Departure Time!
How to Pack Effectively
Firstly you will want to pack nice and early – preferably 2 days before you leave. This way if you’ve forgotten anything, you can purchase it the next day. Also you will have time to weigh your luggage, make sure it’s within the limits, and then make changes and adjustments as necessary.
Clothes – When packing, depending on where you’re going and for how long, but rolling clothes generally works out better than folding them flat.
Electronics – In those cables, there is alot of metal and weight you might not have even considered. For the sake of knowing how it is being treated, and to save on your weight allowance, put all electronics in your hand luggage. You will also have easy access to chargers etc while you wait at airports and in transit.
Pockets – If you are really struggling with weight, pack your pockets with the heaviest stuff. Spare batteries, camera lenses, etc. As soon as your bags are weighed, you can put this stuff back in your hand luggage. Some airlines will weigh hand luggage, but we’ve never heard of them asking anyone to empty their pockets (not for weight purposes anyways).
Essential stuff – You will want all your essential travel documents in an easily accessible pocket; your passport and tickets or confirmation. You will need access to these a few times throughout your journey, so having them easily accessible will make life a world easier.
Carry On Luggage – There is different rules these days regarding carry on luggage, and what is and isn’t allowed. Weapons and drugs etc are of course out of the question, but there is also rules around liquids and gels also. It is best to check with your airline to make sure you are not carrying anything that will be confiscated form you at the airport.
- Weigh your bags and check against luggage limits
- Wear clothes that are comfortable and allow access to travel docs
- For long haul flights: toothbrush & toothpaste, fresh underwear & tshirt
- Check you have your passport and tickets
- Check that your passport and tickets are with you (yes, we know it is there twice)
While traveling, hostels and hotels will often have scales. Use these to check your luggage weight, then pack your pockets as effectively as you can!
How to carry Passport and Money
Carrying your passport and money while traveling has been covered many times, and there is lots of different opinions on the matter. We have reconciled the most objective and practical advice here.
Money Belts – There is the idea that money belts are kind of lame and useless – if people think this about you, then you are using money belts the wrong way. If you use a money belt, no one should know you have it. Note; this does not apply to money “necklaces”, as they are easily seen/found.
Money belts are a great idea – to store large amounts of money, a spare credit card and your passport. It should be kept under your pants, and it is for long term storage – that is, you will generally only need to go to it once a day maximum. Keep a regular wallet, and then the money belt for when you need a “top-up”.
Some situations will not lend themselves to money belts – for example, if you are going swimming. This is where common sense will come into play, and you will want to figure out the way to keep your passport (and money) safe. You can read more about how famous traveler Rick Steves uses a money belthttps://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/theft-scams/travel-moneybelt
Everyday Spending – A regular wallet is a great idea. This is something that you can put in your pocket. just to be clear – your FRONT pocket. NEVER ever ever your back pocket. You may as well have those ones stitched up, because pickpockets love the old back pocket as their favourite source of income.
In this wallet, it is recommended to keep minimum in there; that days money and a credit card / debit card.
Hotel / Hostel Safes – Generally these are fine – generally. The problem is that when you have your passport and money on you, you know exactly where it is at all times. Safes, as safe as they sound (heh), do not offer this knowledge. Use your best judgement, and know that items have been stolen from hotel / hostel safes in the past – albeit a rare occurrence.
Emergency Money – It can be a good idea to stash an amount of money somewhere other than your wallet or money belt. Maybe a $50 or $100 in your shoe, this is the emergency stash incase everything else is gone! This money will let you get some food, some internet to gather yourself and even somewhere to sleep.
- Money belt or similar, to stash your passport and long term money storage
- Wallet for everyday spending (which will live in your front pocket)
- Stash of money somewhere
Airport Procedures
Arrive Early
As a general rule, you will want to arrive at the airport three hours prior to your flights departure time. This obviously depends on your airport of departure, your airline, the country of departure etc. Dont forget to allow time for your goodbyes and farewells in your early arrival planning.
Airline Check in
Depending on who you fly with, check in times can vary, so you should always check with the airline or your travel agent who you booked the flight with. At check in, they will provide you with:
your boarding pass for the flight
baggage receipts for luggage you check in
departure forms (if required)
your seat for the flight
you will want to check the departure boards regularly, to see what time your flight is expected to leave, what gate it is leaving from, and any delays that may come up
Immigration and Customs
If you are flying international, you will be going through immigration, customs and security. When going through these, you will need to show your passport and travel ticket. These procedures can take quite some time, so being early is important. When dealing with these officials, the trick is to answer their questions honestly, without joking around, and stick to the point. They will scan/stamp your passport, and then you are ready to rock!
Security Procedures
Both domestic and international air travel can involve metal detectors, baggage inspection machines (ok for computers/film/electronics) and individual bag searches.
Generally you will be asked to remove laptops/ipads from your bag as it is goes through the scanner.
You will also need to empty your pockets of everything – phone, keys, wallet, coins, medicines etc.
Duty Free Shopping
Duty free shopping is available for international customers at most airports – usually located both before and after immigration and may also be available upon arrival. You will need to check the regulations for your destination as well as consider that you will be carrying this around for the rest of your trip.
Time to Relax
Once past security, immigration and customs, you are (hopefully) going to have a fair bit of time to relax before your flight. There will normally be food outlets, shops, and some airports even have executive lounges that you can go and relax. If you are flying business/first class, you will often have access to the private lounges.
Some airports have free wifi, some don’t. If yours doesn’t, go and find the executive / first class / business lounges – often the free wifi from inside will reach just outside the lounge, so if you sit on a well positioned seat its all yours to use!
During Transit
While Flying / Driving / Training
To make long haul travel as pleasant as possible, there are a few things you can do to make the experience less painful. Primarily, you will want to try and get yourself into the sleeping patterns and timings of your destination if possible. To assist with sleeping, get yourself some earplugs, eye mask, and a travel pillow. If you are able to take them, sleeping pills can assist in sleeping in uncomfortable position. For the time when you are awake, you will want to keep yourself entertained. Most airlines offer in flight entertainment, but taking your own book / laptop / tablet / playing cards can make all the difference.
As well as this, getting up and going for a walk around can make you feel a world better. There will be other smart people doing this too, so it’s not uncommon to get up, go for a walk, and then even to stand in an out of the way area for a while to stretch your legs. If you have a long flight with a stopover in the middle, a toothbrush, toothpaste, fresh tshirt will make you feel great. Not to mention if your bags are lost, some fresh underwear will go a long way too.
Stopovers
Sometimes for long flights stopovers will be included; these could be a couple of hours, to the next day. If you have an extended period time at an airport, do a bit of research and see if they have executive lounges that are open to the public and what the cost is. Instead of sitting out the front of McDonalds, you could be getting a massage, having a shower, and lazing around on some lounges using free wifi. While not the cheap, this can take a long trip from frustrating to almost enjoyable.
Getting to your accommodation from airport
So you’ve been on two flights, crossed half the globe, bloodshot eyes, have a cramp in your leg AND your back, you’re jetlagged and have now finally arrived at your destination…. now what. It is highly recommended that you research before you get to your destination how you will get from the airport to your accommodation. Not everywhere will have reliable public transport / taxis / shuttles, so it is best to organise this before you get there, and so researching this before you arrive will make life far more enjoyable.
Dealing with Jetlag
When you arrive somewhere, you want to try to get into the time patterns as quickly as possible; if you arrive in the morning, try to stay up for as long as possible (ok, maybe with a sneaky afternoon nap), and visa versa if you arrive in the afternoon, try to get to sleep at a reasonable time.
A good way of doing this is to rehydrate, and then start to eat and sleep by local time. Getting outside and going for a walk is a great way to adjust your sleep patterns to what the sun is doing in that part of the world.
- Earplugs
- Eyemask
- Travel Pillow
- Inflight entertainment (cards, laptop, tablet, novel etc)
- Sleeping Tablets
- Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- Spare Underwear and tshirt
- Check stopovers – what is available at the airport
- Transferring from Airport to Accommodation