Some suggestion for you and your travel partner to get ready for your vacation or business trip without stress!
Here are some very easy advices from an ex flight attendant, who used to live with her luggage in her hand.
On the internet there is a lot of 'check list' ready to print out to help you prepare your bag. Actually I used to have one too before but actually none of them had what I actually needed so I made my own and it's in my mind since 4 years.
Just remember to take the essential part with you ANYTHING ELSE, in emergency, can be purchased.
Any contents of a bag can be divided in 2 parts.
The essential part, NO matter where you go, you need these stuff.
The variable part, depending on where you go, which season and so on.
Hand Baggage
The essential part is very strict, for the most it is in form of documents and it's the only part of your bag that you cannot personalize or choose if take or not. Without them you I'll have trouble at the airport and probably won't be able to leave your country:
-Passport (is the MOST important thing) even if you forget your plane ticket you will be able to board the plane without problem if you show your passport at the check in counter, same if you arrive at the hotel without your hotel reservation just show them your passport they will find your registration in their data.
-Visa (if needed)
-Photocopy of these last two
-Plane ticket
-Hotel reservation
-Some cash
-Personal medicine (only if the person needs these on daily basis like Insuline for diabetic people) for all other problems you can simply ask the flight attendant. On any airplane there is a medical kit with medicine for any problem such as: headache, diarrhea, vomit and so on....
-Travel health insurance
Here comes the variable part:
-Anything that makes you feel comfortable during the flight for me ear plugs are the must! (slippers, travel pillow, blanket,...)
-Anything that helps you to kill the time (book, Kindle, sleeping pills... )
-Personal care (hygienic pads, moist towelettes, disinfectant, moisturizing facial spray...)
-Some snacks (is not allowed to take your own bottle of water but don't forget to drink a lot especially on long flights. What you can do is take your favorite tea bags and ask the flight attendant to give you a cup of hot water).
-A pen! (No matter how many times I already forgot to take one, I'll probably keep forgetting it forever. Sounds strange to take a pen but often you are required to fill in Arrival/Departure Cards while on board, flight attendants have some pens for you just in case, but only a few ones).
Your check in bag
to know exactly what you really need just start about 1 week before your departure to write on a piece of paper all the products you use everyday and organize them all in different little travel bag.
All my make up essentials as well as skin care products, shower products and so on are all stored in travel bags. Like this it will be easy to handle. Start to organize your travel bags dividing them per category like i did. After some days you will notice that everything you really need will be already stored in the bags. Remember:
IF YOU NEED IT AND HAVE TO GO TAKE IT FROM THE TRAVEL BAG, YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT
Fortunately there is some things you don't need on a daily basis but it is important to take them with you, such as medicines. Since next Friday I'm leaving for China again, but this time for a longer period I'll take a wide range of medicines. I want to share with you the list I wrote together with my doctor. (My list might look kind of exaggerate because of my long stay in China). For a one week vacation I'll never take so much stuff so I'll put in blue the special ones only for very long stays. Be sure to get all the vaccinations needed some weeks before your departure if requested.
- -Antibacterial hand sanizer
- -Intestinal Flora helper
- -Antidiarrheal medicament
- -Anti vomit medicament
- -Antiacid
- -Pain reliever (Ibuprofen)
- -Fever reducer medicine (Panadol, Dafalgan...)
- -Fever thermometer
- -Influence medicament (ex. Pretuval C)
- -Sore throat spray or candies
- -Antiseptic
- -Eye drops
- -Ear drops
- -Disinfectant
- -Gauze + disinfectant dressing
- -Band - Aid -Tweezers
- -A little pair of scissors
- -Nasal spray
- -Anti mosquito spray (depending on where you go)
- -Sun screen
- -Antibiotic cream
- -Eye drops with antibiotic
-Skin Fungus cream - -Antibiotic
I wish you all a wonderful vacation or short business trip with effortless baggage packing!
Lisa
Lisa