Travel Tips
After talking to Petals today, and also the numerous comments I got from the people on our tour of "If only I knew you before the holiday! I would've packed completely differently!", I thought I'd write my own version of travel tips. What I do when I'm travelling. So in no particular order:
- Pack light! I am the worse offender! Although, I think alot of what takes up the weight in my luggage now days are electronics (Cameras, laptop, chargers and adaptors etc) and the many MANY souvenier books, cook books and heavy food such as chocolates that I buy. But my general rule when packing is, packing everything you think you would need. Then put half of it back. For my 5 weeks holiday, I packed about 5 shirts and 3 pairs of cargo/capri and 2 pairs of jeans. If I wasn't going to Mykonos, I would've only needed one pair of jeans. Atleast one nice outfit. Thin cardigan and a light jacket. Also 2 sets of PJs. This is probably overpacking by some people's standards, but hey, it worked for me! And remember, you're on holidays. Not a fashion show.
- Saved your old clothes to bring onto the trip. Unless you're buying something like super thin/easy dry clothes to bring on your holiday, save all your old clothes. And I'm talking about undies and socks as well. Anything you think about throwing away, save them for your holiday. As your holiday progresses, and you need more room in your suitcase, throw out your old clothes! Not only does it give you more luggage space/weight, its an excuse to buy new clothes without feeling guilty.
- Handwash your clothes every night so you don't need to do a big load in one go. Whenever I showered, I would dump my dirty clothes into the shower, letting the water and whatever shampoo/body wash have a go at it. Then when I'm done showering, the clothes are already half clean. A quick scrub with a bit more body wash and they're clean. Some people, like my parents, like to carry washing powder, but I'm a bit worried about "white powder" coming out of my suitcase...
- Bring a washing line. I picked up an elastic washing line which I can hook onto almost anything (including the handle of my suitcase) to dry my clothes. Everynight my washing line will be out and usually anything I wash, is dried overnight. This means clean clothes every day!
- Sarongs can double up as a towel if you need to. Its also great for wrapping up fragile items to put into your checked in luggage.
- Toiletries - I generally start hunting a month or two before I go on holidays for small versions of the various toiletries I use. Some brands have "trial packs" which is usually half the size of their normal products. Instead of bringing a whole litre of shampoo and conditioner, grab a 200ml bottle. Especially if you're staying in a hotel as there are usually complimentry toiletries. Yes, its not as good as your "luxury products" at home, but you're on holiday. Whats more important? Having your $30 a bottle of shampoo with you, or the extra luggage space to bring holiday memories back? And before you come home, throw them all out! That means extra luggage space!
- Tie your toiletries up in a plastic bag before putting it in a toiletries bag. I've had things "explode" in my toiletries bag that ended up leaking all over my clothes! A plastic bag buys you more time and limits the damage if it happens to you.
- Make copies of all your documents. Ontop of my original documents (and credit cards), I had photocopies in my hand luggage and preferrably suitcase as well. If you're travelling with someone, give them a copy of your documents and vice versa. Have an electronic copy stored in your webmail and USB key if you're bringing one. Carry a photocopy of your passport in your wallet and leave the real one locked up or in your money belt.
- Have backup cards and money. Whenever I go overseas, I always bring cash. The cash is usually spread between my wallet (In hidden compartments), money belt and suitcase. Very useful when you can't locate an ATM or if my cards get stolen. I also have 2 credit cards. One for actual shopping usage, and one for emergencies. I also had my debit card which I use to withdraw money. You can also get your credit card linked to your savings account.
- Increase your daily withdrawl limit on your debit card. Its cheaper to withdraw a large sum of money from an ATM rather than multiple smaller amounts.
- Lower the limit on one of your credit cards. If you're ever in the suitation where you HAVE to use a credit card, but the place seems dodgy, give them the credit card with the lowest limit. If anything does happen, atleast they will do less damage with a lower credit limit.
- Call up all banks and phone companies to let them know you're going overseas and give them a list of countries. Otherwise, if they see an overseas transaction on your account, they may suspend/cancel your card.
- Bring an inflatable neck pillow and eye mask. They take up minimal space and is god sent when on a long overnight flight.
- Stock up on medication! Especially prescription medication as it may be hard to find what you need overseas.
- Zip lock bags are great to store loose items and dirty clothes.
- I always try to carry a small set of clothing with me in my hand luggage. That way, if your luggage is lost/delayed by the airline, you'll have a set of clean clothes and undies you can change into. And if your luggage doesn't resurface for a few weeks, you will always have a set of clothes to change into, ontop of your new foreign clothes.
- Lots of padlocks for your suitcase! Anything that can be padlocked, should be padlocked. Especially your boogie board bag...
- Bring different sized cloth bags. You may not always want to lug a big travel bag around, especially if you're out to a nice dinner. And some places, e.g. the Vatican, does not allow big bags. Having a small cloth bag means you can switch bags if need be (Instead of carrying a plastic bag!!) and takes up minimal room.
- Bring an empty bottle onto the plane. With the liquid restrictions, you can no longer bring water on board. However, the lovely ladies on Singapore Airlines were always more than happy to fill up my empty water bottle for me, meaning I didn't have to harrass them every half hour for more water.
- Bring a small diary to write your travel experiences in. Try to write in it every night! (I tried! It didn't happen! I couldn't face what happened all over again!)
- I NEVER unpack my things into any of the draws/cupbards in a hotel room. Unless you're planning on being there for a month, everything stays in the suitcase, or on a table in clear view. The chance of you leaving something behind is much lower.
- Pack your bags before bed everynight, and pack 2 sets of clean clothes at the top. This means you don't need to get up at the crack of dawn to pack, you won't need to dig around for clothes when the 6am wakeup call comes. And after a long day of travelling, the last thing you want when you check into your hotel is to dig through everything for clean clothes!
- Last but not least, don't bring anything you're not prepared to lose!! And have fun!!
- Pack light! I am the worse offender! Although, I think alot of what takes up the weight in my luggage now days are electronics (Cameras, laptop, chargers and adaptors etc) and the many MANY souvenier books, cook books and heavy food such as chocolates that I buy. But my general rule when packing is, packing everything you think you would need. Then put half of it back. For my 5 weeks holiday, I packed about 5 shirts and 3 pairs of cargo/capri and 2 pairs of jeans. If I wasn't going to Mykonos, I would've only needed one pair of jeans. Atleast one nice outfit. Thin cardigan and a light jacket. Also 2 sets of PJs. This is probably overpacking by some people's standards, but hey, it worked for me! And remember, you're on holidays. Not a fashion show.
- Saved your old clothes to bring onto the trip. Unless you're buying something like super thin/easy dry clothes to bring on your holiday, save all your old clothes. And I'm talking about undies and socks as well. Anything you think about throwing away, save them for your holiday. As your holiday progresses, and you need more room in your suitcase, throw out your old clothes! Not only does it give you more luggage space/weight, its an excuse to buy new clothes without feeling guilty.
- Handwash your clothes every night so you don't need to do a big load in one go. Whenever I showered, I would dump my dirty clothes into the shower, letting the water and whatever shampoo/body wash have a go at it. Then when I'm done showering, the clothes are already half clean. A quick scrub with a bit more body wash and they're clean. Some people, like my parents, like to carry washing powder, but I'm a bit worried about "white powder" coming out of my suitcase...
- Bring a washing line. I picked up an elastic washing line which I can hook onto almost anything (including the handle of my suitcase) to dry my clothes. Everynight my washing line will be out and usually anything I wash, is dried overnight. This means clean clothes every day!
- Sarongs can double up as a towel if you need to. Its also great for wrapping up fragile items to put into your checked in luggage.
- Toiletries - I generally start hunting a month or two before I go on holidays for small versions of the various toiletries I use. Some brands have "trial packs" which is usually half the size of their normal products. Instead of bringing a whole litre of shampoo and conditioner, grab a 200ml bottle. Especially if you're staying in a hotel as there are usually complimentry toiletries. Yes, its not as good as your "luxury products" at home, but you're on holiday. Whats more important? Having your $30 a bottle of shampoo with you, or the extra luggage space to bring holiday memories back? And before you come home, throw them all out! That means extra luggage space!
- Tie your toiletries up in a plastic bag before putting it in a toiletries bag. I've had things "explode" in my toiletries bag that ended up leaking all over my clothes! A plastic bag buys you more time and limits the damage if it happens to you.
- Make copies of all your documents. Ontop of my original documents (and credit cards), I had photocopies in my hand luggage and preferrably suitcase as well. If you're travelling with someone, give them a copy of your documents and vice versa. Have an electronic copy stored in your webmail and USB key if you're bringing one. Carry a photocopy of your passport in your wallet and leave the real one locked up or in your money belt.
- Have backup cards and money. Whenever I go overseas, I always bring cash. The cash is usually spread between my wallet (In hidden compartments), money belt and suitcase. Very useful when you can't locate an ATM or if my cards get stolen. I also have 2 credit cards. One for actual shopping usage, and one for emergencies. I also had my debit card which I use to withdraw money. You can also get your credit card linked to your savings account.
- Increase your daily withdrawl limit on your debit card. Its cheaper to withdraw a large sum of money from an ATM rather than multiple smaller amounts.
- Lower the limit on one of your credit cards. If you're ever in the suitation where you HAVE to use a credit card, but the place seems dodgy, give them the credit card with the lowest limit. If anything does happen, atleast they will do less damage with a lower credit limit.
- Call up all banks and phone companies to let them know you're going overseas and give them a list of countries. Otherwise, if they see an overseas transaction on your account, they may suspend/cancel your card.
- Bring an inflatable neck pillow and eye mask. They take up minimal space and is god sent when on a long overnight flight.
- Stock up on medication! Especially prescription medication as it may be hard to find what you need overseas.
- Zip lock bags are great to store loose items and dirty clothes.
- I always try to carry a small set of clothing with me in my hand luggage. That way, if your luggage is lost/delayed by the airline, you'll have a set of clean clothes and undies you can change into. And if your luggage doesn't resurface for a few weeks, you will always have a set of clothes to change into, ontop of your new foreign clothes.
- Lots of padlocks for your suitcase! Anything that can be padlocked, should be padlocked. Especially your boogie board bag...
- Bring different sized cloth bags. You may not always want to lug a big travel bag around, especially if you're out to a nice dinner. And some places, e.g. the Vatican, does not allow big bags. Having a small cloth bag means you can switch bags if need be (Instead of carrying a plastic bag!!) and takes up minimal room.
- Bring an empty bottle onto the plane. With the liquid restrictions, you can no longer bring water on board. However, the lovely ladies on Singapore Airlines were always more than happy to fill up my empty water bottle for me, meaning I didn't have to harrass them every half hour for more water.
- Bring a small diary to write your travel experiences in. Try to write in it every night! (I tried! It didn't happen! I couldn't face what happened all over again!)
- I NEVER unpack my things into any of the draws/cupbards in a hotel room. Unless you're planning on being there for a month, everything stays in the suitcase, or on a table in clear view. The chance of you leaving something behind is much lower.
- Pack your bags before bed everynight, and pack 2 sets of clean clothes at the top. This means you don't need to get up at the crack of dawn to pack, you won't need to dig around for clothes when the 6am wakeup call comes. And after a long day of travelling, the last thing you want when you check into your hotel is to dig through everything for clean clothes!
- Last but not least, don't bring anything you're not prepared to lose!! And have fun!!
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