OUR BIG TRIP
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TRAVEL TIPSPrior to your journey you will probably receive a ton of advice from friends, colleagues and relatives about what you should and should not do whilst travelling. The chances of misfortune plaguing your trip are actually quite minimal so you should not get too paranoid about it. However it pays to be prepared. Outlined below is a list of some of the better advice that we have received. If you benefit directly from any of these tips I would be delighted to hear from you. Similarly if you have a tip that you would like me to include please email us.
PRIOR TO LEAVINGTop up your immunisations, especially when travelling to third world countries. Consult your doctor for advice on which of the main injections you require, typically these include Cholera, tetanus, hepatitis A and B, Meningitis, Polio, Rabies, TB and Typhoid.
Forward your travel itinerary to family and a trusted friend and arrange to email, text or phone them at regular intervals. Stick to this arrangement. Your silence will serve as a signal that something terrible has happened to you and the itinerary will make it easier to trace your movements.
Take one pay as you go mobile phone with you per person and make sure that it is set up for international use. It will come in very handy in contacting your lost travel partner and in times of emergencies it could dig you out of a huge hole, or better still, save your life.
When flying in pairs, split your clothes between both of your luggage. If one of your bags goes missing, you will still have half of your stuff.
Try not to buy too many clothes before you travel, it is a waste of money and will reduce the weight of your luggage. Whilst on your travels you will have plenty of opportunities to buy clothes at a much cheaper price than at home.
Make up some personal business cards. You will meet a lot of people when backpacking and these are a great way of passing your contact information to them. However do not leave your address on the card, as the more unscrupulous characters that you meet know that you are not at home!
.........................................................................THE FLIGHTCheck in early. My friends and I were once upgraded to first class on a flight to Australia as we were the first to check in, about 30 minutes before anyone else. (Thank you Japan Airlines).
Always ask for exit seats. You get more legroom, it is easier for you to move around without disturbing others, the toilet is right next to you, and should you require them, the stewards and stewardesses sit directly opposite you.
Do not joke about bombs or guns! Seriously you could be prosecuted.
Take sweets and crystallised ginger with you. Eating sweets will lessen the effect of the pressure getting into your ears whilst the plane is taking off and for some reason unbeknown to me crystallised ginger significantly eases travel sickness. (Honestly!).
Take an inflatable travel pillow with you. For long flights these make a real difference. Although you look like an idiot they helps maintain your neck's natural cervical curve and actually help you sleep better.
Before the plane takes off, remove your shoes, the ascent and descent of the plane can cause foot swelling which could otherwise make your shoes uncomfortably tight. Whilst in flight rolling a golf under the bridge of your foot will improve circulation and help to stave off the onset of deep vein thrombosis.
.........................................................................WHILST IN YOUR ACCOMMODATIONCarry a wooden or rubber door wedge in your luggage. This can be used as extra security to wedge your room door shut thus ensuring that nobody can enter, even with a key. It is extremely handy if staying in cheap accommodation or overnight trains where the lock is broken or not very secure.
Pick up a business card, matches or literature from your hotel when you check in. If you do not speak the local language you can use these to instruct a cab driver to take you to your hotel.
Split your cash into 4 denominations and hide it in different places including suitcases, inside shirt pockets, shoes and toiletry bag. By doing this you are less likely to lose all your money if you get robbed.
When entering a hotel or hostel room for the first time, run the shower for a few minutes, without you being there. This will get rid of any build-up of spores that cause Legionnaires disease.
Avoid wasting time and money at the laundrette by washing your clothes in the bathroom sink of your hotel. When drying the clothes, turn the hot shower on for a while and then suspend your wet clothes on hangers from the curtain rail. The steam will remove the creases.
.........................................................................WHILST ON YOUR TRAVELSAlways drink and brush your teeth with bottled water. Before purchasing bottled water, turn the bottle upside down. If it leaks then it may have been filled with untreated water. Do not buy it.
In hot countries always wear sun cream, especially when the sun is at its strongest between 11am and 3pm. It is probably better to have a lighter tan than skin cancer.
When making phone calls to home use a phone card, it is far cheaper than using a phone booth, a hotel phone or your mobile.
Avoid being bitten by mosquitos by wearing insect repellent, eating lots of garlic, drinking lots of stout and not wearing blue clothes. All these activities reduce your chances of being devoured by these pests.
Should you get bitten, apply any sort of alcohol, or lemon/lime juice to the bite, these serve as a natural antiseptic and will provide great relief, dry up the bite and heal much faster.
Use your credit card at least once a week, this will help the police to track your last known movements should you go missing.
Carry tissues or toilet roll with you, particularly when travelling in remote areas. You never know when you might need it, especially if you have not been drinking bottled water!
.........................................................................FOODLook out for breakfast and lunch specials, especially in Europe and America. The portions are usually as big as that of a main meal at around half the price. In fact the lunch menu is often exactly the same as the dinner menu.
You can save a lot of money by shopping at supermarkets, farmers markets, bakeries and delicatessens. This will enable you to cheaply make your own picnic and you can store the remainder of the groceries in your hotel room. It is also particularly handy if you are hungry in the middle of the night!
Take the vegetarian option when you are unsure about the standard of hygiene, especially if the food is cooked outdoors, in remote areas, when the meat has been exposed to the elements or slaughtered in your presence. As well as being safer it is also healthier!
In America order fast food such as pizza, Mexican or Chinese. It is relatively cheap, gets delivered straight to your hotel room and the leftovers can be eaten cold the next day, thus providing you with 2 meals.
Remember that ice is only frozen water so if you are in a country where it is advisable to drink only bottled water then don't have ice in your drinks!
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