Travel tips

No air travel tips or travel packing checklist would be complete without the following extremely useful items. Divide the checklist into four key areas to ensure that all the things you will need will get packed for your trip. Separate the things into the following categories: Essentials, First Aid, Finances, Clothing, Accessories, Toiletries and Miscellaneous Items.

Essential Items

1.      Emergency numbers and important addresses

2.      Suitcase and carry-on luggage

3.      Notebook for jottings

4.      Passport/Ticket/Itinerary/Visa

5.      Stationery- pens, pencils

6.      Travel insurance

First Aid kit

1.      Band aids

2.      Bandages

3.      Anti-diarrhea medication

4.      Insect repellent

5.      Iodine/ Hydrogen peroxide

6.      Medicines (as needed)

7.      Motion/Sea sickness tablets

8.      Tylenol/ Advil

9.      Re-hydration salts

10.  Travel scissors

11.  Tweezers

12.  Vitamins

13.  Water Purification tablets

14.  Vaccinations – get all relevant shots!

Finances

1.      Credit and debit cards ( Visa and MasterCard accepted worldwide)

2.      Local currency of the country being visited

3.      Traveler’s cheques

Clothing items

The bare essentials such as shoes/boots, underwear, sleep wear and a few items of everyday clothing like blouses, shirts, shorts, T-shirts, jeans and pants. Include one article of formal attire just in case.

Accessories

1.      A good hat/cap

2.      Belts

3.      Handkerchiefs/tissues/napkins

4.      Scarves

5.      Portable sewing kit

6.      Watch

Toiletries

1.      Hydro-cortisone cream

2.      Comb/brush/clips for hair

3.      Prophylactics (condoms, contraceptive pills)

4.      Q-tips

5.      Dental Floss

6.      Deodorant

7.      Make up including a chap stick/lip balm and moisturizer

8.      Bars of shampoo, conditioner and toothpaste

9.      Shaving cream

10.  Mirror

11.  Talcum powder

12.  Tampons/Sanitary napkins

13.  Toothbrush

Miscellaneous items

1.      Batteries (all sizes)

2.      Entertainment- novels/ebooks and reader

3.      Bottled water

4.      Camera/film and extra memory cards

5.      Chewing gum/mints/candy bars

6.      Luggage locks

7.      Compass

8.      Plastic cups/ forks/spoons

9.      Duct tape

10.  Cellular phone/charger/electrical adapter/plug converter

11.  Flashlight/torch

12.  Guidebooks

13.  GPS

14.  Travel pillows

15.  International driver’s license

16.  Ipods, MP3 player, Discman, PSP

17.  Laptop

18.  Maps

19.  Mosquito netting

20.  Ziploc bags

21.  Wet wipes

22.  Toilet paper

23.  Laundry detergent

Additional tips

• Luggage- Do not fold the clothes, roll them instead, especially in tissue paper. The bag will hold more and clothes will be less wrinkled. Keep medications and important papers inside the carry on especially for long flights with stopovers. Also, pack a change of clothing in the carry-on just in case your luggage gets delayed or worse yet stolen. Place the clothing in Ziploc bags so that they may be seen easily when you get to customs and to eliminate unnecessary rummaging. The plastic will make the clothing visible without having to unpack the entire bag.
• Diaper bags- Diaper bags offer a certain protection from theft so carry one even without baby to store important documents and cash. Chances are, the diaper bag will be the last bag anyone would want to steal!
• Shoes- When packing shoes, place shoes inside an old sock before putting them face to face inside a Ziploc bag. This will eliminate odors and maintain a clean suitcase.
• Divide and conquer- Divide all those credit cards, cash, traveler’s cheques and any other valuables by putting them in different pockets or compartments either on your person or inside your carry on. If one pocket is rifled through and cash is found, chances are the thief will not search further, leaving your backup stash safe and secure.
• Always exercise caution and common sense on every trip.