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| Page Views: 564 | Travel tips by Mique - last update: Nov 19, 2007 |
| One of the handiest books for travel in the world |
I didn't know where to put this so i just do it here. It'll grow over time i'm sure. I'll add something anytime i think of something. By now i probably know so much that i don't even know what i've forgotten. But i do get a question about travel tips reasonably often and then don't exactly know what to answer. So many things seem obvious to me but then again, they might not be that to someone else. Anyways, i'll be using this page to give it a try and come up with answers. I hope it'll be of help |
| The booklet is called: point it |
|  | General tips Scan your passport and other valuable documents and mail it as an attachment in an email to yourself. This way you'll always have a 'copy' in reserve even if you loose everything. Have at least 1 copy of your passport (and visa if that is required in the country where you are). You can use it to check in in hotels and such. This way you don't need to get your passport out. And you can even use it to travel around the country should your passport be at an embassy/consulate for another visa Always have some of these little wet towels (tissues) with you. Preferably single packed.Many a place doesn't have sink where you can wash your hands. They also can double as toilet paper should you have run out.... Carry with you some tiger balm. It is THE best known method (by me at least) to get over some of that most horrible smell that sometimes assaults your nose way before you reach the toilets... Dab a little under your nose and it wouldn't be that bad to visit those smelly places.
Besides, Tiger Balm is incredibly useful for when you have muscle pain, a blocked nose, the flu etc... The best locks to use are the ones that have number locks. You can use those even if you share a room since you can recode it afterwards. Besides, you cannot lose the key. And bring at least one small cable (they have very light sturdy ones available) so you can tie your luggage to a rack, someone else's luggage (if your traveling with someone and you're leaving your luggage in storage for example), or anything else when you can't be very close to your luggage or just want to go and sleep (like in overnight trains) A very very obvious one but i'll post it anyways... Do keep a reasonable amount of money (depending on the country you're in) in your pocket. This way no one knows where you keep your wallet (and PLEASE don't keep it in your back pocket or a place that obvious) and they have no clue about how much money you have with you. The small, every day things you can pay with this cash in your pocket. If someone manages to rob you, no great loss. But i've found it a pretty usefull place to keep my money and so far i've never been robbed. As an 'added' to the previous tip: keep valuables in a money belt that you keep underneath your clothes. The ones you can wear outside your clothes are way to obvious a place to store stuff and every thief can see it (and they know exactly what to do). Store passport, traveller's cheques and the like in those little plastic sealable bags that you can use for refrigerating stuff. I know from experience that those money belts aren't waterproof or if they are, they aren't so for a year or more... If you are new to a place and there are a lot of different cab-companies, take a taxi from the company that you see most. The driver will be least likely to rip you off. The company has a name to uphold and is probably well established. If no prices are easily found, make sure you agree on a price beforehand. Or make them use the meter (though that doesn't work in all countries since it might be that the meter has 'upmarket' rates as well) On how to deal with long train travels i wrote tips on my Russia page. Hope these tips can be off help. They are mostly the same for other countries that i know where train travel can take up a lot of time. If you travel in an overnight bus (even the VIP ones) bring a sweater or light travel blanket (sleeping bags are nice too). Many of them have something called 'airco' which is a nice way to describe the near freezing temperatures sometimes. You'll sleep a lot better with something warm covering you. There have been a few (rare) occasions when i didn't need it. We all try to have as little stuff with us as possible. So another little tip. If you, like me, have to use conditioner for your hair every once in a while, keep in mind that it can also double as shaving cream when there is the need to 'deforest' your legs..... |
| And it has all these incredible useful pictures... |
| | If you have an upset stomach, try calming it down by drinking yep.. COLA. Preferably as flat as it can be. Leave the bottle uncapped for a while or drink very slowly from a glass. You'll be amazed at how well this usually works.
On the other hand, if you'd really would like to throw up but need a little bit of 'help', drink orange juice. The acid will most likely do the trick.
In tropical countries make sure you drink enough and use enough salt. I frequently run into people who complain about a slight headache which is the first stage of dehydration. Drink a glass of water with a bit of sugar and salt if you don't have re-hydration stuff with you. It'll taste awefull but it'll help. The best (and nicest way) to do it though is to drink lime juice with a bit of sugar and salt. Much more tasty..
Bring school supplies but NEVER take candy for the children if you go to remote and/or poor areas. It seems like a real nice gesture but actually you'll be corrupting them into asking for it. And besides, since most of these villages rely on natural teeth cleaners they aren't very prepared to deal with the cavity issue of refined sugars. Little souvenir items are great give aways too. But do give bigger things only if someone has really helped you out.
If you decide to go backpacking for a bit longer, make sure you buy a backpack that suits you. There are many kinds on the market nowadays. Toploaders, frontloaders and like mine, backpacks that are both. I like the fact that i can unzip my pack like a 'suitcase' when i need something i know is on the bottom. Then again, sometimes it is so easy just to grab that sweater that i put on top. I tried many a pack before i got mine (a MacPack) which i designed especially for women. It did cost me a fair bit but now, 3 years into heavy use, it i still in perfect working order so i guess it's been worth the money.
As soon as you are planning to pack your bag, decide what you want to take. Make stacks of 'absolutely essential', 'necessary' and 'nice-to-have'. Pack your bag and carry it around for a while (e.g. go for a walk in the park for about an hour), you'll quickly find that you've packed way too much stuff and don't really need as many nice-to-haves and even necessary things as you thought. Even the 'absolutely essential' category can come under scrutiny.
I've found that, for me at least, having few pockets in my backpack works perfect. I have no side-pockets, front pockets and the like (but a decent sized top one) so i'm not tempted to fill up, or hang all kinds of stuff from my pack (i can resize it if needed, making it slightly bigger if really necessary). The useful thing is that since everything is tucked away inside the pack, i don't get stuck behind doors, handles, etc so much as i've seen other people do (on a regular basis). For inside the pack i have different coloured small bags in which i keep smaller things (socks, underwear, small stuff). Easy to find in your pack when you need something |
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lubama05 Wed Nov 4, 2009 21:14 UTC
Telefoon?!!! wow, wat een vooruitgang. welke tijd bel ik je niet wakker? Toevallig ook al een werkend postadres? Zag overigens je foto op schoolsite mies. is dat huidige of vorige school? liefs! ps nieuw emailadres hier. | yumyum Tue Oct 27, 2009 06:59 UTC
Thanks Sandra! Was in a thermal bath which was great :)) | SLLiew Mon Oct 12, 2009 14:22 UTC
Hi Sandra, Your baby has grown fast and cute. | Waalewiener Thu Oct 8, 2009 20:02 UTC
Hi Sandra Thanks for the B day wishes I read some of your H page and seen your beautiful little boy growing like a weed Looks like you are doing quite well in Burma and that is just great Hoping all the best for you Sandra |
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