Travel Bits: October 2018

Packing Travel Essentials.......

What are travel essentials? Well, this typically differs from person to person. It also differs depending on the type of trips one is embarking on. 

The travel essentials which I usually pack for my trips are light-weight items that add conveniences during my stays abroad. Whether its for a beach vacation, a short country-side or nature park trek, sight-seeing tours, shopping trips or a self-drive holiday, the list provides me with the bare necessities to enhance my travel experiences.

While most of the items in the list can be easily purchased during my travels, it is usually more convenient and economical to pack and bring them along then to buy them on arrival at a new city. For example, they may not be sold in singular or small quantities or you may not be able to find the right size even if you can find the same items in the shops.

Here is my top packing list:

1. Plastic Cutleries -  I usually pack a set of plastic cutleries in my check-in luggage. This includes a spoon, a fork and a pair of chopsticks. Why plastic? Because they are light, cheap and convenient. And yes, I do wash them, take them home and re-use them for my next trip, thus cutting down on unnecessary plastic wastes. Cutleries are essential for those late night suppers in the hotel room when I may feel hungry and decide to have a light meal of instant noodles or to dine on those packs of takeaways bought from convenience stores or supermarkets.

2. Travel Adaptors - Different countries have different power plug designs! A multi-adaptor is an important travel accessory in this age of smart phones and smart devices which all run on electricity and need to be charged in the night after a day of use on the road. I certainly do not wish to end up being unable to charge my electronic devices just because I do not have the right power plug for the country I am visiting. A multi-adaptor works anywhere in the world. Buy one and it comes in handy for almost every trip.

3. Notebook and Pen - While we can record almost any information on our electronic devices, it always pays to have a small notebook and a pen during our travels. This is extremely useful for taking notes of the places we visit, writing down a phone number or simply keeping tabs on any other information such as important credit card numbers or travel insurance details. Thieves or pickpockets may steal your electronic devices but they certainly won't be bothered with your worn and tattered travel notebook. Get the point? :-)

4. Small Plastic Bags - A few of these may just come in useful when you need to protect your travel documents or books from the rain or water. They will also be useful if you need to segregate small items in your luggages. And a few of them are light-weight enough and occupy almost next to nothing when it comes to the weight and space budget in your luggages. 

5. Battery Pack - Probably one of the most essential travel accessories in this day and age. This allows me to charge my many electronic devices on the go. Battery packs must only be packed into the hand-carry and never in the check-in luggages. They are not allowed to be in check-in for safety reasons.

And with those few extra items, I am usually off to a rewarding trip knowing that my travel experiences will be enhanced just because I had done my homework and bring along the items in my essential travel list.

My handy carry-on luggage with all my travel essentials. This photo was taken while I was waiting to board my flight at the Orlando International Airport, Orlando, Florida, United States (2016)