What do you need when you travel?
Your first items are your travel jacket with a safe pocket for your passport and tickets and the suitcase and wheel-on bag, which seems to self-destruct between one trip and the next, losing a wheel, the keys, zips which no longer zip up, the torn luggage tax, the outside needing a wash and time to dry, even the inside plastic disintegrating, and the missing colourful clip on ribbon which identifies your black suitcase from two dozen others on the carousel when you are waiting to claim luggage going out and coming home.
My preference is for coloured luggage. After 9/11 we were on a Singapore Airlines flight which had a bomb scare. The plane parked at the far end of a distant runway. We were divided into family groups and one group at a time, escorted by army lads with machine guns, plus a few fire engines and ambulances, we had to run along a mile of luggage trying to find two black suitcases which were ours.
Later, after one of my wheel-on bags broke, the only bag I could find reasonably priced was a half price bag which obviously nobody wanted because it was covered in pink roses. However, roses came to our rescue. On the next flight our luggage went missing. As we stood, disconsolately filling in forms for lost luggage. As I wrote down, 'pink case with flowers', a distant pink patch the opposite end of the airport caught my eye.
I ran towards it, increasingly excitedly. My family watched from a distance, as I did something resembling a cross between a Maori war dance and Swan Lake's pirouetting heroine. I leapt with arms aloft to signal success, around our blush pink luggage. They understood. I got a Mexican wave, sets of arms waving back in unison to acknowledge my success.
Treble victory. I had found my luggage. I had found their luggage. I was winner of the buy the best luggage competition.
Packing Lists
One person I know who travels regularly keeps his packing list on the back of his wardrobe door. I keep packing lists on my computer. I used to have seasonal packing lists. Winter included ski clothes, gloves, sunglasses, suncream. The summer list included sun hats and sun cream. The logical place to keep a printed copy of you packing list is on the inside lid of your suitcase. With columns down the right hand side for ticks so you can tick each item packed to go, and each item packed to bring back. That way you don't leave behind the slippers under the bed, the night dress under the pillow case, the hat in the wardrobe, the bathrobe on the back of the bathroom door, nor toddler's teddy in the hotel cot. We once did that and had to drive thirty miles back to retrieve it.
Airport Shopping List
List the numbers of people you might meet and what you might take them. What is the price of wine and chocolates at the airport. Can you buy cheaper in the supermarket at home or at the destination? Take the home supermarket price with you, to work out whether it's worthwhile buying goods at the destination to bring home as a souvenir for yourself or the neighbours, babysitters and house sitters who looked after your plants and post and pets.
Shopping List
Before travelling, I would visit a pharmacy, a stationery store and a supermarket. At the pharmacy I would stock up with lemon or lavender scented soaps and other items to ward off mosquitos. Plus small sizes of all those things one needs, Bonjela, lip salve/balm, small tube of healing ointment. Anything not available, second chance at the supermarket.
At the supermarket I would look for notebooks. If no luck, at the stationery store I would buy small notebooks for each destination. Whilst in the stationery store and supermarket and newsagent I would look for a couple of cards, birthday, wedding, baby.
I had a list of items to buy on my first shopping trip at the destination. In Singapore I headed down to Mustapha's department store. I needed a gym kit. Trainers and socks. A tote bag and matching baseball cap.
Off to the local pharmacy. Mosquito repellent and after bite cream. In Australia and sometimes imported from Australia to Singapore you could buy a spray or roll on which combined insect repellent with sun cream.
You can also buy sun-impervious and insect-proof clothes from specialist shops.
The best place to buy jackets with inside pockets? For winter, ski jackets. For summer, look for photographer's jacket, a camping jacket, a hunter's jacket, a fishing jacket, any sports or outdoors shop.
In your pockets:
Umbrella.Travel toothbrush, toothpaste,
Travel pillow, eyeshades.
Passport. ID photocopy.
Mini first aid kit.
Spare underwear. Or bikini. Swimsuit so you can shower in leisure centre and have a swim while waiting for porters to deliver luggage and before leisure centre opens.
Stamped addressed envelope. So if something is confiscated at security it can be posted home to you, rather than lost or having to remember to claim it and get delayed on the way back.
Elastoplast. Toothpick and floss. Comb.
Address and phone of venue and organiser. Address of nearest doctor, dentist and hospital at destination. Much easier to check them out in advance.
Nail file and tweezers. Bottle opener. Wet wipes.
Spare shoes/overshoes (from a gym). Footwear suitable for destination.
£1 coin. Waitrose card to get a free coffee. Spare wrapped in foil chocolate bar/biscuit/small cake. Tube train map.
Stamped addressed padded bag in case you have souvenirs too big to go in luggage.
Something to read.
Newspapers and magazines cluttering up your home to read on the plane and throw away. Notebook and pen. Miniature round ended sewing scissors for cutting addresses or coupons out of newspapers.
Phone with camera, to use as a camera, and phone home if you have trouble on the way to the airport, even if it is an old one and you are getting another phone at destination country.
Coins in both currencies for phone boxes and rinks at airport. Small change to tip taxi drivers, porters, buy a drink.
Spare socks if you are in sandals in case it rains.
Dictionary and/or phrase book with language of destination. If none handy, download and print off a quick guide. Can't find one? Use google translate for a few handy words and print the results.
Compact Clothes
Reversible dresses, skirts, blouses.
Reversible jackets.
Co-ordinate your travel outfits in three colours, such as black, red and white. Or navvy yellow and green. Or chocolate brown and beige and cream with a gold scarf for evenings.
Your first items are your travel jacket with a safe pocket for your passport and tickets and the suitcase and wheel-on bag, which seems to self-destruct between one trip and the next, losing a wheel, the keys, zips which no longer zip up, the torn luggage tax, the outside needing a wash and time to dry, even the inside plastic disintegrating, and the missing colourful clip on ribbon which identifies your black suitcase from two dozen others on the carousel when you are waiting to claim luggage going out and coming home.
My preference is for coloured luggage. After 9/11 we were on a Singapore Airlines flight which had a bomb scare. The plane parked at the far end of a distant runway. We were divided into family groups and one group at a time, escorted by army lads with machine guns, plus a few fire engines and ambulances, we had to run along a mile of luggage trying to find two black suitcases which were ours.
Later, after one of my wheel-on bags broke, the only bag I could find reasonably priced was a half price bag which obviously nobody wanted because it was covered in pink roses. However, roses came to our rescue. On the next flight our luggage went missing. As we stood, disconsolately filling in forms for lost luggage. As I wrote down, 'pink case with flowers', a distant pink patch the opposite end of the airport caught my eye.
I ran towards it, increasingly excitedly. My family watched from a distance, as I did something resembling a cross between a Maori war dance and Swan Lake's pirouetting heroine. I leapt with arms aloft to signal success, around our blush pink luggage. They understood. I got a Mexican wave, sets of arms waving back in unison to acknowledge my success.
Treble victory. I had found my luggage. I had found their luggage. I was winner of the buy the best luggage competition.
Packing Lists
One person I know who travels regularly keeps his packing list on the back of his wardrobe door. I keep packing lists on my computer. I used to have seasonal packing lists. Winter included ski clothes, gloves, sunglasses, suncream. The summer list included sun hats and sun cream. The logical place to keep a printed copy of you packing list is on the inside lid of your suitcase. With columns down the right hand side for ticks so you can tick each item packed to go, and each item packed to bring back. That way you don't leave behind the slippers under the bed, the night dress under the pillow case, the hat in the wardrobe, the bathrobe on the back of the bathroom door, nor toddler's teddy in the hotel cot. We once did that and had to drive thirty miles back to retrieve it.
Airport Shopping List
List the numbers of people you might meet and what you might take them. What is the price of wine and chocolates at the airport. Can you buy cheaper in the supermarket at home or at the destination? Take the home supermarket price with you, to work out whether it's worthwhile buying goods at the destination to bring home as a souvenir for yourself or the neighbours, babysitters and house sitters who looked after your plants and post and pets.
Shopping List
Before travelling, I would visit a pharmacy, a stationery store and a supermarket. At the pharmacy I would stock up with lemon or lavender scented soaps and other items to ward off mosquitos. Plus small sizes of all those things one needs, Bonjela, lip salve/balm, small tube of healing ointment. Anything not available, second chance at the supermarket.
At the supermarket I would look for notebooks. If no luck, at the stationery store I would buy small notebooks for each destination. Whilst in the stationery store and supermarket and newsagent I would look for a couple of cards, birthday, wedding, baby.
I had a list of items to buy on my first shopping trip at the destination. In Singapore I headed down to Mustapha's department store. I needed a gym kit. Trainers and socks. A tote bag and matching baseball cap.
Off to the local pharmacy. Mosquito repellent and after bite cream. In Australia and sometimes imported from Australia to Singapore you could buy a spray or roll on which combined insect repellent with sun cream.
You can also buy sun-impervious and insect-proof clothes from specialist shops.
The best place to buy jackets with inside pockets? For winter, ski jackets. For summer, look for photographer's jacket, a camping jacket, a hunter's jacket, a fishing jacket, any sports or outdoors shop.
In your pockets:
Umbrella.Travel toothbrush, toothpaste,
Travel pillow, eyeshades.
Passport. ID photocopy.
Mini first aid kit.
Spare underwear. Or bikini. Swimsuit so you can shower in leisure centre and have a swim while waiting for porters to deliver luggage and before leisure centre opens.
Stamped addressed envelope. So if something is confiscated at security it can be posted home to you, rather than lost or having to remember to claim it and get delayed on the way back.
Elastoplast. Toothpick and floss. Comb.
Address and phone of venue and organiser. Address of nearest doctor, dentist and hospital at destination. Much easier to check them out in advance.
Nail file and tweezers. Bottle opener. Wet wipes.
Spare shoes/overshoes (from a gym). Footwear suitable for destination.
£1 coin. Waitrose card to get a free coffee. Spare wrapped in foil chocolate bar/biscuit/small cake. Tube train map.
Stamped addressed padded bag in case you have souvenirs too big to go in luggage.
Something to read.
Newspapers and magazines cluttering up your home to read on the plane and throw away. Notebook and pen. Miniature round ended sewing scissors for cutting addresses or coupons out of newspapers.
Phone with camera, to use as a camera, and phone home if you have trouble on the way to the airport, even if it is an old one and you are getting another phone at destination country.
Coins in both currencies for phone boxes and rinks at airport. Small change to tip taxi drivers, porters, buy a drink.
Spare socks if you are in sandals in case it rains.
Dictionary and/or phrase book with language of destination. If none handy, download and print off a quick guide. Can't find one? Use google translate for a few handy words and print the results.
Compact Clothes
Reversible dresses, skirts, blouses.
Reversible jackets.
Co-ordinate your travel outfits in three colours, such as black, red and white. Or navvy yellow and green. Or chocolate brown and beige and cream with a gold scarf for evenings.
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