Be Prepared, Hiking or Biking: Hikers' Hazards, Safety Supplies & Precautions

As the scouts say, be prepared. Save worry for yourself, your family, and potential rescuers. In some areas, hiking trails are marked as easy or difficult.

 Things to do

1 Find a friend. Do not travel in the outback or forest alone.

To join groups starting from cities, contact Hash house harriers with the name of the city. They often meet once a week or once a month, and may have groups for men, women, or families, or families with pets, or different language groups, and may make a charge to visitors, especially if they provide a meal at the end of the run. 

2 Check weather reports and suggested supplies for the route.

3 Pack your car with a sleeping bag and first aid kit.

4 Route References Registered

Inform in the USA a ranger of your route.

Leave a map of your route and estimated time of return for your family.

5 Pack food and drink. 

Enough for a week in case you get stranded. In containers which stop predatory animals attacking you for food. 

Black bears unable to reach backpacks. Photo from Wiki.

6 Print a map and have GPS finder.

7 Select Suitable Clothes For all weathers. Wear a ski jacket which enables you to be found in snow with a bleeping device. A helmet for cycling or motorbikes. Insurance. Anti-tick socks. Goggles for swimming and sun in the snow. Hats and caps which tie on so they don't blow off or get lost. I have a swimsuit with a hood so I don't need a swimming cap.

8 Have a suitable jacket.

9 Wear insect repellent and carry bite soother.

10 In snake-infested areas, sing and throw stones ahead to make snakes move away.

11 Carry a mini tent like an umbrella for shelter in winter or bad weather.

12 Carry hand warmers. (Sold in ski and hiking areas.)

13 Have spare clothing.

14 Have an empty water bottle and wet wipes in case you need a toilet and or can't move because you have hurt your ankle.

15 Do not hike when menstruating because blood attracts dogs and bears and other animals to attack you just as they would attack a bleeding animal for food.

16 Carry a sewing kit. 

17 Put a survival guide on your phone.

18 If lost without paths, go downhill to the river in a valley to get drinking water, find a road, or hail passing boats.

19 If stuck in one place, such as a beach or a clearing, or even a road, use clothes or branches to make a large sign to attract searching aircraft. 

20 Check on local safety sites.

Online you can buy whistles, torches and knives as well as waterproof clothes and pickpocket proof clothes.

Wiki has advice on what to do when lost.

You can also buy survival guides. In France you can get guides to edible mushrooms.

Useful Websites

California Hiking Safety tips - and tips for bikers and others

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30043

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11464643/Body-teenage-hiker-disappeared-popular-New-Hampshire-trail-four-day-search.html#reader-comments

https://www.amazon.com/Hiking-Safety/s?k=Hiking+Safety

http://www.wiki-safety.com/postdtl/en/-C2079/2165/

http://www.romehash.com/ 

amazon.co.uk/s?k=anti-tick+socks

Temporary dental repair kit

https://dentemp.com/dentemp.html

How To Pack A Suitcase or Rucksack Efficiently - by Angela Lansbury and Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin monument, USA.

Emergency Exit Suitcase

In earthquake-prone Japan, the Japanese, with experience and foresight, keep an emergency bag by the front door to grab in the event of a quick evacuation. 

If the taxi to the airport arrives early (which it should, in case you have a last minute hunt for your passport and tickets) you are ready to go. (The Americans like to say, alliteratively, good to go.)

'A place for everything and everything in its place,' said a well organized and much travelled American, Benjamin Franklin. Another daying I like is: Don't put it down. Put it away.

Smaller seal-tight boxes can be used in suitcases or backpacks when packing for trips. On the outward journey to keep all your underwear or your swimsuit and swimming hat and goggles in one place. Or your night clothes quick to find when you land in the middle of the night. To protect clothes from rain when your suitcase is sitting in a pile on the runway waiting to be loaded.

For bringing home dirty laundry. Wet swimsuits. Washed items not quite dry. And things you need in a hurry which would be hard to locate in a suitcase, such as a sewing kit or toothbrush, face flannel, or small towel. Ideally packed in the inside pocket of the suitcase, far right. If there's no inner pocket in the suitcase, 

When I was a busy traveller and travel writer, before Covid-19, I often kept one small suitcase ready packed with a swimsuit and night dress and spare underwear and shoes and a reversible dress, ready to go in a hurry. Or ready to tell an impatient panicky spouse, "I have already packed!"

The secret to quick packing is to know where everything is. Your packing list can be pasted inside your door to the wardrobe or clothes closet. A second copy to pack so you pack quickly for the return journey and don't leave behind the slippers under the bed, the bathrobe behind the door, the hat in the top of the hotel bedroom wardrobe, the contraceptives under the pillow, the child's toy in the cot or in the empty drawer, your jewellery on the bedroom basin when you washed your hands, your jacket on the chair of the breakfast room in the hotel, your umbrella in the boot (Americans say trunk) of the taxi (whose lost and found number is on your packing list). Your valuables in the hotel bedroom safe, or at reception. Photos of all your suitcases to show the hotel porter (bellhop in the USA) or airport staff when you are hunting for the missing item, looking around the carousel for the fourth suitcase, or making an insurance claim, or showing that the item was not damaged before check-in.

The passport and tickets should be in a set place, always.

Your night dress and slippers, maybe a short light robe. Swimsuit and swimming hat (plus goggles and a tiny towel). Spare shoes or evening shoes or walking shoes or beach shoes. cosmetic kit. Medicine or prescription. Spare reading glasses.   

  Today I sorted a drawer. Underwear. First thing in the morning, when I have energy. And need to select underwear. 

If I sort one drawer a day, by the end of the week I shall have done 7. By the end of the month, one room will be completely sorted.

 If I did one drawer in each room each day, the whole house would be done by the end of the month. Make that, the end of three months or a year. 

Since I need to stand up from the computer, it's a welcome break. Instead of eating, I shall do sorting.

Sorting Underwear

I used to lay everything flat. I thought that saved space. When packing a suitcase. So the same applies to drawers.

But each time I pulled out an item, the whole lot got jumbled and would not fit back in the drawer. Urgh!

Then I saw Marie Kondo, folding things into a drawer on video, on Youtube. She rolls everything or folds it, folds it again, and again, and stands it vertically. Then you can see the colours. Her method looks neat.

Bought dividers - advantages and disadvantages

Dividers are the best thing. Many of them come flat packed and slot together. In theory, after buying a set, if it fits, or doesn't, you can copy the design on card. 

Where do you find card? Inside and behind a new shirt packaging. The reinforcement at the base of a paper tote bag which is falling apart and will be thrown away or used as a carrier for recycling.

But sometimes bought dividers are too small. Not everything fits into a tiny space. Oblongs or honeycomb, all the same size. 

Any divider is better than none. You can start with an empty Kleenex tissue box. Cut diagonally with scissors towards the four top corners. Fold down the four flaps. They reinforce the edge of the box. You now have easy access. You can see the contents better.

How To Cut Down A Box

If necessary, if your drawer is shallow, you can cut down the vertical seems an inch or two, and fold the flaps lower. You might want to measure the height of the drawer, mark the height, less a centimeter, on the box. Use a metal ruler to score a line with the tip of the scissors and make a neat horizontal crease in the cardboard, holding the metal ruler to keep your edge straight and prevent jagged tearing.

Advantages of dividers are that you see each item. You do not move anything else when you empty an item. 

You can sort by colours. Your favourite on the right. Unless you are left handed. 

So either black goes on the right, or red, or white. If black is on the far right, white is on the far left. Or vice versa. Intermediate colours go in the middle. If bright red is your favourite, and dull brown your least favourite, put the red on the right, the brown on the left. On the other hand, if you favour earth colours, put brown on the right, with orange and green for autumn, the luminous yellow and turquoise and summer colours on the left.

You can also sort from front to back by size. Thin and small thongs at the front, thicker and bigger granny knickers, corsets or pantaloons at the back, or vice versa.  

Seasonally - winter stuff goes at the back in summer. It moves to the front in winter. Or maybe an opportunity to put items into storage, on the top shelf, labelled in a suitcase, with an email to yourself in a folder labelled storage, or in the attic. 

Moths and Mould

You also want to add moth balls, and/or take things out and shake them out regularly.

Don't put clothes in the garage. They are likely to get dirty or mouldy. 

See-through Dividers

You might have see-through dividers or boxes sitting taking up space in your kitchen drawers. They can be moved to divide drawers.

Whilst travelling, you might like to see the memorials to Benjamin Franklin in Washington DC, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; and Craven Street, London WC2, England, UK.

Finally, pack a list of Americanisms and British English.

UK - USA

autumn - Fall

bonnet (car) - hood (automobile)

boot - trunk

car - automobile

chemist - pharmacy

garage - gas station

high street - main street

lorry - truck

luggage - baggage

momentarily - briefly

motorway - autoroute

pants - underpants

porter (in a hotel) - bellhop

tap - faucet

trousers - pants

turn right - make a right

windscreen - windshield

Useful Websites (more will be added shortly)

www.fi.edu/exhibit/benjamin-franklin-memorial

Philadelphia

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

Washington DC

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Benjamin_Franklin_(Washington,_D.C.)

Read more posts by Angela Lansbury, travel writer, English teacher, tutor and trainer, fashionista. Everything you wanted to know and need to know for your fun trips. Read posts on destinations, travel clothes, packing, preparing to learn languages and famous authors' statues, travellers' homes, trails, museums, historical houses - plus fun food, and bargain shopping.

Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts with your favourite friends.

Why and How To Pack towels and swimsuits for possible swimming

I like to have a swimsuit with me on holiday, even if I am not expecting to go swimming. You might stop for lunch at a hotel with a pool. In Cyprus we went on a morning walk up to see a waterfall. 

At the top was a flat area where a girl who lived locally donned a swimsuit and waded forward and stood under the cold showing waterfall. They had travelled by car, so no problem with transporting a towel. 

Several people wanted to be photographed in the pool. I don't stand in running water in case of currents. However, many people like to do so.

On day trips to the beach, i sometimes try to pack a thin towel of the sort which is quick dry, just to dry my feet when paddling in the sea, or getting wet feet from unexpected waves on the beach.

I have also looked into adding velcro to turn a thin towel into a wrap around skirt or strapless dress. A towel dress with shoulder straps is more secure. I have also made a swimming pool throw-over by cutting a slit in the middle of an old, thin towel. You can buy towelling dresses.

I pack with my swimsuit and night dress in a handy place on top of my suitcase. On arrival at a hotel I ask what time the pool closes. I might want to rush to the pool before evening dinner.

 When I was a teenager in the late 1960s, I went on a holiday with a fellow student to Greece, Turkey and Israel. I travelled in a bikini. It acted as bra and pants. I showered in it. I swam in it. No need to undress.

After the swim, we would sit in the sun. The bikini was cotton and dried quickly. 

In countries requiring a one piece costume, you need another solution.

Kaledonia Waterfalls, Cyprus.

 1The solution is to have a large towel which somebody else, family or friend, can hold.

2 If you are alone, you could change behind a large umbrella.

3A wrap around skirt is another solution.

4 Or a wrap around dress.

5 Or a sarong.

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Best, Safest, Travel Clothes And Bags - and avoiding real life bears

Why not travel all in black so that you are co-ordinated? No dirt and stains.

Firstly, don't have a plain black suitcase. On 9/11 (11 Sept 2001) a bomb threat was made to my Singapore Airlines plane going to S Africa for a conference. Our incoming  and outgoing plane was directed to a distant runway. All the luggage was offloaded onto the runway. Each family or group in turn had to identify our own luggage. My bag was black. I was faced by a river of black bags. Guarded by men with machine guns. I ran from bag to bag saying, "Here it is - no, it isn't."

What I look for in travel clothes & bags

Loose
Hard-wearing
Easy to wash
Smart enough to get me upgraded
Handy pockets
Secure anti-theft pockets
cheerful colours
some pattern to not show stains
Colours easy to co-ordinate
Not such small sleeves that it feels like wearing a tourniquet
Not such large sleeved that I can't wear a jacket on top
Patterns of lack of patterns to not clash
Arms down to wrists or with tab so they let down to wrists
Anti mosquito
Protection from sunburn

For a jacket
Pocket big enough for a hat
Hood attached so I can't lose it
Secure pockets
Inside pockets
Zips off fast at security
Won't stain easily
crease-free
Enough pattern to hide stains but not so much that it clashes with everything else

Shoes
No heels - too tiring and they rub up inflable escape chutes so you will be asked to remove them and leave them behind or carry them
Quick release straps so you can remove them at airport security

Suitcase
Not black.
Add identifying ribbon to handle.
Add strap in case locks break
Carry food and drink in a separate bag
4 wheels so I can wheel it upright without stooping and straining my back
Solid top so I can put a handbag on top
ideally an outside pocket for extras, but not one which when full tips over

Suitcase cover
Won't work if it prevents me opening an outside pocket

The packing list in wiki reminded me that you need sports clothes and a sports bra for using the gym on holiday or at a hotel.

Take insect repellent and sunscreen and water bottles and a torch (flashlight in the USA), swimsuit and sports bra for the hotel, sturdy waterproof walking shoes.
You want to avoid leaving food in your backpack near you overnight, and prepare food far away from your sleeping area.

Apart from theft, loose pockets allow items to drop out. Two suggestions:
Double pockets with your credit card inside the pocket inside or behind the main larger pocket.

If zips break or your new jacket has no zips on pockets, add a zip or press stud.

No time, no zip, can't sew zips?
You can also sew in an airline amenity bag which has a zip.
Pack a small sewing kit including a self-threading needle and a couple of press studs.

For advice on backpacks and how to escape or fight a bear, see
https://wikitravel.org/en/Wilderness_backpacking
It says bears are like dogs and chase after somebody running away. (Same goes for the police.)

Useful websites
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-15-best-travel-dresses-18224345
craghoppers
https://www.craghoppers.com/
ebay
https://wikitravel.org/en/Packing_list

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Swimming costume - recycling the bust support

Problem
I bought a new swimming costume with boy legs and short sleeves from Mohammed Mustafa department store near Little India in Singapore. I tried it on in the store to be sure it was large enough. When I got it home and tried it on again I realised that although it had a lining to take bust cups, none were supplied. I knew I could buy supports on line. Was the costume supposed to have supports which were supplied only at checkout to prevent theft - or was the swimsuit aimed at men, or was it unisex? I would need to go onto the swimsuit company website to find out, or return to the department store. (Or try phoning - but it seemed too complicated to explain on the phone.)

Answer
RECYCLING OLD BRAS AND BIKINI TOPS
I was thinking about using the bust part from an old bikini or bra and sewing it inside. I would have to cut the sides and back of the bra or bikini top to keep it in place whilst swimming - not going up or down or sideways - and to prevent if falling out and floating off! I might have to cut it down the middle so separate the cups.

TRANSFERRING BUST SUPPORTS FROM OLD SWIMSUITS
I tried on my old swimsuit which had bust supports, not the plastic hard mesh type but thin sponges.
I realised that the supports from the old swimsuit were still in good condition and could be transferred to the new costume.

RECYCLING OLD SWIMSUITS
I had kept my old swimsuit 'just in case' I needed any part. I had never thought of using the bust support. I was thinking of using the sleeves to extend another costume and protect my upper arms or lower arms from sunburn or cancer-causing rays. Another thought I had was to use a strip of fabric in a ribbon to anchor another costume, make a tie belt, or back of the neck tie, or spiralled into a decorative rose in the centre bust or waist or front of one shoulder or the top of both shoulders, or epaulettes in matching black or a contrasting colour (to match a swimhat or shoes or a towelling wrap).

The moral is, recycle that old swimsuit to modify your new one.

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

Woman Overboard, Delays, Compensation - Is This Good News?

Problem
A woman fell or jumped overboard from a cruise ship off Croatia in August 2018. She was miraculously rescued ten hours later. Ten hours in the water! On Facebook a friend reported that somebody was claiming compensation for two days delay in Venice. The comment was, Lucky or not.

Lucky for the woman being picked up from the water. However, as for the delay, at first sight it could be good news for some.

What could go wrogn, go wrong, go wrong?
I wrote:

Lucky to sit in the sun. Lucky to postpone going home. Not so lucky if you have to sit all day in the hall waiting for the call, because the coach to a ferry or plane or muster point might collect you any time they arrange it.

I remember one year when we were on a flight from the USA at Xmas. We were on an American airline leaving American soil, so we knew our rights for compensation, or at least our fellow passengers did. On a flgight into the USA, or on another airline from outside the USA, the rules might be different. Check the latest.

The flight was overbooked and the airline staff made repeated requests for volunteers to be bumped. The compensation was a free flight. Plus, of course, a free night in an airport or city suburb or city centre hotel, but we were in transit, in a cold city, where good restaurants were all fully booked, and would miss a day of our short Xmas break in the Caribbean by the beach.

As the compensation increased, still not enough volunteers. As our hours of delay increased, I asked the people next to me why they had not rushed to volunteer. You'd think there would be a Ruby scrum of people fighting to get the free return ticket.

I heard these stories:
1 'I can't extend my long weekend break and take time off next week. I'm a surgeon and have operations booked. I would lose a lot of money, lose my reputation for reliability, and endanger seriously sick people.'

2 'I don't want to lose a day of my holiday. I can't take another day off. I am a teacher. I have to be back in school teaching my class. I can't abandon 30 children and upset them and their parents and the head teacher organizing a supply teacher, which costs the school more money.' (Again, she had to consider her own reputation for reliability, not to take a free holiday at the expense of being responsible to the pupils, parents, and staff.)

3 I am seeing my fiancee for a long weekend. We haven't seen each other for months. We had a special celebratory dinner planned for tomorrow. We'd miss the dinner and we wouldn't get our money back for the missed dinner.

4 What makes you think they will get you on tomorrow's flight? It will be overbooked like this one - with all the extra passengers bumped off today's flight as well?

We ended up getting a free flight.

On another occasion we were unavoidably delayed coming back from a beach resort to our home city. It sounded great. Unfortunately, I was dressed for the destination, Cold London, England, at Christmas. So I was plodding around a tropical hotel in boots and long socks, warm clothes and a coat.

The swimming pool looked lovely.

However, I had no swimsuit.

We had spent all our cash at the airport. At the hotel, for small items we could not pay with a credit card.

From then on we always made sure to carry onto planes: spare underwear, a swimsuit, and a book to read. I don't spend every last cent. I keep it for the next journey.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Please share links to your favourite posts.)

Travelling To the Tropics? What To Look For In A Protective Swimsuit - and swim shoes

Problem
I want a swimsuit for the tropics with long arms and boy legs. I want my forearms which are out of the water protected from the sun. But not to pay a fortune. My Waveline zip-up swimsuit (bought from Mustafa's in Singapore) was admired in the indoor pool in London.  Several ladies asked where I bought it. I told them to look online. I looked down at my arms and thought, I'm developing freckles or age spots. I need to cover up more.

Answers
Which size? I know that Chinese sizes are designed for slim Asian girls. I always need 3X in Singapore and Asian countries and sometimes 4X in jackets. When buying jackets to go on top of other sleeved garments I find it safer to wear batwing styles.

I went online at Amazon and selected several outfits. You have a lot of choice. You can have full suits down to the ankle for diving. Full cover against mosquitos.

Tankini
I looked at several tankini style outfits. They offer the advantage that if one half doesn't fit, too tight, too loose, wrong colour, wet, you can swap with half of another set.

However, the disadvantage of the tankini style, like a tee-shirt with short or long-legged pants, is that it rides up when swimming. This is inelegant, and hampers movement.

Boy leg
Why boy leg? Modesty. No need to shave legs and bikini line. Less likely to ride up and cut you like a string or thong. Less risk of them being skimpy at the back and showing buttocks or feeling uncomfortable.

Boy legs slim down the appearance of heavy thighs. Make your body look longer and taller. covers more against mosquitos and sun. Hide stretch marks, appendix scars, Caesarians and other scars.

Why short sleeves?
Short sleeves mean no need to worry about shaving under arms. No risk of revealing bustline.

Some people might want to cover up acne, scratches, scabs under Elastoplast (sticking plaster), love bites, broken collar bones, broken ribs, mastectomy, other scars, all sort of things.

But watch out for tops with scoop backs. These reveal backs to mosquitos and sun. You run the risk of sunstroke or burning if you do a lot of swimming on your front, for example, breaststroke. If you have moles or acne on your back you might wish to cover up.

Beach Shoes
I would also want beach shoes or swim shoes to cover my feet against insect bites and sun to guard against melanoma (skin cancer). Flip flops are a disaster.

They don't support your feet. You could get hammer toes. I have had plantar fasciitis. More about that in the next post.

Mosquitos, snakes, stubbing your toe against splayed legs of chairs, tables and loungers, even umbrella stands.

Useful brands and links to websites
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungo-Womens-Swimsuit-Protection-Swimwear/dp/B071DHYFSW


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

How To Unpack Efficiently: Everything From Food to Laundry, Keys, Passports and Suitcases

Suitcases
Check you have all your suitcases, coats, bags of souvenirs and food and drink. If anything is still in the boot or your car bring it out. Anything left behind in the taxi - phone immediately. (Always get a receipt so you can phone the correct cab company and identify the taxi and time if anything is lost.)

Check for damage to suitcases in case you need compensation. Photograph, phone and write immediately.

Wash off or wipe off stains on fabric and dirt on wheels. Place note on the handle of any bag which has damaged handle or damaged wheels so that you can avoid that case on your next business trip when you need to look smart, or don't want to spend time lugging an awkward bag.

Alternatively take it for repair. Go online to check for a replacement suitcase well in advance of your next trip. Or use damaged, torn or stained item on a trip where further damage might occur.

Problems
Wet Swimsuits
Sometimes you arrive home in a flurry and forget your wet clothes. In the tropics, Singapore, I swim all year daily. When we were when living as ex-pats in Rockville, Maryland,  I swam daily. I had to rotate swimsuits.

Make sure the wet one was always drying in the same place. Otherwise I would be delaying everybody, or postponing my swim and finding the afternoon rain had started. In a thunderstorm - you might be willing to risk it but pool attendants insist you vacate the pool for your own safety and to set an example to children.

In Europe we return from the gym daily or pool or from jogging with wet swimsuits and sweat-soaked tee-shirts. Once, after a holiday, I discovered a wet swimming costume in a suitcase, three weeks later. It smelled terrible, was stained green and black. My brand new costume!

If I washed it in a washing machine, that might destroy the elastic. The alternative was to throw it away. That was not an alternative. So I threw it straight in the washing machine, holding it with a disposable bag. I didn't want to touch it or distribute the spores around the kitchen.

After one wash it looked, clearn. It was clean enough to handle but too smelly to wear.

After a second wash it smelled all right when held at arms length. But not right when sniffed close up. Other people might not notice. But I still did not want it next to my skin.

After the third wash it was restored.

FOOD
After other trips, even just to a local restaurant, I have found food going off in my bag the next day or a week afterwards.

DRINK
Half-opened bottle contents may need finishing or go in the fridge. New wines should be stored horizontal if in bottles with corks to keep the cork moist and prevent shrinkage which would let air get in and eventually turn the wine off. Store wines in a cool dark place, out of reach of children and out of sight of the public and passers-by, ideally under lock and key to prevent theft.

I now have a mental checklist. If I am really tired, I make a physical checklist on the train or plane home so I can just follow it when I fall through the door.

MILK
If you bought milk at the airport or en route put it in the fridge. If you have saved milk cartons from an airlines meal, a hotel bedroom, or from coffee on the train, you can use that to make a decaff coffee or tea for yoursel of others.

KEYS
As you leave the hotel, check you have handed them their key.

Check the key to get into your home is handy in an inside pocket, not still packed in the lid of one of your five suitcases. If you are collecting your car from the airport, check the car key and any paperwork you need are in your pcoket or bag.

Check And Record Location Of Your Stored Tickets, Passport
Have a set place for your passport, especially if it is cocnealed in a drwwer ,box, suitcase, cover. I once lost my pasort which I had left inside the lid of my suitcase because i thought that way i could nto rush off without it. I cancelled my trip because I could not find my passport in the study drawer.

On another ocasion I was given a pretty silver passport cover, free with a magazine. A few weeks later, I looked everywhere for my passport. I could not find it. I missed a trip to France.

Later that year, I was diligently checking every notebook, writing the contents, the year, the trip, or EMPTY, on the front of empty notebooks, with post-its, to find empty notebooks to take on future trips, when I found the missing passport.

Why Keep Tickets?
Do not throw away your plane or train tickets until you have taken a photo, and/or noted where they are stored. (eg, left of middle shelf on bookcase, in study / in red box file on top bookshelf marked New York Trip documents).

Why? You might need your plane ticket to claim airmiles, or check they have all been registered. You might need your train ticket, eg in the UK for one month afterwards to claim about ten per cent of the fare back as compensation for delay over half an hour.

It may be saving paper to leave everything on line. Perhaps you can photograph the vital line or reference numbr and print that. When you reach the check in point and your phone is out of battery because of the flight delay, or no reception, you will find it handy to have the reference.

When you reach home and thre eof you turn to each other and ask, "Who's got the door key handy?", you want to be the efficient, reliable person who says, "I have - here you are!"

(Hint. Do not give your key to somebody else who can now lose both the keys. Open the door for them and replace your key where you know where it is.)

UNPACKING CHECKLIST
1 KEYS
a)  Check house keys.
Leave them in the ouseide of the door, or back in your pocket, or leave the door on the latch when unlocading suitcases from the car.
Did you  remove them from the front door?
Are they back in your pocket or bag or on the hook or table for when you rush to the shops for milk or off to work or social engagement or to see the family?

2 Check Other keys.
b) Keys to your home, keys to your second home, or office.
c) Car keys. Hire car keys.

2 DOCUMENTS
Plane tickets.
Train tickets.
Visas and expiry. (You don't want to pay for another visa when yours still has another year on it.)
3 Check passports and train and plane tickets. You might save on the cost of a visa by bringing your next weekend away forward a week or two.

3 FOOD
Check all carrier bags and handbags, pcokets and suitcases for food. Put it away in the fridge. (Or eat immediately.) If food is likely to go off, write a Post-it note on the front of the fridge to remidn yourself and others what to finish first.

4 CLOTHES TO WASH
Some people keep dirty clothes in a labelled wash bag, or a laundry bag saved from a hotel. Other systems are:
Turn dirty clothes inside out; keep in a bag.
List items you have worn, or check them on your packing list. (This tells you what to wash this time, and what to take instead next time so colleagues see different outfits. Alterantively, it tells you to take the clothes on your worn and washed list, leave behind the clothes you didn't wear on this trip, next time you pack for that desitnation.

5 UNPACK EVERYTHING
If you are too tired, you could use the one item an hour system. Every hour, or every time you walk past your suitcase, remove one item. When you are near the end, the task won't seem to overwhlming. Another system is to tip everything onto your bed. You have to clear it all by bedtime.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

I Forgot Packing List

Problem
You always forget something, even when you make a packing list.

Answer
Keep a list of things you forgot previously - and where you left them and why.

Stories
My I Forgot Packing List

My passport
1 At home - I was so busy making sandwiches for the trip down to Dover I forgot my own passport.

2 Visiting our au pair girl in France, I left behind in my hotel bedroom my passport hung on the back of a chair.

3 visiting the USA, I left behind my passport in the box art security.

My Underwear
On a trip across Russia to Japan, I had only one set of underwear which I was wearing for a four week trip.

Sunglasses
On a trip to a ski resort I forgot sunglasses. Sunglasses are not just for summer. Snow is blinding white. I found it a nuisance to have clip over sunglasses on sighted glasses, and the same applies to goggles. Now I order photochromic lenses, so I can never go on a trip without sunglasses.

(Not photo chronic, photo chromic. I must remember to check the blog post after it appears.)

Now I have travelled all over the world. I should be the perfect packer. I should never forget anything, right?

Nope.

2016 - I forgot lip salve.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker. Please check my other posts and other blogs. Like and share. Also on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram. Youtube videos. Books on Amazon.com and Lulu.com

Packing tips for all occasion

The trick is to have a checklist. Most frequent travellers know they need a neck pillow. But if you have more suitcases than neck pillows you might still go off without yours. The same goes for packing any medication. Keep a checklist.


Checklist of essentials
Four wheel suitcase
Suitcase label and key and coloured label or ribbon for identifying black suitcase
Passport
Tickets
Addresses of people at destination.
Insurance.
Safe pocket for valuables.
Quick release shoes for security.
Small duplicate underwear and socks in case of lost luggage.
Small handy swimsuit and cap.
Conditioner.
Phrase book/dictionary.
Pen and paper.
Reading material.
Phone which is economical at destination.
badge for conference
pills
prescription for ordering spare or replacement spectacles and sunglasses
Evening scarf or cravat

Know-how
Route to hotel.
Method of transport to hotel.
Money for taxi and tip at both ends of journey.
Travel cards for both ends of journey.
Trip details left with family or friends at home.
Emergency details at destination. (eg nearest friend, police station, hospital, number to dial in emergency)
Packing list printed inside suitcase for re-packing at destination
Tin of sardines or similar for emergency in-flight delay or arriving late at night.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3215352/The-ultimate-guide-surviving-long-haul-flight.html

What happens to lost property at bus terminals?

I can't tell you about what happens to lost property worldwide but I can tell you what I was told about what happens at Bedok bus terminus / interchange near Changi airport on the East coast of Singapore. I was worried that an item I had either lost or had stolen might have been tossed aside in a bin and never checked.

I was pleased to learn that the lost property bin, which seemed to contain lots of discarded children's bags and old scarves, would not have contained any jacket or bag of unchecked valuables. In a hot country, such as Singapore the staff carefully go through the contents of items left behind, (returning valuables to addresses listed, on a sign here basis) mainly to remove perishables.

You can imagine that in a country where the temperature is 28 degrees centigrade / 82 degrees fahrenheit all year, a left behind meat or fish sandwich, or even an apple or mango, could be crawling with insects. I envisage maggots, marching lines of ants. Even a piece of fresh fruit could attract fruit flies and cockroaches within 12 hours.

I remember the first apartment I lived in, in Singapore. A brand new building. Even though we were on a high floor, and everything was brand new and clean, if you didn't sweep up every crumb, next day you would have ants everywhere, and cockroaches scuttling off and rustling when you opened the door to the kitchen or dining area in the morning.

I had reported my lost item, which was noted in their book, together with my family's contact details, days earlier. Yet I was still haunted by the vision of the bin of lost property. Were the staff so busy dealing with a queue of customers at the front desk, speaking through holes in the window, to think about looking at this and that in lost property bin?

I remembered when I had lost a swimsuit at club. I knew it had to be there. Nobody would have taken it, because I was a large lady, size 16, and most of the locals were flat chested Asians, size 6-8. I asked if they had had a dark blue costume handed in.

The lady on the desk checked her list. No blue costume. I had also lost a black swim hat. Yes, they had it.

I stood at the desk, convinced that my swimsuit was somewhere, if only she or I looked. I said, "Do you have any swimsuits? May I check?"

She looked, "No. Only this one."  She held it up.

"That's it!" I exulted.

"This is not blue, it's black."

"Navy blue," I replied.

She shook her head. "Not blue, black."

"In this neon light it looks black, but if you take it to the window, it's dark blue. Never mind the colour, it's mine. May I take it?"

She looked unconvinced. "You sign here."

"It's mine," I said. "It's my size. I can try it on and show you. I'll leave my address and phone number. If somebody else says they are missing a costume this size, I'll bring it back."

My persistence had paid off. I had found my costume. But I was convinced that you have to look at the items missing, not at the list, because the item might be mis-described. You recognise your property.

That was why I was still haunted by the vision of the unchecked bin at the terminus and went back. Unfortunately I never got to go through the bus terminal bin, but I did have the conversation.

Latest - they won't send on your item, just ask for your phone number so that you can collect the item, with some form of identity. (Yes, if your identity card is in the lost item, they will have to look at the photo and see it's you. What if you've left the country? A lost item is very costly in terms of money and time spent.)

So I can well believe that staff are very careful to check inside every item left behind on a bus and tossed into a bin of lost property. That is very reassuring. I recall the lovely man at the Bedok bus terminus who reassured me. His last words to me were a slight bow and faint sympathetic smile, as the lack of one's valuables is a kind of bereavement, 'So sorry for your loss.'

Packing for a weekend away/conference YOUR PACKING LIST

First make a list. (You can print this as a checklist.)
Tick inside oval against items packed to go; and second tick when packing to come home
Your first item to locate is

Suitcase
00 Suitcase
00 padlock and
00 key.
00 Spare key.
00 luggage strap
00 luggage label
00 Folding string bag/tote bag for souvenirs/books/magazines.

Travel comfort
00 Pillow
00 toothbrush
00 eyeshades
00 cash.
00 Brimmed hat
00 driving glasses.
00 Map.
00 Satnav or GPS watch.

Travel Clothes
00 Coat
00 shoes
00 umbrella.
You outfit should be comfortable for travelling. This outfit is the first one seen by the hotel reception and conference hosts when you arrive. If you are late you might go straight into lunch or dinner or a meeting.

Hotel and Travel
Check the hotel, conference centre address if different, person to call if there's any problem. Check Tripadvisor for rooms, in case you want to request a quiet back room, or sea view. Check destination restaurants in case you don't like the hotel food and want to meet somebody from another hotel.

Weather
Consider weather related items:
00 Umbrella.
00 Raincoat
00 Hood
00 Boots
00 Warm hat and
00 gloves.
00 Sunglasses and
00 insect repellent and
00 fly spray.

Cleaners
If you are fussy,
00 Spider Away
00 insect repellent
00 stain remover
00 wet wipe
00 hand gel.
00 Pillow case and/or pillow.

First Aid
00 Elastoplast
00 bite soother
00 Skin cream.

Night clothes
00 Night dress or pyjamas.
00 Slippers.
00 Wrap.

Underclothes
00 Bra
00 Pants
00 Socks
00 Tights
00 Vests.

Day clothes.
00 Dress
00 Trousers
00 Skirt
00 Blouse
00 jacket
00 scarf.

Evening clothes.
00 Black /sequin Evening dress
00 White shirt
00 tie
00 Black suit
00 Evening scarf
00 Hair clip.

Fancy dress.
00 Dress./suit
00 White Sheet.
00 Black cape
00 Witches' Hat.
00 Placard for name of outfit.
00 Felt tip pen.
00 Sewing kit.
00 Scissors.
00 Glue.
00 String.
00 Mask.
00 Face paint.
00 Bow tie.
00 False moustache.

Technology
00 Mobile Phone.
00 Charger.
00 Plug.
00 Lead.
00 Extension socket.
00 Light bulbs.
00 laptop
00 laptop bag
00 mouse
00 lead
00 pin numbers encrypted

Food and Drink
00 Water.
00 Hot drink/thermos
00 Knife
00 fork
00 spoon
00 plate/bowl
00 drinking cup
00 Fruit. apple
00 Fruit grapes
00 Nuts.
00 Chocolate
00 biscuits
00 cheese
00 Tinned sardines for emergency.
00 Rubbish bag.
00 Swiss army knife
00 bottle opener

For Destination
00 Bottle of still water.
00 Bottle of alcoholic drink.
00 Bottle of juice.
00 Fruit.
00 Chocolates.
00 Thank you card/
00 birthday anniversary card

Toiletries
00 Plastic jug and lidded container or emergency potty or Campervan toilet.
00 Tissues,
00 Toilet paper and
00 wet wipes.
00 Hand gel.

Destination Toiletries
00 Washbag with
00 flannel and
00 small towel.

Sports equipment
00 Swimsuit.
00 Swimhat.
00 Plastic shoes.
00 Small towel.

Gym/running kit
00 shoes/trainers
00 socks
00 shorts
00 tank top
00 gym towel

Stationery
00 Diary
00 Notebook
00 Pen
Conference agenda
00 business cards and box
00 books to sell
00 Leaflets or brochures.
00 address Book for new contacts.
00 Stationery set: -
00 ruler,
00 hole punch,
00 stapler,
00 sellotape,
00 eraser,
00 pen,
00 pencil.
00 card index cards
00 treasure tags/ribbon
00 Notes for your speech/address
00 Books to read
00 Magazines to read
00 File or folder for conference papers
00 2nd folder for destination papers marked with name of city

Arts and Crafts
00 Sewing kit.
00 Sketchpad and colours or paints and brushes.

Contacts
00 Names, titles and phone numbers of colleagues you hope to meet.
Recent activities and awards of VIP speakers you might meet.

00 Pack pills and
00 medications.
00 Perfume/deodorant.
00 Plugs.

Last check Before leaving home
00 give family your address and
00 water plants.

Wear
00 necklace,
00 bracelet and
00 one adjustable size ring - no more to guard against loss.

If walking take
00 walking shoes and
00 binoculars.

Also any cards you might need:
00 Credit cards; pin numbers.
Loyalty cards:
00 Tesco
00 Waitrose
00 Starbucks
00 Costa.
Entry cards e.g.
00 National Trust.

Researching/ordering/booking
00 Cancel or order weekend newspaper.
00 Check the hotel website and Tripadvisor on choice of rooms.
00 cost of WIFI
00 cost of parking
00 book optional tours.

00 Rehearse your one minute self-introduction elevator speech.
e.g. My name is Angela Lansbury. I'm the author of two books on quotations. I'm looking for tips on how to give a prize-winning international speech.