Food And Drink You Need To Pack For A Journey, wet wipes and toilets

Problem. That's a very grand picnic box, great for an afternoon out. But I don't have room for it when I am driving off on holiday.

For A Plane
Avoid packing yogurts, or eat them first.

For A Car
Consider:
Pasties
The traditional Cornish pasty was a way of sealing the meat and gravy and mixed ingredients in a hard non-leaking cover.

Bagels
The bagel was originally a way of carrying bread on a string through the hole, tied around the traveller's neck or waist or hung from the arm. Consider cutting in half horizontally and vertically. You could even cut them into quarters.

Sandwiches
Fresh cooked meat such as chicken is healthier and can be kept in a cool box. Fresh meat will go off eventually. Safer options are preserved meats or fish such as smoked salmon.

Salads
Inexpensive cucumbers add moisture. Salads can be packed in a plastic box with a lid. If you are short of containers, some supermarket soups come in tubs with tightly fitting lids and after you have eaten the contents can be labelled and re-used.

Coffee and Drinks
Coffee in take-away containers is sold at motorway stops. In my exeriences, the lids are insecure or have holes for a straw. You might prefer an insulated Thermos for drinks and leftover drinks bought en route, or drinks from home.

You can check your motorway route in advance and see which coffee shops and supermarkets are at which stop. You might have a preference for Marks & Spencer and Costa Coffee, or Starbucks. You can know in advance if by ignoring a Service Area continuing your journey to the next stop, you will be sure to find another of your favourites.

Sometimes the toilets or the coffee shop you want is the other end (good for your return journey). You can also see which end of the service area has the complex with your favourite shop or cafeteria. That saves time.

Rye bread steak sandwiches from B & K salt beef bar  and restaurant, Hatch End.

Either pack a picnic box or improvise. Add
1 Bag (s) as container for litter to throw away.

2 Cutlery
Include knife, spoon or a penknife with an attached fork and spoon. (The bigger models have all the cutlery and a bootle oener and even a toothpick.

The toothpick slots in at the end, far left of this picture. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

I like to take an old knife, fork and spoon so that if they get lost en route, or forgotten in a hotel room, I do not spoil a set. You might prefer to take an elegant set to feel you are really enjoying yourself.

From a Singapore Airlines meal, I saved the disposable wooden chopsticks. Very light to carry.

3 Paper towel to mop up.

4 Wet wipes to clean your hands.
You can improvise a wet wipe before leaving home with kitchen towel dipped in water, or with a smear of moisturiser, then water.  Keep it in a waterproof box so it doesn't dry out and make sure you have somewhere to keep it when it is used until you can find a litter bin.

At every stop, one person is designated to look for a litter bin and empty the litter bag.

Always travel with some water and food.  You might get stuck in a traffic jam. You could be delayed at the place you are visiting. Remember the Thai boys who were stuck in a cave for days!

Tinned Food
You can't carry fresh meat and fish for days. But you could have a tin of sardines in case you end up stuck at a hotel without food. It it is not used, it just comes home with you. Low cost, no loss, no waste.

Sardine tin in a sealed container. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Toilets
You can buy devices for men and women to take in a car.

For a long journey you might like an improvised toilet. Go to the toilet before you leave home. This saves getting out in a city to look for a toilet and leaving a car unattended. In the countryside you might not want to get out and annoy animals.

Umbrellas
An umbrella in the car can act as a shield if you are on a hiking trail without toilets. A walking stick to help you walk over uneven ground to a hiding point is helpful. One with a point can be used to dig a hole in advance, or pull leaves to cover the hole. If there are two of you, one can stand guard to stop other hikers approaching or warn you when it's busy and when the coast is clear.

If you are going on long trips, through countries where they have few toilets, or charge for toilets, you might prefer a campervan or caravan with a built-in-toilet.

If you didn't have the time or budget or foresight or space to pack a picnic set, when travelling look for items which will come in handy later.

 For example,
NAPKIN
the unused paper napkin at your lunch stop

TOOTHPICKS
A toothpick in a paper wrapper to keep it clean and prevent points digging into your pocket.

Toothpicks in containers and paper wrappers. Photo by Angela Lasnbury. Copyright.

CUTLERY
disposable cutlery with a supermarket meal can be washed and recycled for the next picnic
a waterproof apron or two from your kitchen can protect your clothes and seats when eating sandwiches or drinking in the car

YOGURT POT
A yogurt pot, small or large, washed out, it serves as an emergency drinking cup, fruit bowl or littler bin

YOGURT POT / SOUP with LID
Serves as a container for fruit or crumbly cake

For quick snacks:
Dates
Nuts
Crisps
Savoury biscuits

Vegetable
Cucumber and knife.

Fruit
Seedless grapes
Bananas
Satsumas (easy to peel)

Edam cheese in small sizes. (If you don't need to eat them on the journey or holiday, you have not wasted the money. The red wax cover will keep them fresh until you get home.)
Wrapped chocolates.

Hikers in the UK take Kendal mint cake, solid sugar in a chocolate coating. Quick energy. Always have food and water when going on a hike. You might get lost or stuck. Remember the Thai boys in the cave, stuck for more than 7 days

.

Kendal mint cake can be bought online.

Do not leave bars of chocolate on the back parcel shelf in the heat. We came back once and found it had melted and run all over the shelf and the maps and guidebooks and hats.

Hershey chocolate I once read was invented for troops in hot countries to it won't melt so easily.

Beware of Exploding Bottles And Cans
Also, beware of exploding fizzy drinks in cans in the car's trunk (in the UK we say boot). This happened to us twice in the USA. Once in a hot car. Once in a cold car when we went off skiing for the day.

Beware of Bears
In bear country, such as parts of the USA, Canada, and in Europe, Romania, do not leave food such as meat sandwiches in your car. Bears and other animals will be attracted, when you are there, or away, and are likely to attack the car trying to reach the food.

Also, do not feed monkeys. They learn that people with bags are bringing food. If you arrive without food, they attack you, trying to find it or angry.

In some areas, it is forbidden to feed animals and birds.

UNPACKING
When you get home, empty the car of all food, drink and litter. Check the car seat, parcel shelf at the back, glove box, under the seat, in the boot (in America we say trunk). Wash out containers.

STORAGE
Either replace the picnic box and toilet in the car, or keep them in a designated place in the kitchen which everybody knows about so you can pack quickly for your next journey.

Failing all else, pick a motel next to restaurant or near a 24-hour restaurant. Order a pizza. Some pizza places will not deliver to car parks or hotel bedrooms. Ask hotel reception for advice if their restaurant is closed. They may know a 24 hour supermarket.

If the restaurant is closed or there's no restaurant, only a bar, order tomato drink. It is vegetable, inexpensive, filling.

Camper's Coffee Maker
You can also buy a camper's coffee maker. We have had two types. One type takes loose coffee. The other type takes capsules. You can use the hotel water from the kettle in a hotel bedroom and enjoy real coffee.

Also, take your own coffee capsules for hotels in Spain which give you a couple of free capsules and charge a lot for another bag of capsules or have flavours which are too strong or too weak.

If you like herb teas, take your own sachets.

Bottled Water
Fizzy water will go off and lose fizz once opened. It still has uses.

Perrier Lemon sparkling natural mineral water.  Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Bottled Tap Water
Tap water from home in a bottle is handy for washing your hands before and after eating and after going to the toilet. Use it for cleaning your teeth. Use water to wipe grease off car seats.

Waterproof apron
Makes a protection for the car and your clothes when eating in the car.

Kitchen paper roll. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Kitchen paper
Wet it and wipe your hands. Use kitchen roll to wipe the inside of food containers when empty so they don't start smelling. Dry off the water, when you have washed the container. Wipe the outside of apples.

Useful Websites
https://www.campermate.co.nz/welcome/index  Mobile phone app find you the nearest toilets in New Zealand and Australia.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-Toilet-Travel-Camping-Hunting/dp/B074T995WY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1532164952&sr=8-4&keywords=toilet+for+car

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-Outdoor-Tableware-Portable-Chopsticks/dp/B071FB54XX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532165051&sr=8-1&keywords=car+picnic+set

See my later post on packing for a trip:
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/07/food-drink-containers-and-clothes-to.html

Author
Angela Lansbury.

Blue Christmas Trees At Heathrow - what's good and bad at the airport?

Seasonal decorations at Heathrow. Copyright.

Problem
Can I take a picture of seasonal decorations at the airport?

Answer
No signs warn you not to. So presumably you can go ahead with photos and selfies - if you have time. Most people departing are in a hurry to reach the departure gate or airport lounge or want to suss out the shopping.

A Bright Tree
As you scurry along, you might wonder. Is it a real tree? Clearly not. A real tree is green. An electric tree is blue.

Good Old and New Heathrow
What's good about Heathrow?

Seasonal Decorations
The Christmas decorations. Call them winter lights if you prefer.

The large circular historic photos along the wall beside the moving walkings. The scenes shown include  H N The Queen and the Beatles.

It's good. Not fairyland. Not as stunning as Changi airport. But good enough.

Good Shopping
Heathrow has the essentials. A shop was selling padlocks and keys for your suitcase near check-in.

But why just one shop, no competition? There should be three shops, luxury, mid-price and budget, catering for all passenger with all budgets. Admittedly you can find branches of W H Smith elsewhere in the airport.

Bins and Post Boxes.
Litter bins, when I needed one. Also post boxes. Everything you need to hand.

Clean toilets
A ladies toilet with hand cream as well as washing gel. You need it. Your skin goes dry when travelling because you are dehydrating, all that running around, stressed out, perspiring.

A member of staff keeps everything clean and tidy in the Ladies.

Why am I running around? They have introduced signs telling you how far you are from departure gates at each stage. We start at thirteen minutes. Thirteen minutes!

That's ridiculous. A thirteen minute walk, dragging along a wheel in bag. You may have been up from 6.30 am to have breakfast, catch your car to the airport. If you are short of time - no where to call for assistance.

I see the Singapore Airlines electric two or four seater transporters. These vehicles are only for first and business class. So that's another thing you get when paying for the upgrade. I can't understand whey the whole of every airpot does not have transportation from every paint to the departure lounge.

Maybe they want you to dawdle past the shops. But we would have more time for shops if it took less time to walk to departures.

Shops? That's another story. Se next post.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

What do see and do for free at iexperience in Singapore

I was walking along the basement mall at Esplanade station when I stopped to watch a mother and child playing on a free press-the-screen game inserted in the wall.

A few yards further along I discovered the Iexperience exhibition. I hesitated in the doorway, unsure whether it was a entrance to a  technology company or sales office, or an exhibition which would be expensive, but the girl on the desk beckoned me in and said it was free.

Ah, I thought, it must be some government initiative on how we are developing the city. I stepped in. What a pity I was alone. I'd like to go back with a friend. A Singaporean would relate all the ideas to what is going on and high technology in Singapore. An American would give me an American perspective. Anybody in science or technology would have more comments to add.

Litter Collector
What did I like most? The litter bin which alerts when it is nearly full so somebody comes to empty it.
The like the idea of a litter collection box which would speak to you, notice if you dropped something, tell you which box, or sort it for you.

School Desk
The idea of a school desk which is a complete work station. Not just a chair with a fold up rest for your writing pad. A miniature office with a screen, wi-fi, phone charger, contact to teacher in the same room or another room, or contact to chat about the homework or project with friends across the room, without shouting and disturbing the class.

Office Pod
I liked the idea of the office pod. Instead of just a phone box, a complete office, with chair, desktop, screen, wifi, phone charger, printer, and so on. Not free but maybe £10+VAT or about 20 Singapore dollars Plus for 20 minutes or an hour, idea for business people on the go, meetings, follow-up to meetings, sealing a deal you made over lunch, getting your thoughts down immediately after a meeting, instant thank you and follow up.

Perfect for travellers. Sending messages home to mother, and the family, as well. Plus booking a taxi or an air ticket, not standing on the corner of the street, vulnerable to pickpockets or somebody seeing your mobile phone, and not being overheard. Great idea.

The best part of the exhibition was when I stopped to say thank you at the end. I noticed a sign Id missed on the way in and asked for an explanation. If you like their page on Facebook as a thank you they will print out a photo for you, about half the size of a postcard, just right to slip into a purse or pocket.

It's free, educational, and you even get a free gift.

If you have to meet somebody at a central station, this would be a good place to meet. Whoever arrives first has an amusement. It's open from 10 am to 8 pm. MRT Esplanade or City Hall. It's in a linkway between the two.

Looking online I find there's another experience in Cape Town, South Africa.
Pictures have been added to a later post. Blogger picture load up is not working on this post.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, teacher, tutor.