My Two Cents Worth On Travelling

One wrong move can ruin your vacation. To guarantee a smooth vacation, make sure to plan systematically. Here's how to make all the right steps.

1. Travel Smart

A. Personal hygiene set

My travel luggage must always carry a complete travel size skin, hair and hygiene set. My usual hygiene kit includes: facial and body wash, two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, a travel toothbrush and paste, travel pack wipes/tissue, hair wax, moisturizer and sunblock. You can also buy those travel sized packs items instead of buying refillable containers.

Aside from the hassle of refilling, some products compromise their quality when transferred outside of their original containers. And besides, you can dispose off these travel packs after use, leaving more space to your luggage space after when coming home. 

B. Outfits

For a 3 days and 2 nights vacation, i usually bring 5-6 outfits that i can mix and match (3 shirts, 2 polo shirts, 2 sandos, 2 shorts, 2 pants. I bring 1 board shorts for on the spot plans of going to a nearby beach or a night swim during a hotel staycation. 

For footwear, i usually carry a pair of sneakers and comfortable flip-flops. 

C. Camera

I love taking pictures during trips since pictures can easily tell stories of your experience. I still bring my old and reliable small point-and-shoot digital camera. Although our smartphones provide us apps that can edit our photos and upload it instantly, I still find digital cams to be reliable because: (1) it has an optimal zoom quality which smartphones dont go at par with, (2) less worry of getting wet or dropping it while taking pictures when using a digicam, (3) less worry of draining your battery since smartphones drain faster when you use it as both your phone and camera (4) less eye-candy for thieves (hehehe). I usually transfer my selected pics to my smartphone if I want to do some fine editing.

D. Medical kit

I just learned recently to include a small medicine kit for my travel. This is for the benefit when unwanted situations might give you allergies, sprained foot, headache or even stomach upset after a food adventure. I usually bring with me an anti-pyretic (paracetamol), anti-inflammatory or analgesia (ibuprofen or mefenamic acid), anti-diarrheal (loperamide), non-sedative anti-histamine (loratadine), antacid (kremil-s) and travel sized isopropyl alcohol and band-aids or sterile strips. These meds are for first aid measures, so medical consult is warranted when symptoms persist. It is also wise to research for possible endemic diseases when you visit a particular area (i.e. malaria in palawan) and seek medical advice to your doctor for adequate prophylaxis and preventive measures prior to your planned trip. 

E. Travel pouch bag

I include a lightweight travel pouch bag with me when I explore around the place. This contains my camera, some small items such as a pen (which most of us fail to carry during travel which I find it very essential when we are confronted to fill out and sign forms), cord and battery pack charger and sunglasses.

2. Get Lost and Eat!

There is nothing more rewarding than the feeling of discovering something new in the neighborhood (hence relate to the earlier statement of my need to bring anti-diarrheal meds during my trips, hehe). 

Trying a local delicacy speaks a lot of their way of living and somehow immerses you of their history and culture. When I travel, I could care less about the tourist attractions - trying new food is always the best part of the trip!

3. Plan Wisely

January has always been my planning month. I stay up late at night to wait for seat sale and promo fares. An average of 4 - 5 trips via plane within the year is enough for someone who is working like me. Filing a vacation leave might be difficult for some, but if you have already booked flights within the year, you can already notify your supervisor ahead.

4. Get Personalized

It still depends on what you really like and want to do for a vacation. I'm an adventurer in food and explorer by nature. If I feel the need for me to rest and relax, the beach is always my default place to go for a vacation. Our country is very blessed to have beautiful islands to explore that can be just 2-3 hours from Manila. Festivals are also a good option to experience, where you can explore culture, people and food at its finest. 

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