Some great tips on smart packing
Wolfgang Riebe has written a great little book on traveling packed with tips and ideas that Speakers will love. Here’s another excerpt from 101 Travel Tips.
Packing Your Bags
Pack spare toiletries and essentials in case you cannot find any at your destination. Always bear in mind the fluid and spray can limitations for hand luggage - 100ml.
Always carry a universal adapter with you. Plugs vary in foreign countries and on the plane. These can be bought in most electrical stores, or even at the airport at a premium price.
People actually complain that 20kg baggage is too little. As a frequent traveller my family and I only travel with hand luggage. That 20kg luggage allowance is more than ample. Stop packing unnecessary items. Also, if you look at the cost of excess baggage, it’s way cheaper to buy a T-shirt or clothes in the foreign city than paying the excess baggage costs!
If you really have tons of little items that take up space and fill your hand luggage, consider buying one of those photographer’s jackets or waistcoats. They have tons of pockets and you can store many items here, saving precious baggage space.
Always have a change of underwear and socks in your hand luggage if you check in your main bag. Imagine it gets lost for a day or two and you arrive in a foreign city after a 12-hour flight and have no change of underwear? Need I say more?
Always have a bag pre-packed with most items you need, ready in your cupboard. Thus if you have a last minute flight to catch, all you need to add is one or two items of clean clothing. Everything should be in there already, from toiletries to your passport. You will be amazed at how much time this saves.
Keep your hand baggage within the size limitations and weight. Airlines will pull you aside if they suspect it is over weight or too large. Also, an aluminium case may look smart, but it also looks heavier than a leather case. Odds are you’ll be pulled over with an aluminium case - just a thought!
If you roll your clothes in the suitcase, you can literally get in twice to three times as much.
Pack minimal clothes
Many people work on three sets of clothes and every night they return to the hotel room they wash everything in the bath or shower, giving it a day to dry. In this way you rotate between the three sets and can travel with minimum baggage. This is ideal for short business trips.
Put a business card or hand written address card inside your baggage in case it gets lost. Name tags on the outside of a bag ALWAYS get ripped off. In this way, at least when they open the bag, they can identify who it belongs to. Add the hotel details as well when checking in on an outbound flight.
Pack small items in your shoes - this saves space.
Stick a colourful sticker on your bag, or highly colourful tape around the handle so that it stands out and you can identify it. Yes, buying a bright red bag helps, but other people buy them too. Make a point of doing something to your bag that it immediately stands out from the rest and enables you to identify it straight away.
Ladies handbags! Re-pack them before going on a trip in case you have fluids and non-friendly security items in it. There is nothing worse than having to empty your handbag in front of everyone.
Be aware of the culture of the country you are travelling too. If you end up in a conservative country where most women are covered up, you will get into trouble if you walk around in a T-shirt and shorts.
Similarly, from a business perspective, make sure you are aware of the business etiquette in a foreign culture. One mistake on your part could ruin a huge deal!
Always leave space in your baggage when you leave. Often you will but souvenirs, receive gifts, or have extra items on your return. There is nothing worse than having to buy an extra bag, or being over-weight when returning home.
Video and still camera’s take up huge amounts of packing space, and can be stolen. Most people focus so much on taking pictures, they never really enjoy the environment they are in. Today mobile phones have advances so much and many come complete with built in HD video cameras, high quality still picture cameras, and access to the Internet. These phones can fit into your pocket and do everything your laptop, video and still camera can do. Plus, by using your mobile phone you will save tons of space!
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