One of the things I miss the most is being able to travel. Before the pandemic traveling was a way for me to relieve stress, fatigue, and frustration. It is also a way for me to reset and re-center myself. Since I can’t travel I will just share my travels here.
I travel both international and local, and I like traveling alone. Because of this, I try to make sure I either pack light or pack smartly. I normally pack with space for things I want to bring home in mind. Whether I know what I would be buying or not, I always have to have space. If you can imagine — I normally allocate 30-40% of my bag space upon departure from home and around 80 – 100% capacity when going back home.
For my first travel entry, I will share what I normally bring in my travels.
PACKING TIPS
Pack what you only need.
I usually pack an extra shirt or underwear but if I were to pick which extra item I would bring … For me, I’d rather bring additional underwear. I don’t like buying additional underwear overseas and not all Airbnb have a washer/dryer.
Check the Weather
Shoes
I normally just bring a pair, and that’s the one I’m wearing from airport to airport. Why do I not bring a change of shoes you ask. It’s because for me my shoes take up a lot of space and that space would be better used for shopping. Hehehe! After learning the weather I can then pick the appropriate shoes to bring, not only for warmth, breathability, wearability for a length of time, and believe it or not — even for waterproofing (if needed).
Slippers
Depending on where I am going and where I am staying. If I’m staying in a hotel I don’t necessarily bring slippers because hotels usually provide them. And since I am not a fan of wearing my slippers while walking around outside, I don’t see any problem in using disposable slippers indoors.
Towel
I always pack a light bag whether overnight or for a week, that’s why I only bring 1 light towel with me. I make sure to dry my towel in between uses, and no it doesn’t smell because I’m extremely clean with myself. Though don’t forget to bring a handkerchief.
Sunglass
I always bring my sunglasses. Beach. City. Summer, Spring. Fall, Winter. Sunglasses is life.
Mosquito Repellent
When you live on a tropical island like me, you would learn in your earlier years how important a mosquito repellent is. Especially when you go to far-flung provinces where mosquitoes are as big as dragonflies. Mosquito Repellent is LIFE.
Multi-Use Pass / Card
Depends on which country you are going to, most do use a multi-pass for transportation. You can buy it from the airport or you can order it online from different sites. For Asian countries, I usually buy it from the website/app KLOOK or KKDAY. Why I opt to use multi-pass, first of all, it doesn’t save you any money if you do or you don’t. What you save is TIME.
For some like me who rather create my own itinerary, we normally forget to factor in the time we take to buy ticket/s at the station. Most do not foresee that this can actually eat a ton of time compared to buying a multi-pass where you can just swipe and go. Multi-pass makes traveling easier, just load an amount to the card, swipe and you are ready to go… rather than falling in line, pushing buttons, and looking for a change whenever you need to ride a train or bus — which is like ALWAYS.
TIP: Create a system for when you will load your card. I normally check my balance when I swipe to enter a station or when I am about to board a bus. I also add a mental note of reloading when my load reaches a certain amount. This will help you go around smoothly. Last, do place your multi-pass in one place. It’s best to be kept in your wallet so you won’t lose it.
*Just a side note, if you are interested in buying a multi-pass read carefully on which lines you can use it and how to reload it.
Internet Sim Card
Even if countries like Japan and Korea boasts of publicly accessible internet wherever this doesn’t always ring true. There are still places that do not have this coverage. Normally you can use the public internet at the train station and inside a bus (if it has the free WiFi sign).
And that’s pretty much it. I for one need to be online most of the time for my work, hence I try to buy a sim card ahead of time. I also use websites/apps like KLOOK or KKDAY for this. You can pick from a variety of sim card providers, the duration of its load, and how much usage you can get from it. If you do order it from the sites/apps I mentioned above, you can normally pick up your sim at the airport or have it delivered to your doorstep.
TIP: Make sure your phone is not network locked / or sim locked. It should be “open-line” (not bought from any mobile carriers) for you to be able to use international simcard/s.
Face Mask & Hand Sanitizer / Alcohol
In this time of the pandemic, it’s always better to be ready. So don’t forget to bring a couple of face masks., either it’s the disposable ones or “wash and wear”. Don’t forget to bring a travel pack of hand sanitizer/alcohol / wet wipes. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Pack what you only need.
I usually pack an extra shirt or underwear but if I were to pick which extra item I would bring … For me, I’d rather bring additional underwear. I don’t like buying additional underwear overseas and not all Airbnb have a washer/dryer.
Check the Weather
Shoes
I normally just bring a pair, and that’s the one I’m wearing from airport to airport. Why do I not bring a change of shoes you ask. It’s because for me my shoes take up a lot of space and that space would be better used for shopping. Hehehe! After learning the weather I can then pick the appropriate shoes to bring, not only for warmth, breathability, wearability for a length of time, and believe it or not — even for waterproofing (if needed).
Slippers
Depending on where I am going and where I am staying. If I’m staying in a hotel I don’t necessarily bring slippers because hotels usually provide them. And since I am not a fan of wearing my slippers while walking around outside, I don’t see any problem in using disposable slippers indoors.
Towel
I always pack a light bag whether overnight or for a week, that’s why I only bring 1 light towel with me. I make sure to dry my towel in between uses, and no it doesn’t smell because I’m extremely clean with myself. Though don’t forget to bring a handkerchief.
Sunglass
I always bring my sunglasses. Beach. City. Summer, Spring. Fall, Winter. Sunglasses is life.
Mosquito Repellent
When you live on a tropical island like me, you would learn in your earlier years how important a mosquito repellent is. Especially when you go to far-flung provinces where mosquitoes are as big as dragonflies. Mosquito Repellent is LIFE.
Multi-Use Pass / Card
Depends on which country you are going to, most do use a multi-pass for transportation. You can buy it from the airport or you can order it online from different sites. For Asian countries, I usually buy it from the website/app KLOOK or KKDAY. Why I opt to use multi-pass, first of all, it doesn’t save you any money if you do or you don’t. What you save is TIME.
For some like me who rather create my own itinerary, we normally forget to factor in the time we take to buy ticket/s at the station. Most do not foresee that this can actually eat a ton of time compared to buying a multi-pass where you can just swipe and go. Multi-pass makes traveling easier, just load an amount to the card, swipe and you are ready to go… rather than falling in line, pushing buttons, and looking for a change whenever you need to ride a train or bus — which is like ALWAYS.
TIP: Create a system for when you will load your card. I normally check my balance when I swipe to enter a station or when I am about to board a bus. I also add a mental note of reloading when my load reaches a certain amount. This will help you go around smoothly. Last, do place your multi-pass in one place. It’s best to be kept in your wallet so you won’t lose it.
*Just a side note, if you are interested in buying a multi-pass read carefully on which lines you can use it and how to reload it.
Internet Sim Card
Even if countries like Japan and Korea boasts of publicly accessible internet wherever this doesn’t always ring true. There are still places that do not have this coverage. Normally you can use the public internet at the train station and inside a bus (if it has the free WiFi sign).
And that’s pretty much it. I for one need to be online most of the time for my work, hence I try to buy a sim card ahead of time. I also use websites/apps like KLOOK or KKDAY for this. You can pick from a variety of sim card providers, the duration of its load, and how much usage you can get from it. If you do order it from the sites/apps I mentioned above, you can normally pick up your sim at the airport or have it delivered to your doorstep.
TIP: Make sure your phone is not network locked / or sim locked. It should be “open-line” (not bought from any mobile carriers) for you to be able to use international simcard/s.
Face Mask & Hand Sanitizer / Alcohol
In this time of the pandemic, it’s always better to be ready. So don’t forget to bring a couple of face masks., either it’s the disposable ones or “wash and wear”. Don’t forget to bring a travel pack of hand sanitizer/alcohol / wet wipes. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
