Even after only a few trips under
your belt, you will discover that each time you pack for a new trip, you will
use almost the exact same checklist that you used last time. It isn’t uncommon
that every trip you will add an item or two on your checklist that will be
useful on the upcoming trip, or delete an item that was a waste of space and
weight in your bag on your last trip. Regardless of the changes you make, you
will soon find out that having a checklist when preparing for a trip tends to
put your mind somewhat at ease, knowing that the complete necessities will be with
you.
However, have you ever stopped to
think that maybe there are some things that you are forgetting to put on your
personal checklist that would be beneficial to have when abroad? Below, I have
created a list of items that could very well be convenient to possess when
traveling, and therefore may become part of your new and/or revised checklist. Many
of these items are not on the average checklist, but you’ll realize that maybe
they should be.
Improve your checklist for your next big adventure now by
adding these small items:
1) A SMALL NOTEBOOK:
This could be useful
in many ways. However, the main reason why I bring a notebook each time I
travel is to keep track of everything we have done on our trip. My dad
recommended to do this before our first big trip, and boy, was I happy I did! Now
I can look at these notes some years down the road and remember and reminisce
about the many adventures we had on that trip. Every trip since then I have
taken notes about all of our adventures.
Side Note: It’s actually very easy to write down your daily escapades.
At the end of each day (maybe even when I lay in bed), I make it a priority to
write down what we did, where we went, what we ate, etc. on our trip because I
don’t want to forget anything that happened. I really enjoy doing this every
trip as kind of a way to wind down and reflect on the day. I always smile when
thinking and writing about our shenanigans. Keep in mind that it’s not
necessary to write every single detail. However, make sure to include major
sites, yummy dishes, and fun/funny/memorable stories that you know you will
want to relive one day when looking back on your incredible trip.
2) MAKE AND BRING AN ITINERARY:
Include times, directions, phone numbers, descriptions of
site and places. We all know the intention of an itinerary. However, try your
best to carefully plan out your itinerary the best you can. You will not ever follow
you it exactly how you planned, but the more precise you are when preparing it,
the easier and time efficient your trip will be, meaning less stress on you.
Side Note: Try out Visitacity.com! It has everything for you
to personalize your trip, including a map, descriptions of sites, and the
fastest route from point A to point B.
3) BRING A HEAVY DUTY FOLDER:
Use this to organize important documents. To save yourself
stress and time, keep documents that you will need in this one spot. Organize
your itineraries, online purchased print-outs, plane and train tickets (this is
important considering it will save you the hustle and bustle, time, money, and
possibly confusion).
4) HEADPHONES:
Keep them close so you are able to use them while you sit
and wait wherever you may be, including planes, trains, and automobiles. Don’t
rely on the complimentary ones they may or may not give to you on the airplane.
With headphones, you will be able to entertain yourself with movies, music, Ebooks,
and any other downloaded stuff on your phone.
5) UNIVERSAL ADAPTER/CHARGER + EXTRA CORDS:
Search on Amazon.com to find a less expensive, quality one
that has more than one USB hook-up. The current one we use has 4 USB units that
we use to charge two phones at a time and an iPad, if needed. Don’t forget to
bring the suitable cords to be able to charge all of your devices.
6) PORTABLE CHARGERS:
Especially if you will be using your phone to take pictures,
you will need one (maybe two) portable chargers to bring with you when you are
out and about. You don’t want to miss out on taking more pictures because your
phone ends up dying. Don’t forget to bring the cords!
Side note: Keep your phone on “Airplane Mode” and/or “Power
Saving Mode” when taking pictures all day. This will conserve your battery.
Another easy way to conserve your battery is by exiting all of your recently
used apps.
7) BAGGIES/ZIPLOCK BAGS:
Works great for all receipts, dirty clothes, snacks, etc. I
usually keep all receipts just in case. I also use these bags to save brochures
and booklets (keepsakes) that I receive from museums and sites. Baggies come in
handy. You’ll see!
8) SATISFYING AND FILLING SNACKS:
Don’t make the mistake of taking too many snacks. Snacks
such as candy will only keep your hunger satisfied for a short period of time
and waste space in your carry on. Bring only a few filling snacks such as a
couple of granola bars and trail mix so they won’t take up a lot of space, but
will be enough to hold you over until you can get a cheap snack somewhere other
than the airplane. As you may know, snacks are overly priced on planes…Chex Mix
for $5? No, thank you!
Side note: Bring an empty water bottle so you can fill it up
at a water fountain after security. Again, $3 for a bottle of water on the
airplane, or even $2 at the airport before the plane is ridiculous!
Side story from side note: On the plane from London to
Barcelona, Daren was extremely thirsty. We didn’t have any water with us, nor
did our airline serve any complimentary drinks. Neither of our credit cards
worked for whatever reason when we tried to purchase a bottle of water (and we
didn’t have any cash), so Daren had to suffer on the whole flight. I felt
terrible because we usually bring our own water bottle, but we were running
really late at the airport that afternoon. Don’t put yourself in that
situation. In fact, play it safe and fill up your own, individual water bottle
so you have that emergency bottle on hand.
9) APPROPRIATE CASH:
Though you don’t want to have a lot of cash on you at one
time, it’s a good idea to have some cash accessible. You never know when some
places or transportation systems only accept cash. Don’t put yourself in that
bad situation either.
Side note: Keep some cash with you, as well as in your bag.
If something were to happen to your purse/wallet, at least you have the cash
that you stashed in your carry on (or vice versa).
10) DISCOUNT CITY CARDS:
Before your trip, be sure to check to see if the cities in
which you are visiting have discount city cards. We got our money’s worth (and
more) with the Copenhagen and Barcelona city cards. Many cities offer these
cards which include discounts and possibly free entries to some sites. Plus,
usually free public transit comes with these cards. Sometimes the discounted or
free transportation perks alone are worth the purchasing of the city cards.
11) PEDOMETER/FITNESS APP:
This may not be a necessity. In fact, I had only thought of
this after our last trip, so stay with me here...
I always feel a little guilty that we don’t always have time
to exercise or go on a run as often as I would like when traveling. However, I
always remind myself of how much walking we do when we are abroad, then I don’t
feel so bad. After a few trips, I have become extra curious of how much walking
we actually accomplish when we are visiting a city, so I am excited to see how
many steps we will actually complete by the end of each day on our next trip
using a pedometer. I am certain these steps will make up for not exercising.
Next trip, I think I will just use a good, ‘ole fashion pedometer as oppose to
an app on my phone. Since I take pictures on my phone, I don’t want to risk using
up my phone battery on a pedometer app.
Side Note: If you are capable of going on a run in city you
are traveling, you should do it! It’s a great way to brush the jet-lag off, and
it is my favorite way to see and become familiar with a city. You may even be
able to knock off some of the sites on your itinerary!
Things to do before our next trip: Update my current
checklist.
Countdown to Iceland: 49 days
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