What Every Good Traveler Needs

For the last four days, I have been packing—and repacking—for my trip.  There is an interesting phenomenon that occurs when I pack for an extended trip: no matter how many lists I make, I always feel as though I’m forgetting something.  To be fair, I’m not much of a list maker in general, so I don’t really trust my list-making skills when it comes to something like this.  But, in the spirit of enhancing those skills, I have made a short list of things every traveler should do to prepare for a big trip.

1.     Make a list, check it...4-5 times

I know, it seems like a silly thing to point out given my introduction above, but this is a staple for all travelers.  Even if you have a much better memory than myself, having a list of everything you plan to pack is a great help.  For my own piece of mind I even make a list of what I’m going to wear each day.  Sure, I may stray from that depending upon weather and events that may come up during the actual trip, but it helps me to cover pretty much all of my bases.  I also like to make a list of toiletries that I’ll be taking, because there is invariably some item I’ll be using up until the day I leave for the airport.  For those, I don’t actually check them off until they’re in either my checked bag or my carry-on.  As to the number of times you check your list…that’s completely up to you.  I tend to check mine obsessively because—as I said before—I don’t really trust my own lists.

2.     Get a fanny pack

OK, we don’t need to go full 80's on our trips, but you definitely need something that you can keep close to your body that can hold your passport and money.  If you ever need a lesson in how easy it is to get items off of someone, take a look at this clip from Brain Games, or an oldie but goodie from Ripley’s Believe it or Not (Any chance for me to look at Dean Cain, thank you ;P).  Now, obviously these are examples where the people get their stuff back, so I don’t think we should risk it.  Therefore, I always keep my money and passport in a necklace pouch that I wear under my clothes.  I’m sure that a really good pickpocket could still get it if he or she was seriously motivated, but they’d have to get up close and personal…and I’d expect a nice dinner out of the encounter.

3.     Know your limitations

This one can cover both the physical and mental challenges of traveling.  Whether you’re going on a local trip or overseas, you need to make sure you’re prepared for the trip.  Over packing is a cardinal sin of traveling.  So long as you have the essentials (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, spare underwear, socks, or whatever you honestly can’t live without) you can get by in almost any situation or location.  Sure, airlines have a weight and size limit on bags, but you also have a weight and size limit on what you’re willing to carry around for an undetermined amount of time.  I once walked roughly four miles with a giant rolling bag and two carry-on-sized bags because I got mildly lost.  It’s amazing how even the small bags seemed to grow heavier with each step.  That is an experience I never wish to have again, and something I wouldn’t wish on anyone else.  As for the mental limitations, traveling can inundate you with a lot of new and exciting information.  Give yourself a chance to rest on occasion.  I suggest finding a nice café or restaurant that gives you a good view of the local attractions and an opportunity to people-watch.  That way, you’re still enjoying the sites, but in a relaxing manner.  Even a ten minute break from walking and taking pictures can do you a world of good.

4.     Bring a memory card

Speaking of taking pictures…the best thing about cameras today is that you don’t have to worry about the number of film rolls you can fit into your bags.  No matter what the size of your digital camera, there’s always room for a big memory card…or at least a card with a big memory.  You especially want more space if you’re planning to take a lot of video.  That can eat up memory faster than a zombie at a Mensa conference.  If you’re planning to bring your laptop along on your trip, then you really only need enough space on your memory card to last you a day or two.  That is of course assuming you’re planning to download your pictures and video each day, as I plan to.

5.     Get your house in order

For those of you who keep your home neat as a pin 24/7, you may keep lying to me and ignore this section completely.  Personally, I like to keep a small bit of clutter around so I have everything readily available (if you can lie about the 24/7 thing, I can lie about the reason for my clutter).  However, when I’m going on a trip, I like to get everything cleaned up and organized as possible.  Part of that is because I’m entirely morbid and I like to plan for worst cases scenarios wherein my parents may have to clear things out of my apartment, in which case I’d like to have it ready to go.  Mostly though, there’s nothing better than coming home from a long vacation and not having to do a thing with my place.  I can almost guarantee that I will walk through my door, kick off my shoes, throw my bag in the middle of the floor, and promptly fall face down on my bed for a good long nap.  Coming home to an orderly apartment also has the added benefit of knowing exactly where to place my new souvenirs.

6.     Take care of kitty

Now this one only applies to those with animals.  I will be away from my Firefly for a whole two weeks, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to bear it.  Then again, that’s two weeks in which I won’t have to scoop a single litter box.  Those of you with pets know that figuring out what to do with Fido can sometimes be the most stressful and time-consuming aspect of traveling.  Sometimes, it can even be the most expensive depending upon where your pet will be staying while you’re "off gallivanting God knows where" (Firefly’s words, I swear).  My parents are kindly kitty-sitting while I’m gone.  As you can imagine, this is a great weight off my mind.  Then again, I know Firefly will be hopelessly spoiled while I’m away, and there’s an extremely good chance she’ll give me the cold shoulder for the first day I’m back.  But that’s OK, pets forgive much more easily than people, and I have access to her treats.

Well, I think that completes my short list of travel tips.  I may think of more, and it sounds like I have a stop-over of 4.5 hours in London to think of more as needed.  I suppose I can add an addendum to #3 and say that part of my mental limitations that I need to compensate for is my tendency to get bored easily.  To that end, I have four wonderful traveling companions I can chat with.  And, when they get tired of me, I’ll have my laptop and some movies on a thumb drive to keep me occupied.

It’s almost feels like I’m actually going now.  I’m getting super excited, and just as nervous as I always feel before a big trip.  Hopefully, I’ll do my church proud and serve God as He needs.


1 DAY AWAY!!