Before you leave for your trip:
- British Nationals: register with LOCATE
- Buy adequate travel insurance
- Make copies of your travel documents - consider keeping electronic copies stored online in a secure place.
- Create a list of all the important telephone numbers for your bank, lost and stolen, insurance, airline, personal emergency contacts etc and make sure you have the correct numbers for dialling from overseas (store this information online as well as carrying on your person/storing in your mobile phone).
- Find out emergency numbers for the country you will be visiting and if you are taking a mobile phone, programme them into your phone and keep another record of them, separate from where you keep your mobile.
- Make sure you have enough funds in various formats (currency, debit card, credit card, top-up Visa).
- A list of your immunisations, any medical conditions and prescribed medications.
- Travelling solo and feeling a little nervous? Why not try researching your destination on Google Maps Street View? I find this useful if I'm arriving in a new place, late at night on my own, so that I know where I'm going - can give you a good idea of how long the journey should be if you get a taxi, to make sure the driver doesn't take you in the opposite direction!
- No airport pick-up? Check the transport options by visiting your destination airport's website. If you are travelling with Trek America, they provide advice on how to get to the gateway hotels
- If your home is going to be empty while you are away, leave it secure and adequately insured. If someone can keep an eye on your property, a relative for example, even better.
Stuff I always take when I travel
(not in any particular order and I might add more over time)*:
- Mosquito bite zapper These things are awesome, everyone always wants to borrow it. You buy them from places like Boots, who also stock a Boots brand version
- Petzl head torch If you've ever tried using a portable toilet in the middle of the night in the desert, you'll know why a head torch is a must!
- Sense of humour :D
- A pre-paid Visa card (Visa electron) - great alternative to carrying cash and travellers cheques
- Boots Soltan High SPF sun cream (both the water resistant and insect repellant varieties) and after sun lotion with insect repellant (I guess my blood tastes good :D) Boots do sun cream in mini ouches which are good for carrying on a day hike
- Deet (because sun lotion with repellant isn't strong but it is a good secondary form of protection).
- Packable holdall - if I take my backpack, I always take a packable holdall that is big enough to store my backpack in. It's great for protecting your backpack in transit during the flight and can be useful for storing stuff at a hotel/hostel while you go off on a mini adventure for a few days. I've also used it at the end of a trip to pack extra stuff that I've bought - put the backpack in the holdall and packed the rest of the stuff around the backpack ;o) I bought a Eurohike one about 10 years ago for about £10 that has been all over the world; they don't seem to sell the same one but I found a similar Eurohike holdall
- Silicone earplugs - if you're a light sleeper and want a good rest, take earplugs on your travels. BioEars soft silicone earplugs are the most comfortable earplugs I've ever worn.
- Dry shampoo - this can be invaluable when you're roughing it, especially if you have hair that needs washing daily. I love Lee Stafford - smells great and they now do a version for blondes and brunettes! A Trek tour leader, Lauren Karasek recommended using talc too and this can be a good alternative if you're desperate. It does work better if you have fair hair though.
- dry soap - the anti-bacterial stuff that comes in liquid form for washing your hands.
- Decent pair of hiking/trail trainers.
- A first aid kit - how much you take and what you take depends upon where you are travelling to and any hazards associated with that region and any activities you may undertake.
- Spare plastic bags - varying sizes. Useful in all kinds of situations - a bin liner can keep your backpack dry, or your butt if you need to sit on wet ground! Smaller plastic bags can be used to separate your clean and dirty clothes, minimise the risk of leaking toiletry bottles and can even be used to keep your feet dry if you find yourself in snow/wet ground without waterproof footwear - wrap the bag around your feet (over your socks) and this will keep your feet dry - a friend very much appreciated using my spare bags to keep her feet dry whilst walking in deep snow in Zion over the Christmas holidays!
- PADI ID - if you're a diver, you just never know when the opportunity may arise :-)
*I'm not affiliated with any of these products, just sharing tips on stuff I use.
