What Are Your Must-haves For A Trip?

[moondebi]

Do you make a list of things required during planning a tour?

We all do, be it a planned or unplanned trip.

My must-have list contains my cell phone (with Google maps), credit card, ATM card, a first-aid box, and a pair of sunglasses.

Apart from the luggage, these are some essential portables which I never forget. Sometimes, few more items get added depending upon the type of the travel.

Forgetting a few basic things may lead you to difficulty later, which could spoil the pleasure of traveling. Proper planning is the key to make a trip enjoyable.

 

[Sramana]

Yes! I do. Love preparing for a trip almost as much as the trip itself

Here's my checklist for a week's worth of travel:

Essentials:
1. Phone, phone charger, either loaded with sim/data or armed with some info about where to purchase it once I get to my destination, if international.
2. Notebook with phone numbers, addresses of hotels etc. This is in addition to having the info on my phone. Pen.
3. Camera, battery/charger
4. Credit and debit cards. I call my bank ahead and make sure they work in the country I will be travelling to, if going international.
5. Identity card. Usually pan card, office id if travelling in India, passport if travelling outside the country

Usually carry all of this in a backpack/handbag.

Others:
1. Good pair of shoes for walking. 5-6 pairs of socks.
2. Clothes: I prefer T-shirts and jeans/shorts depending on the weather. 2 pairs of pants, 5-6 shirts, I mix and match.
3. A light jacket if essential.
4. Bathing costume if visiting anywhere with a water body
5. Night pants. Can wear with the same t-shirt worn during the day, and thus save space.
6. Umbrella
7. One dress, in case of a fine dining opportunity (you never know!)
8. A few snack bars

Usually this fits into a small night case that I don't need to check in on flights. Saves time!

I also check for the local emergency numbers, address of the nearest hospitals / police stations etc.

I have never carried a first aid box along. Only a few key medicines. Seems like a no-brainer now. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[cabrannon529]

Do you make a list of things required during planning a tour?

We all do, be it a planned or unplanned trip.

My must-have list contains my cell phone (with Google maps), credit card, ATM card, a first-aid box, and a pair of sunglasses.

Apart from the luggage, these are some essential portables which I never forget. Sometimes, few more items get added depending upon the type of the travel.

Forgetting a few basic things may lead you to difficulty later, which could spoil the pleasure of traveling. Proper planning is the key to make a trip enjoyable.

The one, very thing that I make sure to take with me wherever I go is my laptop and an international charger. Another thing would be a pillow - I seem to not be able to fall asleep on any pillow other than the one I use at home, for some odd reason.

 

[ghandi87]

Writing down a list of must-haves when planning to travel, either domestic or international, definitely makes the trip run smoothly and let's one do away with procrastination. Whenever I travel, I do it for leisure and it usually lasts for 3-5 days so I don't really need much. A passport and or a Visa is already part of the things one must not forget. Here are the basic essentials I always bring with me in my backpack:

1. Mobile phone & Charger (so long as there's Wi-Fi, I need not worry about my current sim card not working in the country I'll be going to.)
2. Cash and Debit Card ( I don't have a credit card.)
3. Identification Cards ( I bring all that I have just in case.)
4. I feel comfortable in cotton shirts and shorts with a pair of espadrilles or sandals for tropical countries. I bring 2-3 pairs of 'em and I also thrown in 2 light fabric dresses just to mix it up.
5. Undies, of course.
6. Bath essentials. I don't use ones that the hotels offer. Instead, I bring them home as souvenirs.

 

[Omondieve]

I always make sure I carry my phone (fully charged), debit & credit cards, some cash in the currency of the country I'm travelling to and my travel documents. Out of experience, I have learnt to have an international charger because different countries seem to have different sorts of charging ports.
I've also learnt to carry a few pain killers and vitamins, a good book, some Oreos and a makeup bag.

 

[alifakhoury1]

Since I love my electronic devices, I won't hesitate taking most of them with me. I will definitely take my phone with me, my laptop that happens to be my best friend at the same time, and my camera! I need my phone because, well... Who doesn't? I must take my laptop with me because I can't live without it, I have everything on it and I will need to keep track of everything on it, if I run out of memory on my camera, my laptop is there to help me and store all the pics from my memory card. And since we I am going on a trip, I will need to take pictures that will last forever, I will for sure keep my camera with me my whole day and try my best to put the life of the area I am at in the pictures that I take! I might even take a video camera with me and make a short movie on my trip that summarizes everything I did! And just like any other human, I need to take some clothes and some money!

 

[Gabydi]

I’m one of those who travel very heavy! I carry everything you can imagine, I usually think “Oh, maybe I will need this headlamp, I should take it.” If I go to the beach I’ll carry a jacket and sweater just in case it rains. If I go skiing, I’ll carry a swimsuit in case there’s a Jacuzzi. I always bring everything with me, and people who travel with me know this and are always asking me for stuff. The funny thing is that through the years, and after a lot of travelling I’ve come to realize that I almost always use everything I bring with me.

 

[Alexandoy]

Since we are frequent travelers, we have a checklist of things that we should bring in the trip like passport and tickets, credit cards, cash (usually in US dollars), and other important matters aside from clothing. We actually plan our trips way ahead in advance, something like 6 months. Our trip to Vietnam on the 25th of this month was planned 3 months ago when we bought the discounted ticket. Our subsequent trips later this year have been planned early this year. It is important for a traveler to have a checklist for a guide because it's a spoiler when you forget something to bring for a trip particularly if you are going abroad.

 

[Nicola]

The minimal essentials are travel documents (passport+tickets), phone (+charger) and money. The rest are accessories; great to have them with me, will not die without.
How I pack depends on which kind of trip is ahead - which kind of clothes, medicine, tools might be necessary along the way. No trip is the other one alike.

But a book to read, and a book for writing always travel along with me.

 

[Rubie]

I havn't done any international travels yet but I love to. Basically the most important thing to bring for me, is my fully-charged cellular phone, travel documents, personal travel hygeine, money and first-aid kit. And since I have a child to bring, I must also bring his personal traveler's bag, eqquipped with his personal belonging.

 

[fatema]

I haven't really went out of the state before. I live in California, and the farthest I've been is like Las Vegas. It's 5 hours away from where I live. I go to beaches quite often, but it's only like 2 hours away. Where I really want to go, is Hawaii. A lot of people during the summer go there. It's so gorgeous! Just imagine on a plane, waiting to reach to Hawaii! I think everyone wants to go there though, am I right?

Sorry I went off topic for a second!! I got exited talking about all this traveling! Well my must haves for traveling is not that much. I travel with my parents a lot! So I always bring a backpack with extra clothes, I have to bring lotion, my phone of course, and a charger. It depends what time of day it is, if it's early morning, I usually take a pillow with me.

 

[travelguide]

I think the most important factor is to have a check list of the things you are going to carry during the trip. Always make sure that you got everything in your backpack after going through your checklist. I do it every time and believe me, there can be silly but necessary things that you can miss out due to negligence. Anyway, even if you forget anything, you can purchase most of the things on the go except personal things like mobile phones, ID cards etc. It is always helpful to have a travel map of the city you are going to visit.

 

[amelia88]

These days I try not to plan too much. I figure as long as I have my passport and a source of accessing money, then I can pick up anything I need or may have forgotten when I am at my destination. I'm all about keeping it simple!

 

[Untamed13]

I'm very meticulous and organized when I work but for some reason I totally hate planning my trips. I don't know I guess it feels more like an adventure when I don't have my whole trip broken down into small manageable pieces. I never travel with anything more than my rucksack and I like it best when I just have the clothes on my back, a good pair of shoes and some money in my pocket.

EDIT - Oh and most definitely no cell phone for me

 

[GammaRay]

When I go to other countries I always make sure to bring three things: food, money and ID.

Under food I make sure to bring atleast one bottled water during summer especially, Asia tends to be a really humid region most especially in South Asia. Snacks like peanuts and granola bars are also essential as you will never know when or where you can get your next meal. Money is very important for obvious reasons just remember to have your money exchanged before you leave the airport also never leave your hotel without emergency cash. ID is always important as many borders ask for before you're allowed into certain territories. You should also bring your credit card if you're going international and make sure your embassy knows where you are just in case your passport gets lost.

 

[pwarbi]

When I travel I usually only tend to take the bare essentials with me because more often than not m, anything else you need cabmn be picked up when you get there.

With advances in technology and transport, the world is a lot smaller place these days, and many things are now available all over the world and are no longer specific hysteria to one region.

 

[fatema]

When I go to other countries I always make sure to bring three things: food, money and ID.

Under food I make sure to bring at least one bottled water during summer especially, Asia tends to be a really humid region most especially in South Asia. Snacks like peanuts and granola bars are also essential as you will never know when or where you can get your next meal. Money is very important for obvious reasons just remember to have your money exchanged before you leave the airport also never leave your hotel without emergency cash. ID is always important as many borders ask for before you're allowed into certain territories. You should also bring your credit card if you're going international and make sure your embassy knows where you are just in case your passport gets lost.

Yes, you are so smart! I was thinking of like the carry on items. Totally didn't think of other important stuff like my passport and water in case! That's such a good idea! Even a small first aid kit wouldn't harm anyone. I'm pretty sure if you're on one plane, they have, but you never know. Your safety is never too much. Thank you so much for those ideas! I will for sure remember that next time I go on a trip!

 

[amelia88]

When I go to other countries I always make sure to bring three things: food, money and ID.

Under food I make sure to bring atleast one bottled water during summer especially, Asia tends to be a really humid region most especially in South Asia. Snacks like peanuts and granola bars are also essential as you will never know when or where you can get your next meal. Money is very important for obvious reasons just remember to have your money exchanged before you leave the airport also never leave your hotel without emergency cash. ID is always important as many borders ask for before you're allowed into certain territories. You should also bring your credit card if you're going international and make sure your embassy knows where you are just in case your passport gets lost.

Ahh, that's a good point about water and snacks - certainly if I'm somewhere where the tap water isn't safe to drink I'll always carry bottled water with me when I am out and about. I've found that generally speaking, the places where I haven't been able to drink water directly from a tap have had cheaply priced bottled water, so it's not like it breaks the budget.

 

[fatema]

I've learned a lot from reading this forum to be honest. I learned that when you travel, you always have to be safe. It doesn't hurt anyone to bring a little bandages, or wrap, or little snacks. Sometimes when your coming home from the beach, you might get a flat tire on the road, that's why you always need some drink, or food. Now I know to always be safe while traveling.

 

[ilivetofly]

Hmm I will agree with most people here, a phone is essential!

I would advise everyone who is traveling that they should pick up a sim card in the local area because almost all communications can be done through the internet and access to the internet in an emergency is vital. A local sim card will almost always cost less to use the internet then using your sim card from home.