverage service until after the plane is in the air, and the one time I spent two plus hours on the tarmac I was very glad I had water with me. It made all of the other times I didn't even need to crack the seal on the water worth it. Have a great flight.

Thank you everyone, especially mdonley. Great advice and links! We're actually flying out from Philadelphia, and I checked the average wait time at security and it was really quick for that hour in the morning, so that's hopeful. I'm planning on only carrying one carryon. It hangs cross-body, so it's out of the way, and it holds a change of clothes just in case (please forbid it!) the luggage gets lost. Plus it's not big, so I can store it under the seat in front of me and be able to reach my book as needed.

Just to pass along a tip I read somewhere else - you can bring empty water bottles and fill them from a water fountain once you're past security. That was you can stay hydrated and not pay a hefty fee.

Essexjan, I think the flight is around 3 3/4 hours. Not bad!! We are packing plenty of sunblock in the check bag, thanks for reminding me about the bug spray, arse_hat!

So, I travel. A lot, and when I mean a lot I mean I've lived and worked on all inhabited continents for extended periods of time as well as backpacking/hotel/resort/war zones/developing/developing countries and everything in between. I've also been to Punta Canta, though I can't remember much about it (sorry). That being said, my #1 piece of travel advice? Remember that you can buy it there if you forget anything at home. Sure, it's not as cheap or convienient or the quality isn't what you expect, but if you forgot it - you probably don't need it. Don't forget prescription medications, a mini first aid kit (I travel with one all the time), and a camera. Really, I've left for international travels with only my passport and wallet on me and I've come back alive. It may sound a bit extreme, but it showed how little I *needed* to take with me.

If you're traveling during mealtime, pack your own food! I did this on my 10+ hour flight to Philly a few weeks ago, and I can't believe I've never done it before. It was awesome, so much better than the airline-provided food (whether they make you pay for it or not), and made all of my seat-mates jealous.

Homemade cookies (which I shared to keep my seat-mates from knocking me unconscious and stealing my food);
water drink mixes (we brought or own water bottles empty through security and filled them at the water fountains);
dried fruit;
yesterday's baked chicken;
sliced veggies with (3oz) ranch dressing; and
sliced some deli meat and cheese with (3oz) mustard.

I packed an extra ziplock bag, and as soon as I could get out of my seat I went and asked an attendant to fill it with ice to keep my chicken, veggies, and meat/cheese cold.

So awesome. A+++ will travel with again.

Before you go, call your bank and let them know that you're going to be abroad for some time - that way if they see some activity on your account from overseas they don't lock your account!

Wow, I've never had this problem (once my phone company called me to inquire whether I was in Amsterdam and roaming or not though, that was cool) - possibly because I always purchase things on my card at the airport (coffee or something) AND the flight ticket with the same card. The bank would have to be morons to see a ticket to Boston purchased, then Copenhagen international airport coffee, then a Boston Taxi charge and not figure out that I'm traveling.

This isn't so much travel advice as tropical-vacation advice, but I suggest getting your own snorkeling gear. We did that when we went to Punta Cana, and took it to Hawaii, too. Sure, you can rent it down there, and it's not too expensive, but having your own makes it really easy to just casually paddle out and look at the fishies without making it a big deal thing. I think we paid $25-$30 or so for a mask/snorkel/fin set.

dabitch, I think this is because a few years back when ATMs started to take the place of traveler's checks, Americans started using their ATM/debit cards abroad a lot more and in more unusual places, so there was a period where Generic Small-Town American Local Savings Bank would, "just to be sure", automatically lock a card if it was used 8000 miles from the place of the last transaction...and, also, it happened to me in Senegal! It was easily solved; I Skype-called the bank to tell them, they asked me my security questions to make sure it was me, and they unlocked it instantly with apologies. I just go into my credit union now and mention that a few weeks from now, I'll be in Country X, and then I never seem to have problems.

Yes, I take my own food on the plane too when I fly transatlantic. Fruit, cereal bars, nuts, dried fruit. Also, there's a place at Philly airport that does a pretty good cheesesteak. There's always a queue of pilots there, which is always a recommendation and the cheesesteak I had a couple of years ago was seriously delicious.

Don't take your shoes off on the plane, just loosen them, unless they have lots of room in them. Your feet will swell during the flight and I've seen people struggling to get their shoes back on again before they disembark.

Oh, and enjoy the Sky Mall magazine. It's the bestest bit of the flight.