Packing List for business and holiday trips

 

Here is a generic packing list you can adapt

Shopping list

Checks in advance

Passport checks 

Check for the expiry date, and the expiry date allowed by destinations. Some countries require 6 months, in case you overstay.

Check your passport has no rips or tears or the airline might deny you boarding

Check enough blank pages are left for visas.

Visas - check requirements for all family and colleagues including spouse, children, nanny, granny, driver, guide, family members who are different nationality.

Allow time for visa issue, or you have to pay extra for fast delivery or courier if you don't have time to go to the embassy, even if sending it remotely is allowed

If you need a new passport you may need to reapply for visas in the new passport. You might have to send back your old passport. In that case copy it so you have a permanent record of your travels for your diary and family history. Records of travels can prove you meet residency requirements, and remind you to not exceed them. In addition, evidence of travel might prove you could not have committed a parking offence or serious crime because you were overseas.

Car

Car tax

MOT (car road worthiness)

Tyre pressure

Petrol (gas) - fill up, note or dated photograph amount in car, in case of petrol theft

Car numberplate noted

car insurance, check expiry date

Car insurance number 

car insurance helpline

Compare car hire costs and book car hire

Note location of car hire office

Note location of meet and greet at airport, or parking or valet parking, which side of building, which side of road

Suitcase

Check suitcase is regulation size and weight, 

fits in boot (trunk) of car, 

is not too heavy to carry

leave space for souvenirs, gifts from family, hotels, restaurants, conference bags and literature, guidebooks bought at destination, maps and brochures

Check suitcase wheels work and are clean

pack luggage trolley, strap, string, labels, scissors with blades less than the regulation, which could be a maximum of six inches from a certain point on the scissors or knife blade

Photograph luggage and note colour and brand in case you need to report loss, or speak to those whose language is not English

add identifying colour or sticker to black suitcases and all suitcases and bags, umbrellas, walking sticks

Note hiking sticks with points might not be allowed, as carry on, also sports equipment such as cricket bats, surf boards, tennis rackets, so these must be packed in checked in luggage or sent separately as oversize luggage

Clingfilm or luggage protector might be useful to protect luggage from scratches and dirt

LANGUAGE

Print vital words of foreign language of destination (from Wikitravel phrasebook of the country or countries of your travel tip)

Learn the word for help

(I was able to shout AYUDA, Spanish for aid or help, when I fell downstairs in a Spanish parador hotel in La Palma, in the Canary Islands)

Print the word for allergy and the type of allergy for a restaurant or doctor or pharmacy

Travel insurance

 patient number, eg UK  NHS number 

helpline number

Destination

Destination and contact details and names for family, neighbours or colleagues

Hotel

Book room upgrades

Airline

Book airline upgrades such as leg room, exit seat, 

check in online at correct time, being sure not to pay extra on budget airline for printing boarding pass, ate or early check in

Holiday booking location and date confirmation

copy of passport left at home with passport number

First night hotel reservation

Location of destination hospital or doctor

Before leaving home

Inform work or club of duties others must do whilst you are away

Inform work or club of dates you are not available. For security do not tell media nor allow others to broadcast the fact that you are out of the office, your home, or your country. Simply say you are unavailable, or away from desk, or unable to take calls.

Cancel gardeners or window cleaners, or leave their payment with others, or book them for your return.

Leave a set of door keys and credit cards at home in case they are lost or stolen from you whilst away

Turn off gas, electricity, water, heating, air con, or leave it on low, according to length of stay and weather forecast and safety requirements

Check for items left in dishwasher or microwave or fridge which might go rancid

PETS

Arrange pet sitter.

Get pet acquainted with pet sitter or pet holiday location. 

Put chip and tags on pet. Leave pet toys and food and instructions. Check pet insurance and where pet sitter should take pet, and instruct pet sitter on insurance, pet hospital or vet location and whether pet should be saved at all costs if injured or ill. 

Check if pet is allowed in cabin of aircraft and what leash or bedding or pet food must be provided.

AIRLINE

Book special seat, window for photos, aisle for claustrophobic, near toilet, away from noisy galley and babies, quietest part of plane, upgrade, seats of family together, near exit if in transit,

Available airmiles

HOTEL OR CONFERENCE CENTRE

Find out if there is a group or delegate or longstay discount

Join hotel loyalty scheme to get upgrades, freebies, better toiletries.

Book junior  suite or sea view.

Note which side of hotel is on busy road.

Book ground floor if afraid of heights. Book higher floor if afraid of intruders through doors and windows.

Book room near fire escape, or away from left noise, or near lift or conference room or restaurant or swimming pool if likely to be in a rush.

Book rooms near other members of family or group.

Book rooms near lift if you have mobility problems.

Check hotel has a lift or porter for luggage if you cannot carry luggage or have many bags.

Ensure suitcases are locked, and keep valuables and laptops with you because the luggage trolley may go in another lift.

Keep swimsuit handy in travel bag, wheel on gab or top of suitcase, in case pool closes at 5 pm or just after your arrival. You could even travel in a swimsuit to be sure of using the pool if you are only staying one night.

Check pool closing times (5 pm at some SPANISH parador hotels in the Canary islands of La Palma and Tenerife).

Tell restaurant in advance it is your birthday, allergies. 

Arrive early and check room before accepting it.

Compare with rooms of others in your group. 

Swapping Bedrooms For A Bidet Story June 2026

My bedroom in the Parador Teide on Tenerife had a bidet but the next Parador on La Palma gave me a room with no bidet. I thought it was just a lower grade or older hotel. I asked to see a friend's ground floor room and discovered they had a bidet. 

I went back to reception and asked if they had a room with a bidet at the same price. They did. I requested a swap. 

My husband was already asleep on the bed. However, I wheeled out the suitcases and left him a note of the new room number. 

After installing everything in the other room, I went back and found he was awake and astonished that all the suitcases and bags had been moved in the dark without disturbing him.

   

Travel ITEMS

Clothes

Travel Documents

Travel Bag

Before Returning Home

Before Leaving Hotel

Before Leaving Hotel Bedroom

During and after accident

Photo of location for insurance

FORWARD A COPY TO another family member

Photo of injury for doctor/insurance claim

Details of vehicle or condition of place of injusry (eg broken step, wet floor)

Hospital x-ray and report and translation for continuing care at home on return

Make report to insurance within the required time frame

MEDICATION

Daily pills 

Painkillers eg aspirin or if allergic to aspirin, panadol/paracetamol - know the local generic name to buy cheaper than branded products eg in the Philippines

Travel pills

 sea sickness 

sleeping pills

Insect repellent

Insect spray )if travelling by car, not a pressurised can if on aircraft_

Stingose or other bite cream.

Medication for mouth ulcers, athletes foot, dandruff.

Special Trips 

Equipment

Clothes

Sports

Swimming = swimming costume, hat, beach shoes, beach bag or towel, sunhat, sun cream, wqterproof keyholder, waterproof watch, cover for phone. Buckets and spades for children. Information on tsunamis, beach flag warnings/

City and hotel Precautions

Earthquake shelters, fire escape. 

Check in

Check out

Day before departure

Pack all except travel clothes and food. have address inside suitcase.

ALARMS

set alarms on hotel clock, mobile phone or watch

Order early picnic breakfast if needed, vegetarian if needed, request compact packing if travelling on airline with luggage restrictions. remember to ask for vegetarian or fish alternative such as salmon if you don't like beef, pork, processed meat, cheese, egg, tuna (our three star parador de las Canadas del Teide on Tenerife gave us salmon and egg instead of ham and cheese, but the grander five star Taoro hotel said they only did regular and vegetarian, gave us thick white bread, and when we changed one item to vegetarian and said one vegetarian, for me, we got one breakfast instead of two, so the other made in a hurry had to be rushed up the car park to us after we had checked out.

Skiing

Ski boots, poles if practical and preferred rather than hiring, trousers (pants) thermal underclothes, gloves, hat, goggles, padded jacket with interior and exterior pockets, lift pass lanyard and identity photos.

Hiking

Wine events

Pack bottle stoppers, Champagne stoppers, Platypus flat screw top drink containers, water bottles filled with water, wafers or savoury biscuits, tee shirts with wine logos, ear-rings with wine symbols, names of delegates, good year charts, colour identity charts, books on wines, business address cards, passport or identity card to prove you are over 18, hard shell suitcase to support wine, protective plastic bottle covers, gift tags and bottle bags for gifts to VIP speakers, or helpers 

Conference

Learn the names of the VIP speakers, your colleagues overseas, the organizers. Look up their photos on Facebook or LinkedIn in order to recognize them.

Check if any of your group of old or new friends or colleagues are travelling back the same way. You might car share, sit together, swap advice, share alternative car hire if the airline cancels the flight.

Before boarding plane home

Pack computer or laptop if on airline with luggage restriction, pack

Leave room for computer, umbrella, folding walking sticks if travelling on airline with luggage restrictions.

Thank organizers.

Note hotel names in your diary and write reviews whilst you have time at the airport and it is fresh in your memory.

For some repeat events you might wish to book the hotel again for next year, especially for annual events such as the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland in August.

SIMPLE PACKING LIST

Dress / Suit for travel, underwear (bra, vest, underpants) socks, sandals, bag for documents, spare clothes, night dress / pyjamas Optional swimsuit. Scarf, belt, jewellery for evening. Sunhat. Jacket, Raincoat.

Toothbrush and paste, comb, lipstick.

Notebook and pen.

Diary.

Travel documents - passport, visa, airline ticket on phone, car park ticket, driving license, hotel reservation letter, mobile phone and charger, and sockets, laptop and powerpoint, mouse and cover. Additional camera for conference calls.

Packing Clothes

Day dresses and suits (numbers of days of stay, maximum 7, wash and wear repeat for second week.

Sandals, spare pair, waterproof or beach shoes, evening shoes, hiking boots or walking shoes.

Socks.

Evening blouses and skirt, 

best dress or suit, 

jewellery to match,

 necklace, bracelet, rings, brooch, scarf slip, safety pins and sewing kit with needles threaded with black and white cotton or self threading needle, or needle threader. Optional spare spools of black and white thread for shortening hems and dresses or repairing tears.

Packing Medication / cosmetics

Toothebrush or elecgric toothebrush and charger

Toothepaste

Tweezers and nail file or  manicure set

Hair conditioner and shampoo

insect spray for car and bedroom

insect repellent for body in day, evening and night

warm evening jacket for air conditioning

Shorts and sleeveless top for sunny spells

Warm jumper, sweatshirt and jacket for cold mountains, sea breezes, mountain hikes, evenings, bike and boat rides.

Paxkable umbrella, kept handy for travelling. 

(Some gym bags have a waterproof zip compartment underneath for wet swimsuits, sweaty gym outfits, laundry, or wet umbrellas).

For travelling I have bought a bag with a horizontal strap to fix the bag on top of a wheelie bag. You can also buy computer cases with a strap.

Soap and or shaving cream and razor

Packing List  - take it with you to check you have brought back everything you set out with, nothing left behind.

Hotel Bedroom Check

Two or more people should do the bedroom check.

Check every room and every cupboard, behind every door (hook on the back of the bathroom door for your own bathrobe or night dress or swimsuit or underwear_

Check in cupboards (even if not used by you - our toddler put a toy in a hotel cupboard)

Check under beds for pens and slippers.

Check under pillows for night clothes and contraceptives. 

Check wastebins for items which have fallen off tables.

Check the minibar for your pills as well as food and drink, alcohol, birthday cake, chocolates and cheese and milk.

Photograph the minibar when you arrive and leave to prove to yourself and the hotel whether you took any goods.

Check bathroom for toothbrush left for you to clean teeth after breakfast.

Check balcony for shoes and swimsuits and underwear and night clothes left to dry.

Check pockets of all discarded items. To get onto a Ryanair flight without paying fifty pounds for excess baggage, after we had already paid for three bags, my husband put my laptop in a suitcase and threw away the case. I check the padded pockets and found my power brick and mouse.

Car check

Check car boot, glove box, door pockets, pockets on the back of the front seats, under the front seats.

On the end of your packing list write reminders for next trip.

My reminders are

1 Keep a coin handy for a luggage trolley at Stansted airport in the Uk.

2 The collection point for cars is by the valet direction upstairs, not back down at meet and greet where you left your car.

3 Pack Nespresso or Lidl coffee capsules if going to the Canary islands. We did not like the coffee capsules given free with the coffee making machines in four different hotels.

Happy holidays!

Useful Websites

Visas

See embassy websites.

Suitcases

A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING

Have a standard place for everything. For example, business cards on the left, toothbrush and cosmetics on the right. Swimsuit top left. Swimsuit and underwear top right. Day clothes on top. Evening clothes at the bottom. Or day clothes on one side. Evening clothes on the other side. Always lay the suitcase down the same way. For example, pull up handle on the right. 

If two of you have a suitcase each and both need an x shape folding suitcase support. One hotel reception told me they have a room full of them to supply to guests on request.

Check ebay and amazon and other specialist luggage shops and brands. You might look for hard shell cases to protect fragile items and bottles. I like expanding suitcases, which have double zips.

Suitcases with double dividers allow you to open one half without the contents of the other half spilling everywhere. Another solution is packing cubes. Or pack flat and secure with inner straps.

As for scissors, no blades longer than 6 cm measured from the fulcrum.

Useful Websites

What you cannot take on Ryanair

https://help.ryanair.com/hc/en-gb

Saying Goodbye hello, goodbye in Spanish

Spanish - Englsih ¿

Dónde vives? Where do you live?

¿Dónde trabajas? where do you work?

¿Viniste en coche? Did you come here by car?

¿Viniste en transporte público? Did you come here by public transport?

¿Podemos ir juntos a la estación? Can we walk together to the station?

¿Puedes esperar cinco minutos? Can you wait five minutes?

Tengo prisa. I am in a hurry

¿Te llevo? Can I give you a ride (UK a lift)

¿Me llevas? Can uou give me a lift (US ride)

Vivo en I live in 

¿Tienes sitio en tu coche? Do you have space in your car?

Para una persona. for one person

Me voy ahora.

Este es mi autobús. This is my bus

Adiós. Goodbye

Encantado/a de conocerte Lovely to have met you.

Quick And Easy Welsh Words You'll Love To Learn - 24 words

 

I started reviving my Welsh on Duolingo. 

I went back to Spanish. I saw the Spanish word sofa. Easy-peasy. Would there be similar words in Welsh?

In my languages A5 notebook I kept one page of words which were just learned, in alphabetical order. I started a second page on words which were the same or almost the same in English, so I could look at them last thing at night, instead of counting sheep, counting in another language, or before a bus or train journey, to remember the same and similar words and repeat them to myself.

Then I thought, why am I bothering to compile a list of same words? Just find a list in google using AI, or in Wikipedia, and put it in alphabetical order so I can remember it.

Here is my result in Welsh

Welsh - English

bedd - grave (a bed for the dead)

beic - bike

bont/pont - bridge

caer - castle or fort, for example, Caerleon, which is near Cardiff, Caerphilly, 9 miles north of Cardiff, gives its name to Caerphilly cheese, and Caerphilly castle.  Possibly Caerphilly came from Philip's castle, or castle of Philip. 

capel - chapel

car - car

castell - castle

coffi - coffee

croes - cross/crossroad

cwm - combe, a steep, narrow valley

Glynn - Welsh boys' first name, from Glwn - glen/valley/deep valley

helo - hello (older spelling hallo)

mam - mother

mawr - large (more of it)

melin - mill

Rhil - yr-the+hill

merthyr - martyr (Merthyrtidfil)

siop - shop

siop goffi - coffee shop

soffa - sofa

tabl - table

tad - dad/father

tren - train

tref- town/village + fôr / mawr - large (major, think of the English word more) - Trevor

English - Welsh

bike - beic

bridge - bont/pont

car - car

castle - castell/caer

chapel - capel

coffee - coffi

coffee shop - siop goffi

dad/father - tad

glen/valley - gwyn/Glynn

grave - bedd

hello (older spelling hallo) - helo

mother - mam

mill - melin

shop - siop

sofa - soffa

table - tabl

train - trên

Trevor - tref=village+mawr  /fôr large

In Spanish

Spanish - English

sofa - sofa

tren - train

English - Spanish

sofa - sofa

train - tren

Useful Websites

translate Google

wikipedia - similar words in Welsh

wikipedia - Welsh Wikipedia

Useful Websites On Welsh Words And Names

https://surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/welsh

Welsh Placenames

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_toponymy

Souvenirs of Wales

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/landofmyfathers

See more about Wales in my previous posts

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2022/02/prepare-to-celebrate-st-davids-day.html

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2021/04/welsh-words-on-stations-and-buildings.html

lease share links to your favourite posts.

Post being updated. Come back in half an hour and later today and tomorrow.

Spanish Made Simple by Angela Lansbury

 Some Spanish words are easy, but other Spanish words are a struggle to remember. But here are some magical memory aids.

Here are words you are likely to need on your travels.

Spanish - English (memory aids, common letters)

alto/alta - high (altitude)

apartamento (flat, apartment)

arte - art

ayuda - help (aid)

barco - boat (we shall embark on the boat)

carro - car (in South America, driving a Corvette car from North to South America)

coche - car (in Spain, we leave the car and take a coach in the Channel to England) 

de nada - not at all (it's nothing, no trouble, replying to thank you, don't mention it)

donde - where (we will don our clothes and go there today)

dormitorio - bedroom (dormitory)

ensalada - salad

especial - special (that is special, I especially like it)

familia - family

gracias - thanks (how gracious of you, I'm grateful)

lampara - light

mano - hand (manual labour)

museo - museum (a museum - oh!)

musica - music

no - no (at the start of a sentence or before the verb it is a negative, think of no I don't, not the case that)

o - or

opera - opera

policia - police

por favor (please, I'm poor, do me a favour)

roto/rota - broken (it's broken, that's rotten)

sal - salt

si - yes

sol - sun

solo - only

tazon - mug (tankard)

tren - train

y - and (Yes, and that one)

Useful Spanish Phrases & Verbs

es - is (yes it is)

quiero - I want

soy - I am (permanently, eg my name is, Soy Angela)

estoy (I am standing temporarily eg I am on a train)

Useful Websites For Learning Spanish

duolingo.com

 Useful Websites on accents

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_accent

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacritic

Angela Lansbury's Blogs

Please follow me and my blogs on travel, wine and dine, dress, comical poetry. Bookmark your favourites and share the links with your family, friends and colleagues.

Angela Lansbury's Books

My books are on Amazon and Lulu. The subjects include how to write poetry, useful Quick Quotations, Wedding Speeches and Toasts, and more. Also amusing poems, and Embarrassing Moments including mispronunciations and misunderstandings.

Travel with medicine - how do you keep it cool?

Mini ice pack the size of drinking glass. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

A hotel in France had no fridge in the room, but the receptionist who also ran the bar offered to put my pills in the bar fridge. I declined, because I ran the risk of forgetting or finding the fridge was locked and the person with the key was on an errand, just when we were in a hurry to leave next morning. However, the car was so cold overnight, that we were able to leave the pills in the car which was safely locked away in an underground garage.

Insulated Lunch Box 

The latest comment I had on my appeal for suggestions on Face book was that you use an  insulated lunch box. This is what I do. I use a padded bag which is foldable so it is lightweight and can be compacted.

Cool Box

 Su Collins

Cool bag or see if it can be taken out of fridge for a period of time. 

If travelling by car all day, this works.

Add a Towel

Ron-Ethan Melamed

Keep it rolled up in a towel with an ice pack

Lorraine suggested a vacuum flask.

Useful  

Websites https://www.amazon.co.uk/mini-ice-packs/s?k=mini+ice+packs Please share links to your favourite posts.

Americanisms translated into British English - and British English into Americanisms

 American English - British English

double down - as it suggests, more, reiterate, insist, repeat, make a strong bid (the phrase comes from a card game where you make a strong bid with a card)

bonnet - hood 

gas - petrol

gas station - garage

gear box - transmission

make a left - turn left

sidewalk - pavement

trunk - boot

tyre - tire

windshield - windscreen

British English - American English

boot - trunk

car - automobile

glove box

hood - bonnet

motorway

pavement - sidewalk

petrol - gas

turn left - make a left

tyre - tire

windscreen - windshield 

Useful Websites

translate google does not translate American English into British English

Please share links to your favourite blog posts.

Learning Albanian - the alphabet, and a few easy, useful words

 

The post below is repeated from last year.
 

Learning the Albanian language never crossed my mind. Until the last meeting of last year's European hiking group when somebody suggested visiting Albania. Why? Because it was a new destination for us keen travellers - and not too expensive.

Then I started writing a speech, and a blog post to remind myself what to say in my speech, about how you should learn the language of any country you hope to visit on holiday. 

My trip might not be to Albania on my next trip, one after that, but why not plan ahead. I thought I would have a quick look at Albanian. Would it be easy?

Duolingo did not offer Albanian. That was a blow. I have signed up for a dozen languages on Duolingo. 

I have included Korean, Greek, Chinese, Russian and other languages which are a bit of a challenge and to be left until later, on my second or third list of languages to learn. 

Wikipedia

However, Wikipedia gives a useful, long, overview of the Albanian language. It is a bit tiring and tedious. But you can pick out the parts you prefer.

For a start, it tells you how many people speak the language and where. About 7 million, in Albania and a few other places.

Official language in	Albania  Kosovo  North Macedonia[a]  Montenegro[3]
Recognised minority language in	Italy[4]  Serbia[5]  Croatia[6]  Romania[7]

Map portraying countries where Albanian holds official status:

  official language;

  recognised minority language.

The definite article is placed after the noun as in many other Balkan languages, like in Romanian, Macedonian and Bulgarian.

• The definite article can be in the form of noun suffixes, which vary with gender and case.
  • For example, in singular nominative, masculine nouns add -i, or those ending in -g/-k/-h take -u (to avoid palatalization):
    • mal (mountain) / mali (the mountain);
    • libër (book) / libri (the book);
    • zog (bird) / zogu (the bird).
  • Feminine nouns take the suffix -(i/j)a:
    • veturë (car) / vetura (the car);
    • shtëpi (house) / shtëpia (the house);
    • lule (flower) / lulja (the flower).

    • The Albanian alphabet (Albanian: alfabeti shqip) is a variant of the Latin alphabet used to write the Albanian language. It consists of 36 letters:^[1]

      Capital letters

      A

      B

      C

      Ç

      D

      Dh

      E

      Ë

      F

      G

      Gj

      H

      I

      J

      K

      L

      Ll

      M

      N

      Nj

      O

      P

      Q

      R

      Rr

      S

      Sh

      T

      Th

      U

      V

      X

      Xh

      Y

      Z

      Zh

      Lower case letters

      a

      b

      c

      ç

      d

      dh

      e

      ë

      f

      g

      gj

      h

      i

      j

      k

      l

      ll

      m

      n

      nj

      o

      p

      q

      r

      rr

      s

      sh

      t

      th

      u

      v

      x

      xh

      y

      z

      zh

      IPA value

      a

      b

      t͡s

      t͡ʃ

      d

      ð

      ɛ

      ə

      f

      ɡ

      ɟ͡ʝ

      h

      i

      j

      k

      l

      ɫ

      m

      n

      ɲ

      ɔ

      p

      c͡ç

      ɹ

      r

      s

      ʃ

      t

      θ

      u

      v

      d͡z

      d͡ʒ

      y

      z

      ʒ

      Note: The vowels are shown in bold.

      The letters are named simply by their sounds, followed by ë for consonants (e.g. fë). Listen (help·info) to the pronunciation of the 36 letters.

Translate Google

Next comes translate google. I wanted to find hello, goodbye, welcome and good evening to add to my speech. 

Where to start?

On Ling, beginner lessons are free.

Let's organize the words I have found in Ling into an alphabetical list.

Pronunciation

C with a tail is not s as in French but Ch.

Good luck sounds like patch fat. 

J is pronounced like y as in year.

So jo, no is yo.

YES AND NO

The Albanians, like the Bulgarians, nod for no and shake their heads for yes. I did not find this a problem in Bulgaria. You just have to listen to what they say, and rely less on body language.

THE

English - Albanian

bird/the bird - zog/zogu (not just a bird, zog - ooh! this one)

flower - lule

the flower - lulja (the suffix or addition adds the word the - think of it as a flower - that one! Ya, yes, that one)

mountain/the mountain - mal/mali (another suffix or addition for the, a mountain ee! this one, the one)

Albanian - English

lule - flower

lulja - the flower

mal/mali - mountain/the mountain

zog/zogu - bird/the bird

How do you remember these words. I say the "a /an" version by looking upwards. Zog,is bird, a bird, one of many. Then I point and say zogu, meaning the bird.

Negatives

Numbers

Numerals

një—one tetëmbëdhjetë—eighteen dy—two nëntëmbëdhjetë—nineteen tri/tre—three njëzet—twenty katër—four njëzet e një—twenty-one pesë—five njëzet e dy—twenty-two gjashtë—six tridhjetë—thirty shtatë—seven dyzet/katërdhjetë—forty tetë—eight pesëdhjetë—fifty nëntë—nine gjashtëdhjetë/trezet—sixty dhjetë—ten shtatëdhjetë—seventy njëmbëdhjetë—eleven tetëdhjetë/katërzet—eighty dymbëdhjetë—twelve nëntëdhjetë—ninety trembëdhjetë—thirteen njëqind—one hundred katërmbëdhjetë—fourteen pesëqind—five hundred pesëmbëdhjetë—fifteen një mijë—one thousand gjashtëmbëdhjetë—sixteen një milion—one million shtatëmbëdhjetë—seventeen një miliard—one billion

My memory aids:

the word for one has an n in it nje, only one

the number two starts with d like duo

the word for three is shortened to tre or tri

the word for four also ends with an r, a bit like quarter kater

the word for nine begins with n and ends with e

thank you - faleminderit

Useful Websites

Hear it here

https://play.ling-app.com/learn/tutorial

https://ling-app.com/sq/greetings-in-albanian/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albanian_language

https://ling-app.com/sq/words-and-phrases-in-albanian/

https://www.facebook.com/simya.learn.languages/

Don't ask to be taken to a brothel! French 'false friends' translated - cars, casinos and stores are not what you think they are

 We received an extending rod to open a high in the roof Velux window. We read the instructions in other languages and came across a word we knew in English, stores, which clearly meant something else in context. I looked it up in translate Google and the answer came back, blinds. I reversed the direction of the translation. The translation for the English word blinds was the French word stores.

My husband mentioned that; in France; he had seen another confusing part of a two language pair. The word was occasion. My online search produced the occasion, not the word which I was expecting, sale, but the word opportunity.

A look at the Wiktionary page reminds me of lots of trouble you could get into. For example, ask to visit a casino in France, and you might end up in a brothel! Be careful what you wish for - and be careful what you say!

French - English

actuel - current

agent - police officer

arme - weapon

assortie - matching

avertissement - warning, alert

brushing - blow-dry (at the hairdresser)

car - bus/coach

cave - cellar

casino - brothel

crayon - pencil

crayon de cire - wax crayon

chef - boss/chief (as well as head cook)

demander -ask

eventuellement - maybe

etiquette - label

fabrique - factory

four - oven

grandiose - grand

gros - big

Iseland - Iceland

libraire - bookstore

magasins - stores

Merci - thanks (also short for no thanks)

occasion - opportunity

queue - tail

roman - novel (noun, book , not the adjective new)

sensible - sensitive

stores - blinds

English - French

arm - bras

big - gros

brothel - casino

bus/coach - car

blinds - stores

department store - grand magasin

grand - grandiose

large - grand

library - bibliothèque 

opportunity - occasion

stores - magasins (spelled with s or z? S, as in sins, big sins if you over-spend.)

Useful Websites

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_false_friends

How Road tax differs in the UK and Singapore

In Singapore you must check in which order to do apply for vehicle testing, insurance and road tax.

1 In Singapore you first have to test that your vehicle, car or bike, is roadworthy. 

2 If so you can then apply for insurance.

3 After you have a roadworthy, insured vehicle, you can then pay your road tax and use your vehicle on the roads.

In the UK your vehicle has to pass the MOT and be taxed and insured.

Useful Websites

Singapore

https://onemotoring.lta.gov.sg/content/onemotoring/home/owning/ongoing-car-costs/road-tax.html

UK

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax

Travel Poem by Angela Lansbury - The lost key to happiness

The Lost Key To Happiness

by Angea Lansbury

The precious hotel bedroom key

Was lost before checkout

I lost the big vital car key

So we could not go out

I think I must have locked the car 

With our one key inside

Meanwhile the needed suitcase key

Plays you seek while I hide. 

I travelled all around the world

Until I learned to see

Most of my small world's big problems

Were lost keys lost by me.

I'm easy going, slow to change

But rarely make a fuss

I sewed car keys onto ribbons

Then travelled on a bus.

Then Covid-19 fenced us in

Smile, the toilet's not far

No stress to catch a plane or train

No late cab nor hire car.

The suitcases like Russian dolls

Wait for their daily dust

The labelled keys sit neat on hooks

Like shares locked in a Trust

Now even my British birthplace

Is somewhere I forget

Yet I can cross the Antarctic

On the great internet.

Postage stamp places I've now seen

And befriended strangers

Coloured pictures plant and grow dreams 

Safely far from dangers

I Zoom across the USA

And let the world meet me

The fingers read news, pick each place

My wanderlust's still key.

-ends-

Websites

Key fobs

About the Author Angela

Angela Lansbury, is a semi-retired travel writer still researching bucket list countries and seeking out the special, unusual, people, places,  landmarks, hotels, museums and trails, fabulous foods, recipes, clothes and online souvenir shopping.

Angela Lansbury is a member of Toastmasters International.

About the Author Angela Lansbury

The Author - Quick Quotations

Angela Lansbury B A Hons  is the author of ten books by regular publishers plus another ten self-published books. 

About Angela The Speaker & Trainer

Angela Lansbury is a teacher of English and other languages to Toastmasters clubs and businesses.

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Vice President  Public Relations, Immediate Past President. VPPR

Former Area Director S3. Club Coach for Nee Soon South Toastmasters Club.

Also Member of: TCA Toastmasters Club; Singapore Online Dynamic; Harrovians UK

Past meetings have included Garen Tee on using story telling in business, on bha.learncool.sg . 

Recent meetings of BHA included an educational session on using Powerpoint for posters.

Next BHA meetings, always first Wednesday evening, 7 pm Singapore time. Next meeting is  the third Saturday afternoon, June 19th 2pm Singapore time.  Inauguration of the new committee by the incoming Director of S, plus a lively speech on teamwork.

 

Angela The Blogger 

Angela has several blogs speeches, comedy and song writing and organizing, writing intermittently, but writes almost daily on these three:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

See next post on sculptor Tom Harvey.

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