Packing. What could go wrong?
I have faced the following challenges:
FIRST - SUITCASE KEY
SECOND - PASSPORT
THIRD - RESERVATION DETAILS
Always have the printed copy of your hotel reservation to show the hotel receptionist. Four of us arrived at a hotel in France for a tourist board convention. We were due to go to a welcome dinner. The hotel had no rooms in our names. The tourist board who had done the booking. We asked for a room to change. I asked, "Has anybody not arrived yet? Will they arrive after us?"
One of our group said, "Nobody else will arrive from the UK. We were on the last ferry."
The receptionist looked at the list.
It was a French booking - made by the local tourist board - for four rooms.
Light dawned. The tourist board had booked the four rooms for us, but in their name, not ours!
LOST AND LEFT BEHIND
As A Teenage Traveller:
No Matches
Travelled with favourite tops which did not match skirts
No Tops
Other tops had no skirts to go with them.
Wrong Nail Varnish and Lipstick
I set off wearing red nail varnish but half way though the trip got out my red and then orange clothes but had no varnish nor lipsticks to match.
Later Life - No swimsuit
This happened three times. Once our hotel had no pool so I did not pack a swimsuit. However we visited another hotel which had a pool.
On another holiday, friends wanted a trip to a local pool.
A third time, we moved to another hotel which had a pool
Then I started packing a swimsuit just in case. At first just a bikini.
No Slippers Or No Shoes
Arrived at ski destination with no slippers to wear in bedroom after I removed my ski boots and long boots. Only long brown boots which matched coat to wear with evening dress to wear to hotel restaurant in the evening.
Needed: evening shoes.
Returned from holiday with one shoe. (Presumably the other was left under the bed.)
Needed; Thorough search under bed and everywhere check.
As A Parent with Young Children
Left behind a child's toy in a wardrobe, where the toddler had put it. Luckily, although we had not unpacked, and not used the wardrobe, I still checked.
Left behind a child's teddy in a hotel cot. We phoned and took a detour back.
Luckily they had it. They would have kept it several weeks. But no intention of telling us or posting it on.
Arrived at second hotel with no contraception.
Contraception left under pillow at first night's hotel. To phone and ask, or drive back, or buy more?
Nowadays here are some of our family's remedies:
PACKING LISTS
1 Keep a packing list on the back of the wardrobe door.
PACKED CASE
2 If you travel frequently on business keep one small bag ready to rush to the airport.
This saves time packing when you also need to spend time on slides, speeches or presentations, plus, confirmation of flights, flight meals and seats, and hotels and destination trips.
3 If you are a carer, have two bags ready, one for granny or whoever might need to go into hospital, including night clothes, day clothes for leaving the hospital, books or entertainment, address book (copy), identity, contacts for home doctor and pharmacy and family. Numbers of hospitals, religious organization and undertaker, friends you would like to visit you in hospital, diary or list of appointments to cancel including outpatients visits at the same hospital!
Returned from holiday with one shoe. (Presumably the other was left under the bed.)
Needed; Thorough search under bed and everywhere check.
As A Parent with Young Children
Left behind a child's toy in a wardrobe, where the toddler had put it. Luckily, although we had not unpacked, and not used the wardrobe, I still checked.
Left behind a child's teddy in a hotel cot. We phoned and took a detour back.
Luckily they had it. They would have kept it several weeks. But no intention of telling us or posting it on.
Arrived at second hotel with no contraception.
Contraception left under pillow at first night's hotel. To phone and ask, or drive back, or buy more?
Nowadays here are some of our family's remedies:
PACKING LISTS
1 Keep a packing list on the back of the wardrobe door.
PACKED CASE
2 If you travel frequently on business keep one small bag ready to rush to the airport.
This saves time packing when you also need to spend time on slides, speeches or presentations, plus, confirmation of flights, flight meals and seats, and hotels and destination trips.
3 If you are a carer, have two bags ready, one for granny or whoever might need to go into hospital, including night clothes, day clothes for leaving the hospital, books or entertainment, address book (copy), identity, contacts for home doctor and pharmacy and family. Numbers of hospitals, religious organization and undertaker, friends you would like to visit you in hospital, diary or list of appointments to cancel including outpatients visits at the same hospital!
List of medications taken. The day's medications because it can take 24 hours for new ones to be ordered. Generally don't take medications to hospital because they may be confiscated.
You might take a flask of tea or coffee or piece of fruit (unless undergoing anaesthetic).
A photocopy of family or home to place by the bed for comfort and to inform staff who you expect or need to contact
LEAVING INSTRUCTIONS
Arrange for pets, plants, bills. Tell house sitter if free magazines should be kept or thrown.
Leave list of passwords for all regular subscriptions so that if you are in an accident or die your family can cancel the monthly books or other subscriptions. They might have to send your authority or a death certificate. Easier to leave a postdated cancellation notice.
Happy travelling!
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
You might take a flask of tea or coffee or piece of fruit (unless undergoing anaesthetic).
A photocopy of family or home to place by the bed for comfort and to inform staff who you expect or need to contact
LEAVING INSTRUCTIONS
Arrange for pets, plants, bills. Tell house sitter if free magazines should be kept or thrown.
Leave list of passwords for all regular subscriptions so that if you are in an accident or die your family can cancel the monthly books or other subscriptions. They might have to send your authority or a death certificate. Easier to leave a postdated cancellation notice.
Happy travelling!
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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