A well-planned trip gets ruined by tiny things. Four I always check, and that almost never show up in a brochure.
Eight kilos. The train to Machu Picchu only allows carry-on luggage, eight kilos per person maximum. It's not a whim: the carriages have panoramic windows, and suitcases would block the glass. If no one tells you in advance, you find out on the platform.
The family record book, translated. To enter South Africa with minors you need the birth certificate or family record book translated by a certified translator, plus a letter of consent. It takes weeks to get and can't be sorted out at the airport.
The wifi, on day one. In Japan the pocket wifi device is picked up at the hotel on arrival, not the next day. It sounds minor until you're at a Tokyo station trying to make sense of a departure board.
$35 in cash. The visa on arrival in Laos costs $35.
None of these four things makes a trip beautiful. All of them can ruin a day of it.
If you're planning something on your own and want me to look over the details, write to me.