Travel Tips

Travel Tips

• If you are leaving from a large airport, make a note of where you parked your car at the airport. Some of those carparks are huge and you may not remember where you parked your car.
• Never place any important document in the seat pocket in front of you and especially not your passport.
• Take a photocopy of your passport, airline ticket, insurance policy and keep those copies separate from the originals.
• Keep a note of your passport details in your purse or wallet. This will save you getting your passport out of your carry on bag each time you have to fill in a form.
• Wear layers of clothing so you can easily add more or take some off. Temperatures in the aircraft cabin are often too hot or too cold and rarely just right. Loose-fitting clothing is more comfortable on long flights so save the trendy tight jeans for when you get there.
• Drink plenty of water - at least two glasses of water for each alcoholic beverage.
Bring your own bottled water as the service from flight attendants tends to be sporadic during the
night.
• Exercise during the flight and do the stretching exercises the airlines now recommend to avoid the threat of blood clots.
• If you regularly get a cold or the sniffles after a flight, use a saline spray. These are a very effective counter to the germs being distributed by the aircraft’s air recirculation system. If you are particularly susceptible, you might consider putting a dab of antiseptic cream under your nostrils for extra protection during the flight.
• Find out the generic names of your medications since brand names can vary between countries and you may not be able to find that brand in the country you are visiting.
• Buy a small PDA and record the address and phone numbers of friends, relatives and contact phone numbers of your doctor. You should also have a copy of your credit card numbers and contact information.
• Have a supply of small denomination notes or coins for when you arrive at the airport and have to tip porters, rent luggage carts, pay for taxis, tip bellmen, etc.

Luggage

A soft-sided rollaway suitcase with a pull up handle is probably the most convenient type of luggage. The hard-sided cases protect the contents better but will cost you a considerable portion of your meagre 20 kg baggage allowance. If you are only flying to and from the US, then their more generous allowances might make the hardsider a viable option. Put a distinctive strap or marker on your suitcase so you can recognise it when it comes around on the baggage carousel, hiding among hundreds of similar-looking cases.
Take a soft-sided bag as a carry on. These have some give and so can be crammed into tight spaces in overhead lockers.