Do your homework in advance about the actual travel details so transportation issues do not define your holiday.

Spaceflight isn't just about doing experiments, it's about an extension of human culture.

Early success is a terrible teacher. You're essentially being rewarded for a lack of preparation, so when you find yourself in a situation where you must prepare, you can't do it. You don't know how.

Most budget airlines anywhere in the world are going to leave you dissatisfied after using them.

One Chief Astronaut used to make a point of phoning the front desk at the clinic where applicants are sent for medical testing, to find out which ones treated the staff well-and which ones stood out in a bad way. The nurses and clinic staff have seen a whole lot of astronauts over the years, and they know what the wrong stuff looks like. A person with a superiority complex might unwittingly, right there in the waiting room, quash his or her chances of ever going to space.

Competence means keeping your head in a crisis, sticking with a task even when it seems hopeless, and improvising good solutions to tough problems when every second counts. It encompasses ingenuity, determination and being prepared for anything.

My favourite city for nightlife is Toronto, as it has such a multicultural feel, with so many different restaurants and theatres.