When your bag goes missing:

File an in-person report at the baggage-claim office right away. If your trip has just begun, ask for a toiletries kit or a voucher for necessities.
When you fill out claim paperwork, get a copy of it and write down the direct phone number for the baggage office; you don’t want to call the airline’s 800 number to follow up, says Marybeth Bond, the author of Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide (National Geographic, $16, www.amazon.com). Then carry on with your trip. “In most cases, it’s the airline’s responsibility to deliver your bag to you when it arrives — even if you’re hundreds of miles away from the airport,” says Bond.

When you check in to a hotel:

Request a room below the eighth floor, far from construction, and on a floor with a booster pump.
Why below the eighth floor? It’s a scary thought, but in case of, say, a fire, the fire department is equipped to reach you more quickly than folks on the upper floors, says travel editor Peter Greenberg. As for booster pumps, “high-rise hotels have trouble maintaining consistently great water pressure on all their floors, so every few floors they install booster pumps,” explains Greenberg. “You want to be on one of those floors so the pressure in your shower is as strong as a fire hose’s.”

When you enter a historic attraction:

Ask the staff for advice about special exhibits, must-see artifacts, and unusual features.
Staff — or, in a pinch, security guards — can often point out little-known gems the guidebooks miss. They might even suggest a way for you to tour the facility (“Go to the third floor and work your way back down”) without getting swept up in the crowds, says tour guide Dave Fox. Another tip: Hit popular sites at lunchtime, rather than first thing in the morning, when tour buses arrive.

When you walk into your hotel room:

Fully check it out (turn on the air conditioner, the shower, the TV) before you unpack, in case you need to switch rooms.
Better yet, ask to examine the room thoroughly before you register, in case something isn’t to your liking, says Jessica Singerman, a Trek Travel guide who leads group tours in Europe and Central America. This isn’t rude; it’s just savvy. Prefer a room that isn’t next to the elevator? Ask. Once you’re satisfied, Greenberg suggests a quick cleaning: Wipe the TV remote and the phone handset with disinfecting wipes. Finally, clean water glasses in hot water, in case the housekeeper forgot to replace them after the last guest checked out.