There was a time prior to that horrifying September morning frozen in history in 2001 that traveling abroad was a lot less stressful than it is now. Post 9-11 traveling, however, has changed the way we need to deal with some things in daily life, and travel security is definitely one of those changes. Gone are the days of simply throwing everything into your suitcase, grabbing the passport, and heading for the airport.

Hopefully this will serve as a checklist of sorts to make the vital issues that need to be dealt with a bit easier on the traveler.

Familiarize Yourself with the New Airport Security Rules

Find a list of things that can no longer be taken onto airplanes. Some of the banned items may surprise you when finding them on the list if you are not accustomed to air travel. In addition to the banned items for all flights, there are also added restrictions depending on your destination.

You will need to arrive at the airport much earlier than you could arrive in the past. Be sure to check with the airport to make sure how early they suggest arriving before your flight.

Certain countries, as just one example of the restrictions you will need to know, will not allow certain medications to come over the borders. This includes something as innocent sounding as aspirin in some countries. If you have all those things researched before leaving for the airport, it will save you a lot of stress later.

You will also need to find out if there are any limitations on things that are allowed to be brought back home over the borders. Countries often have lists of such items, and knowing this ahead of time will not only save money so that you don't buy items that you won't be able to get back over the border, but will hopefully prevent some tense times with border security when you're trying to come back home.