packing

Travel Checklist

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:43:19 PST

My obsessive-compulsive behavior comes out when I am travelling. I always have to have a travel checklist. Maybe it's also partly because I have become rather forgetful lately. To spare you from the same horror I get every time I forget something on my travels, I'm sharing with you my travel checklist:

The essentials (excludes clothing items):

Shampoo
Soap
Conditioner
Facial wash
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Tissue
Q-tips (cotton buds)
Lotion
Moisturizer
Lip balm
Towel
Slippers
Cap
Shades/sun glasses
Perfume/cologne
Camera
Camera charger or battery
Cellular phone
Phone charger
Plastic or laundry bags - to separate dirty clothes and wet items from clean and dry ones
Small purse - prefer one with several pockets for your celphone, loose change, hotel key, etc. Also try to get one that you can hang around your neck to avoid misplacing your stuff.
Lighter or a box of matches - you never know when you need them!
Bottle of water
First Aid Kit - don't forget to include a few tablets for headache, diarrhea, and hyperacidity

Additional items for when you have plans of going swimming:

Sun block or sun tan lotion - depending on what you want to achieve
Swimsuit
Goggles
Sarong - great for the beach!
Additional towel - you don't want to use your bathroom towel to dry you up after swimming in the beach or the public pool and vise versa!
Beach mat
Beach bag - prefer one with several pockets on it to separate dry from wet items

And if you're a girl, here are some other items you should not forget to include:

Feminine Wash
Panty liner
Sanitary napkin - you never know when you'll need it!

Non-essentials but also good to have:

Candies or bubble gums
Pack of biscuits
Small notebook and pen or your mini laptop - to record your experiences!

Seven Phenomenal Websites That Will Save You Hundreds Next Time You Travel

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:06:59 PST

These websites will without a doubt save you money, time and best of all, give you some great ideas for how to travel.

Sta Travel

On STA Travel you can select the continents your interested in traveling to and create a RSS feed of cheap flights that fly to those continents. This site is geared towards student travelers who don't have rigid schedules to adhere too and is a great opportunity to find good deals. You may not know you wanted to visited Paris, but for $490 round trip, how could you not?

Art of Travel

"How To See The World... On $25 A Day On Less!" This website, written by a veteran traveler, is a great resource for how to save money, how to pack, what not to take, where not to go and how to get by on the cheap, you must see this website.

AirNinja.com

Air Ninja is a great flight finder, the way the engine works is you can input your city, and destination and Air Ninja shows you only discount Airline Carriers who fly to and from these locations. Air Ninja only shows discount carriers, so if you can't find a discount carrier going to where you want, you may be forced to book through Travelocity or other brokers.

OneBag

To quote the website "The art and science of traveling light" This website is a great resource for anyone traveling, no matter where your going or for how long. And not just tips on packing but what to bring, what to wear and how to get around. Even the veteran traveler can learn why not to bring cotton towels and the many uses of a clothesline.

Hostels.com

The ultimate database of hostels worldwide. You can book through their website and read reviews. Nothing beats staying in Tokyo for $13 a night.

Couch Surfing Project

Listings of free places to stay all over the world. FREE. Yes FREE. This is great for travelers looking to cut cost. Don't worry about ending up in a undesirable situation, you can do your research of the places you'll be staying. This is also a great way to see the real hot spots of a country and not just the touristy locales.

Fare Compare

Fare Compare allows you to search numerous air ticket sales websites at once and compare them easier than going to each site and imputing your search in over and over.

Great Packing Tips to Save You From Headaches

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:03:30 PST

Coordinate your outfits. Bring clothes you can mix and match. Choose one main color for your travel wardrobe, such as black, gray, navy, or khaki, and pack only items that coordinate.
Consider your plans. Make a list of your planned activities and consider which clothing will be best for each event. Remember color coordination as you do this.
Figure out what you can get away with. If you'll be seeing different people every day, take fewer items and get more use out of them by bringing clean shirts or tops to refresh a few suits, skirts, pants, and jackets.
Inspect your clothes. Don't wait until you're filling your suitcase to look at the clothes you're planning to pack. Give yourself time to sew on buttons, do laundry, or take clothes to the cleaners.
Shun your shoes. Coordinating your clothing means you'll need fewer pairs of shoes. Since they are usually the heaviest and bulkiest items in a suitcase, consider taking two pairs that can be rotated for hygiene and comfort and a third pair of casual shoes or sneakers.
Avoid wrinkles. Pack in layers that are tight enough to keep garments from shifting around and loose enough so they aren't jammed together.
Pack suits, dresses, shirts, and blouses in plastic dry cleaning bags
Drape longer clothing across the suitcase and leave the edges hanging. Lay smaller items like T-shirts on top before folding the long ends over. This provides a little cushioning and helps prevent creasing.
Roll sweaters, pajamas, and other casual clothing to fill any gaps in the suitcase
Put heavy items, such as shoes and hair dryer, together along one edge of the suitcase or in a separate bag to keep them from weighing down and crushing clothing
Forget about linen
Make a list. Before you pack, jot down everything you must take with you. Check each item off as you put it in your luggage (don't forget to include toiletries, medication, etc.). This will do wonders to reduce travel-induced premature aging.

Roll underwear, socks, and other small items and tuck them into your shoes to keep your favorite wingtips from being crushed. Put shoes in plastic bags to avoid soiling other clothing.

How to and How Not to Pack

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:21:35 PST

We all love to travel, to visit exotic places, to experience new cultures, to make friends from all around the world and to generally have a good time. However, everything has a downside, and for me, the downside of traveling is having to pack. It's hard enough to have to cram everything I own into a tiny suitcase, but to do it in a couple of days is ... impossible. (Did I mention that the "couple of days" deadline is usually because I've been postponing packing until the very last minute?) So, if you are like me, with only a couple of days (or hours) to pack for an important trip, here are some things to remember:

Note: I'm sure that you, being a completely sane person, will not make these mistakes. This guide is for scatterbrains like myself.

Don't pack your mobile phone and forget your battery recharger. If you do, your phone won't be much use after a couple of days, unless it's one of those high-tech solar charging ones.
If leaving for overseas, don't bring a mobile phone that doesn't have Roaming (ability to make calls in any country). Otherwise, it won't be much use, unless you brought it along to be your lucky talisman.
Don't pack your passport in a bag that you don't personally carry. By "personally carry", I mean that your passport containing bag has to be on you at all times. Yes, even when you are in the toilet. The reason for this is that if you pack your passport into your suitcase, it's possible that it'll be missing later, because you haven't been attentive enough looking after your suitcase and someone else saw this as a wonderful opportunity to steal something.
If your luggage is in danger of being "overweight", don't pack anything that's useless, like white/lined paper or an extra storybook. This means that you don't pack anything that'll be available in your destination and you don't pack anything that's not strictly necessary.
Pack early. Otherwise you'll be buzzing around trying to find your favorite pair of jeans which seems to have "disappeared". Oh, and you are assured that doing so the day before your trip will result in an empty luggage and a mad luggage-holder.
Don't count the number of books/CDs/etc that you bring to make sure that it doesn't amount to thirteen. Packing isn't the time for being superstitious.
Don't waste time writing articles like this one, or any other articles at all. There'll be plenty of time for that when you get home. Of course, a little rebellious voice in you will shriek - “But I've got to finish this! I've got to. Absolutely got to!”

Well, if you follow those seven commandments above, you should be fine for packing. If you don't, I'm sure you'll be fine too, as long as you keep a level head and don't stress too much. If you are one of those lucky people with a robotic luggage packer or equivalent (i.e. if someone else helps you pack your luggage), don't forget to thank whomever it is with a hug and a kiss.

Trip Planning/taking Trips

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:00:59 PST

If your going to be heading out on a vacation then you should plan well in advanced. This way you can find the best deals, not forget anything and know what your doing. Going on an unplanned trip is just asking for disasters. This time, plan your trip months in advanced so you can actually relax and have a nice vacation without worries.

Tip #1- Deciding your budget for your vacation

Before any trip takes place you should know how much money you have to spend. Figure out how much you have for food, air fair, gas, hotel stay etc. You should know all your aspects, plus don't forget about emergency money. This could even be a credit card. Just in case something happens. Know your limits and stay within that area.

Tip #2- Deciding on your vacation spot

Once you know how much you can spend, you then need to know where your going to spend it at. If your on a tight budget, then try picking a spot that is not very popular. You can still go near what you want, just stay on the outskirts of the place. If you spend most of your money on your hotel stay then you wont have much left to do anything else.

Tip #3- Planning your trip

If you start with enough time then you have plenty time to catch deals, and gather all the information you should need for your trip. You should call around the city you want to be located in and ask to be on their mailing list. They will send you maps, coupons and other small items. If your flying then you should start booking your flight now. Waiting until it gets to close only means higher prices if you can get a flight. Plan any day trips you wish to go on while there. Remember a vacation is about relaxing and having fun. With that in mind, don't over book your time. Rushing around on vacation from one place to another will only stress you out and when your vacation is over you will feel as if you need another one just so you can recoup.

Tip #4- Make Reservations

Start by calling the hotels or looking online for the best deals. Let them know you will be going on a vacation there soon. The longer you stay the better deal you can get. I prefer booking my reservations online, so I can print the confirmation. This way if their is a problem when I go on vacation I have proof that its not my fault. If you planned any day activities then make them reservations now also. This way everything is all settled out.

Tip #5-Notebook

Get a notebook out now. Write every ones name on a separate page will be going. Leave this book on the table. Have everyone start writing things down in this book that you will need for your trip. This way you wont forget anything when you go to leave. Remember you want your vacation to be a real vacation, not a worry trip.

Tips #6- Packing

I would start packing at least one week prior to leaving. This way you can pack as you go and your not rushed into anything. Everything should be packed, zipped and tagged 2 days prior to leaving for your vacation.