A guest post by Rita Rova from LoveMyVouchers.co.uk
Travelling is one of the greatest joys in a person’s life. It provides us with much needed relaxation time, recharging our batteries and therefore enabling us to handle our day to day busy and hectic schedules. But as great as it is, it requires a good deal of planning before we can even begin to relax. Packing is one of the most important aspects as the accessories we bring will determine how comfortable we feel in the new environment.
First and foremost you should consider your bags and suitcases. Regardless of the length of your journey, you will be carrying a variety of different items and you will often need to access them quickly. So a single compartment bag or suitcase is not a great choice – you need something with lots of compartments and additional pockets, so your belongings can be neatly organised and easy to find.
You also need a way to protect and distinguish your luggage from everyone else’s. Look for secure locks to make your luggage inaccessible to anyone other than yourself. Also get or create some individual and striking labels that make your luggage easy to identify amongst the sea of other suitcases at the airport.
Depending on the accommodation you have chosen, you may get some basic toiletries. The problem is, you never know what you are going to get. Some hotels provide a full range of accessories – shampoos, conditioner, soap, body wash, cotton wool and cotton buds, shower cap, toothpaste and even nail files and shoe shine. However, you can’t rely on this full range of accessories being there, and even if you do get them all, you can’t rely on them being any good. Shampoos in particular may react with your hair in an unexpected way, and soaps or shower gels can be drying, harsh and chemically. It is therefore wise to take travel size bottles of each of the things you will need. Make sure that you comply with the airline’s liquid regulations though when you are planning which toiletries to take. Don’t forget to also include things like sunscreen for the beach and a protective face cream for the mountain, and so on, as these won’t be provided by the hotel.
Make your own basic first aid kit and never leave it home on your travels. You should have some basic pain killers and fever tablets, anti-allergy medications, bandages, a bug repellent if you are going close to nature, etc. It’s always better to be able to help yourself than to rely on what the locals do or don’t have at their disposal.
No matter how big of a tech geek you are, it is likely in this day and age that you will be taking your mobile phone and possibly a camera. So don’t forget to bring their charges and connecting cables
if there’s a tablet and/or laptop involved, unless you want to lose touch with civilization It is also good to get an adapter if you are going abroad and you need to check what type of adapter is necessary for the country you are travelling to.Ear plugs are essential to any great trip, so don’t forget to pack a pair. You never know what kind of neighbors you will have to deal with at the hotel, hostel, or whatever you have chosen, and you will want to get some sleep seeing as how you’ll be on vacation. This little invention will block the noise from the party going on downstairs and allow you to rest properly, rather than toss and turn all night.
If you are planning to visit several different locations and you will be travelling quite a lot, don’t forget to pack a travel pillow. You never know how much time you’ll have for sleep with all the sightseeing and activities, so the bus or train may be your only option. But neck cramps are not preferable, so a ravel pillow can be quite helpful.
With the exception of your essential travel documentation, the rest is up to you. The main thing is to do your research and make a list before you start packing so as not to forget something. Before you leave the house, go through each item on the list again to ensure you have not missed anything and then let the fun and relaxation commence.
Rita Rova writes budget travel advice for discount website, LoveMyVouchers.co.uk, where you can find the latest discounts offered from top hotels and travel companies.
