Packing - Where to begin?!

Every traveller, no matter the destination or length of time they are going away for, always face that age old question – ‘what should I pack!?’

Now this is just my personal opinion when it comes to me getting ready for a new adventure but here is what I recommend:

Passport & Tickets

First and foremost and probably the most important items you will need for your trip is your passport and tickets. No matter what, I always make sure these are the first items I pack in my travel wallet. I highly recommend that you always and I mean always double check you have them with you because you do not want to reach the airport raring and ready to go only to find you have left your passport behind or forgotten it. That moment of panic right before you travel is not something you want to experience and personally missing flights because i forgot my passport is definitely not high on my travel agenda list! It is not fun; mates of mine who have been there and done that have reassured me of this.

Before this though you want to make sure your passport is valid for your time of travel. If not, again, you are at risk of experiencing more than that moment of panic.

If you are an Aussie and need to renew your passport, apply for a new one, report it lost or stolen or even if you just have questions regarding passports, a great informative website is: www.passports.gov.au or you can call them on 131 232. Furthermore you can seek information at your local post office. These guys are one of the places to go to renew your passport details / update that photo that may be a few years too old and can assist mostly in any questions you may have.

Copies

Unless you have travelled a bit in your time or you are normally quite an organised soul or you have come face to face with getting lost or forgetting where you are supposed to be staying / going - copies of your itinerary, passport/s, travel insurance, hostels/hotels can be the furthest thing from your mind but let me tell you it needs to now be one of the first things you think of for your next trip. Why you may ask? For safety. Safety for yourself and the person you may be traveling with (if you aren’t traveling solo) and usually for the comfort of your parents / friends / loved ones who are wondering where you currently are in the world. Before I leave for my destination I provide copies to my parents and best friend / and or partner of my itinerary which should include all your flights, hotels/hostels you will be staying at, the tours you will be embarking on, your travel insurance details and all emergency contact numbers of said places. If you have housemates it is also great to supply them with such information. I also provide them with copies of my passport and any visa’s I have applied for, for entering countries that require them. Some may think this is a little over doing it but as beautiful as the world is, it can also be dangerous and it is much better to be safer than sorry should you get into any trouble along the way but touch wood it is smooth sailing.

Money / Cards

It really does come to personal preference but i definitely prefer organising travel bank cards to take with me on trips rather than taking my personal saving or credit cards as if i lose them you have to go through the whole process of cancelling them and then you don't have another to use while you wait for new ones etc. At least with travel cards, if you lose them or they are stolen you can cancel them but you also have the backup options of your other cards (thinking ahead always). So make sure you plan ahead in this regard in either organising travel cards, exchanging money ahead of time so at least you have some of the currency for the place you are visiting before you arrive.

Travel Wallet

Purely for the fact it makes tracking the above necessities totally easy! I have a five divider wallet which makes tracking your passport, tickets, money, copies that much easier!

Safety

Another thing i ensure i do before a trip is registering myself on the Smart Traveller website. By registering yourself and your trip you are helping the smart traveller team to be able to contact yourself or your family in the event of an emergency. Super handy right?! You can also subscribe to their website to receive official government advice when traveling (alerts etc). It is overall a great website for all sorts of advice for all sorts of travellers (backpackers, dual nationals, seniors, students, traveling with kids etc). If you haven't yet heard about it check it out! Travel Insurance

The age ol question people 'um' and 'ah' about is whether or not to get travel insurance for your trips. I have been there, done that too but it's not until you come face to face with a moment where you need it that you go'yes this should be a must every time i travel!' Mine was with my camera, it got damaged but luckily enough i had travel insurance with Covermore and it was seen to and fixed in a timely manner when i returned from my trip! Even if you are going on a short trip, i would still highly recommend paying and seeking travel insurance. At the time you may be like ' $79+ i don't want to pay' but when it comes to a gadget possibly being damaged or what if something gets stolen? You definitely won't be regretting what you spent on travel insurance then believe me! There are tonnes of options for travel insurance and again it comes down to personal preference and experience. My experience with Covermore has constantly been a great one so i have never felt the need to look elsewhere. Travel Health

It's a given, normally at the moments you don't want to get sick or feel run down are the exact moments it happens! The more you travel, the more you learn the do's and don'ts of packing, the pro's and con's and what can really save your life when it was a 'do i really need to pack this moment!?' Yes, yes you do!' I now ensure when traveling that i at least take pain and fever relievers (panadol / nurofen etc), cold and flu medication (lozenges, day and night tablets), diarrhea / laxative medicines (i know you don't want to think about it but trust me when i can say it can hit you at the worst times!), Sunburn relief (aloe vera gel has been my best friends on some occassions!), insect repellent (with some places that have zika virus / dengue fever you want to ensure you take some form of insect repellent with you) , motion sickness tablets (another you won't think you need but it helps to have). It really does pay to have a travel kit when traveling.

Chargers I don't know about you guys but along with my main travel necessities above i always make sure I've got ALL my chargers set together so i remember to pack them all! Phone charger/s, camera charger/s, Go pro charger, portable charger, the correct power adaptor for the country / place i am visiting. I love taking photo's so i am big on making sure my gadgets and gizmo's are always charged ready to go! Extra's I have no doubt in my mind that the above list may not be everyone's top priorities when it comes to packing but they are the first things i think of when it comes to my next adventure. Along with, i will call them my luxuries, below: - Backpack over suitcase (especially for places such as Europe or South America) because those cobble stone paths can reeeeally get you and your suitcase. I have experienced the broken suitcase one too many times on such paths. Kathmandu was where I purchased my latest backpack for my previous 2.5 month adventure and it served me extremely well!

- Phone, Camera & Go Pro (of course! Who doesn't like capturing their moments to relive the memories!) - Travel apps that can help with language, money conversion and directions can always be a winner! I know Duolingo saved me a couple of times on our adventure to South America!

- Clothes - an obvious one of course and of course it depends on where you are going as to what you pack but try to ensure you pack smart. Include clothes that you can wear more than once, that can be layered over if it gets too cold. Ones that you want to wear on nights out but also items you don't mind throwing away if you decide to go a bit overboard on buying souvenirs. If you are going to multiple destinations, try and think if it is worth it to take both summer and winter sets of clothing or whether you can possibly hire winter gear where you are headed. Shoes - definitely pack a pair of walking shoes because once you have done a few days in thongs / jandles / flip flops (as some like to call them) your feet will thank you for a stable pair of walking shoes. Also like most that go traveling they say that you should pack your suitcase once and then do it again and halve what you have packed because really do you need that much clothing?! -Reading material - Unfortunately we don't always get the best of flights, sometimes the layovers can be quite length and there is only so much scrolling on social media you can do so ensure you have some sort of reading material for such occassions. Whether that be a great book or even a podcast you can listen too while getting your steps up walking around the airport. Even taking your laptop to work on some possible blogs or writings you may have. It will definitely make that waiting time go that little bit faster. I am sure so many of you have your own little tricks of the trade when it comes to packing and what you think is most important vs not so much so please feel free to leave comments sharing yours with me!

'The Wayfaring She'

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