Day 16. High Flyers - Intrepid Travel
We baby boomers are the pioneers who dared to step out of our comfort zone. The world was at our feet - we sought peace in Indian ashrams, swarmed Torremolinos, swamped Munich, smoked Marrakesh, sailed Mykonos, trekked Nepal and turned London’s Earls Court into a noisy Antipodean precinct! Today our spirit is just as strong as we succumb to the lure of international travel once again. Now though we opt for unique experiences that allow us to connect and engage with the places and communities we visit.
Packed to perfection
There are rules for travelling light. They are:
Place everything you think you need on the bed, and then put away 50% of it. The really ruthless then put away another 25% of what was left on the bed. The remainder is supposed to be what you’ll wear when you’re away!
Most of us are flat-out putting away the first 50%, let alone another chunk of what is left on the bed! So we tell ourselves we’d already mentally culled everything before it was laid out in the first place! Consequently we end up taking far more than we need on holiday.
114 combinations from 13 garments
A capsule of thirteen garments – seven tops and six bottoms in coordinated fabrics and colours provide you with the ability to create a fantastic 114 different combinations!
You can increase the tally by four outfits when you add one dress, and when you put in one extra top and another bottom you’ll create nineteen more outfits, a total of 133 combinations!
It works like this:
Take two central colours such as sand and black and team them with an accent colour such as aqua.
It goes without saying the place to start is with a pair of dark denim jeans! Add:
One pair of black pants
One pair of black shorts
One pair of sand pants
One sand skirt
One black skirt
Tops:
One sand ¾ length sleeve knit
One ivory tank singlet top
One black casual jacket
One black sleeveless knit top
One aqua button-up shirt
One black/sand cardigan
One aqua sleeveless top
The garments will all work with each other because the colours are coordinated.
Layering the garments provides warmth.
Clever accessorising provides flexibility.
This capsule is goof-proof when the garments are planned and can be a godsend if you have to travel unexpectedly. It’s a successful scheme for journey and holidays of around ten days.
I have two peripatetic friends. One is a free spirit and she takes only carry-on cabin luggage with her, no matter how long she is going to be travelling. She sweeps off the aircraft, heads straight through customs and is out of the arrivals hall and in a taxi before her fellow passengers have found the correct carousel in the airport baggage area.
My other friend follows the sun. She and her husband spend three or four months in the southern hemisphere around Christmas then they return to the northern hemisphere for the European summer. My friend arrives with two suitcases. Her mission is a one-woman crusade to boost the national economy. She departs with four suitcases, plus the full allocation of carry-on cabin baggage.
These friends have two things in common. They take everything they deem necessary with them. And they both flat pack their bags!
Flat Packing
When you flat pack a suitcase there are no bundles, rolls or scrolls taking up space and you can get more in.
The older way of packing was to put the lighter items on top of the heavier hardware so the light stuff didn’t get squashed.
The reverse is the newer way. Light stuff goes at the bottom and heavier items are put on top to keep it all in place.
• Start at the base of the suitcase with long garments that need to remain flat such as pants, skirts and dresses.
• Fold pants on their creases, if they don’t have a crease fold them in half at the crotch so the legs stay flat. Place them on the base.
• If garments won’t fit in without folding, then fold as little as possible -fold skirts lengthwise along seam lines to lie flat and fold dresses over at the waist.
• Fold a jacket in half at the middle and place it flat on top of the items already in the case.
• Continue layering and flat-packing until all the soft garments are in the suitcase. Separate layers with sheets of tissue paper if you wish.
• Top with a layer of heavy items – shoes, sponge bag, etc. Stuff bits and pieces in and around them – socks, underwear, rolled up belts, swimwear, etc.
• Place anything that might leak (especially anything that could stain) into snap top or zip-top plastic bags and poke them around the heavy items or into your shoes.
• Do not pack any jewellery (real or fake) in your suitcase. Suitcases are x-rayed by airlines after they leave the check-in counter.
• Keep jewellery with you in your handbag.
Altitude with Attitude
Markets are good sources for lightweight, compact, suitcases. Buy the sturdiest suitcase you can find in the lightweight, compact range. My experience is that international and famous brands do not last longer than the cheaper cases available at mass retailers, two dollar (or one pound) shops and market stalls.
Airlines have strict baggage allowances and may charge for every kilogram that exceeds the allowance. Some budget airlines offer discounted pre-payment of excess baggage on-line. This is cheaper than rocking up to the airport with an overweight bag and being slugged a Monza at the check-in counter; or, worse case scenario, not being permitted to board the flight if it is full.
Ensure you’ve allowed yourself enough time to get to the airport and to check in by the specified check-in time for your flight. Many airlines close off passenger lists 30 minutes before the flight is due to depart. If the passenger list is closed off it doesn’t matter whether you are 5 minutes late or 50 minutes late, most airlines won’t let you board the flight even if the aircraft is still sitting on the ground. Often you have to forfeit the fare and have no option than to purchase a new seat on a later flight to get to your destination. It is vital to read and understand the airline’s Terms and Conditions when you purchase your ticket.
Budget airlines such as Jetstar, Ryan Air, Monarch etc. offer lowest fares to passengers travelling with carry-on baggage only. Check permitted luggage dimensions and the weight allowances with the airline (they are all different) prior to your flight and join the masses to tow your own wheelie suitcase on board.
European budget airlines such as Ryanair, Monarch and Easyjet offer amazingly cheap fares around Europe. And they charge ruthless fees. Everything is charged on top of the basic advertised fare - checked baggage, excess baggage, seat reservation, sports equipment, in-flight amenities (headphones, refreshments, food, pillows and blankets), credit card charges, and service, airport and fuel taxes. Weight limits vary and so do fees and taxes (they never go down!). The key to a cheap European flight is to take carry-on bags, pay cash and read the fine print. Most flights are from Gatwick, Southend, Luton or city satellite airports that can be reached by coach or train from central London.
Sometimes you’ll find special offers and cheap prices on airline or hotel websites so check those out before you make reservation commitments through an agent or an on-line travel wholesaler.
Hotels (world-wide) sell off some of their rooms to wholesalers who in turn offer them on-line. A room may be cheaper through an on-line agent but it may also be the worst room in the hotel, tucked away at the back of the property near rubbish bins that are emptied at 2am seven days a week or above an all-night bar, and it probably won’t look like the picture you saw on the internet. Book with reputable agencies such as www.booking.com or www.tripadvisor.com and check your reservation is refundable if you cancel in a reasonable time. Read the fine print and terms and conditions as they can change from property to property.
Be wary of internet wholesalers who require full payment in advance by credit card. This means you have entered a contract to rent a hotel room from the wholesaler; you are not renting it from the hotel. If you arrive at the hotel and the room doesn’t look like the picture you saw on the internet or is unsatisfactory in any way, your agreement and payment is with the wholesaler and the hotel may be reluctant to change the room or upgrade you without charging the full rack-rate. Refunds from wholesalers can take months, read the fine print before you make any on-line accommodation or airline reservations or commitments.
Toiletries in bottles, tubs, pots or cans are saboteurs of baggage weight allowances. Collectively they weigh more than anything else. They leak, seep (and explode if you’re really unlucky), or get left behind at the end of the vacation because you’re faced with the no-brainer choice of taking home the pair of gorgeous sandals you had to have or the half bottle of shampoo.
Miniature sizes are pure joy for the traveller. Buy them from supermarkets, mass retailers, chemists and beauty counters. Convenience stores and supermarkets located near backpacker hostels and tourist hotels often stock baby sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, etc. or buy small bottles of toiletries at your destination and ditch them when you leave.
Alternatively decant your favourite beauty products from the original large container into small light plastic containers that hold just enough to keep you supplied for the duration of your holiday. Label the containers with a felt tipped pen or sticky label, it’s easy to confuse nail polish remover with skin tonic when you are tired and the liquid is the same colour!
Never refuse a free trial size, mini size or sachet of any product handed to you, even if you think you’ll never use it. Inexpensive travel pouches containing several products are a good buy. Take the products you need on board in your hand baggage (provided the mass weight is less than 100mls per item) and pack the rest in your luggage.
A mile-high makeup and toiletries kit is an essential cabin requirement for long-haul flights if you intend to arrive looking youthful, fresh and as though you are a seasoned traveller.
The mile high make-up and toiletries kit:
One lip balm.
Moisturiser in a sample pot or travel size tube.
One lipstick.
Lip liner pencil.
Mascara.
Eyeliner pencil with a smudge brush.
Small eye shadow duo compact (one neutral colour and one for contouring) with applicators.
Small pot of cream concealer.
Hairbrush.
Small bottle of eye drops.
One packet of moist wipes.
To save confrontations with border security officials who delight in their power to detain you and make you miss your flight, pack the mile high beauty kit into a sturdy clear snap-lock polythene bag to carry separately through the security controls at the airport.
• Apply lip balm throughout the flight to keep your lips hydrated.
• Use moist wipes to remove make-up. Drench your skin with the moisturizer. Moist wipes are useful to remove cosmetic smudges and to refresh your hands and skin during the flight.
• Three or four make-up remover towelettes carried in a snap-lock bag are ideal alternatives to moist wipes for short distance travel. Not only do they remove cosmetics, they’re great face and hand fresheners after a nap.
• Blue mascara makes the whites of the eyes look whiter and therefore the eyes appear fresh and bright after a long flight.
• Eye drops are aircraft necessities; air conditioning in the cabin dries the natural moisture in the eyes leaving them feeling scratchy and looking red and squizzy. Instil a couple of eye drops to moisturize and soothe the eyes.
• Pressurized air plays havoc with make-up in tubes. When the cap is removed the contents squirt everywhere. Decant the product into small pots you can dip your fingertips into.
• Keep all your jewellery (whether it is real or costume) with you in your handbag on the flight. Do not put any jewellery items in your checked luggage. All personal luggage to be stowed in the aircraft hold is security X-rayed by the airlines.
Here’s the thing: If you are travelling to a colder climate wear all your bulky clothes onto the aircraft. That way you can either take more things in your suitcase or take a smaller suitcase.
Travelling Light – long haul economy air travel
You will need a current passport valid for at least six months from the date of your departure. A passport is required to enter and exit every country in the world. No matter whether you are travelling on an aircraft, a cruise ship or some gorgeous private ocean going yacht you’ll need a current, valid passport.
Australian passport application forms are available from the Post Office.
Hand Luggage
International airlines flying in and out of Australia and New Zealand restrict the amount of liquid you can take on board the aircraft. Everyday products such as toothpaste, hair gel, perfume (except from the port of departure duty free shop) and skin tonic are limited to 100mls per item. Hand luggage is x-rayed at security control prior to departure and if you’ve pushed the 100mls limit boundaries the item will be confiscated and disposed of. It is not kept somewhere safe until you return to the country and reclaim it!
If you have an item you are in doubt about, call the airline to check the item is permitted and confirm with the local customs department that it will be allowed through the border processing area. Prescription drugs required during the flight are permitted, but check anyway, a paper copy of the prescription or a letter from the doctor may be required.
Most airlines have an allowance of around10kgs of hand luggage you can carry on board the aircraft. Ten kilograms is quite a lot of weight when toiletries are not included, but check the cabin baggage weight allowance with your airline.
Below are the essentials for long haul economy class air travel hand luggage:
• Any medication you need (prescribed or otherwise), clearly identified, carried in a clear plastic bag and available to be inspected by security and the airline. If the medicine is prescribed ensure you have a copy of the doctor’s prescription with you to satisfy customs concerns.
• A pair of soft, warm, loose fitting socks
• Large warm soft pashmina, shawl or jacket
• Pocket pack of aloe vera tissues or a handy-pack of disposable anti bacterial moist wipes or both
• Eye glasses if you need them
• Blow-up neck pillow – depending on the airline; some airlines provide pillows and blankets
• Spare set of underwear – in case you arrive and your baggage doesn’t
• The mile high make-up and toiletries kit
Get up and walk around the aircraft during the flight, chat with the flight attendants (they love to talk with passengers during the quiet times) and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.
The old days of filling up your hand luggage with the toilet bag chock-full of cosmetics plus a bit of hand sewing, knitting or crochet to while away the hours you’re trapped on an aircraft are gone. Large bottles of toiletries have to go into your suitcase (they take up valuable weight allowance) to be stowed in the aircraft hold. Knitting needles, crochet hooks, and sewing accoutrements like scissors and needles are a grey area. Some airlines permit them in the cabin and others don’t, the only way to be certain is to ask the airline. It can take days for an e-mail to be answered. A list of inbound prohibited items is available online from the customs department. www.customs.gov.au or telephone Customs Hotline 1300 363 263.
• Penknives and cigarette lighters are banned.
• Smoking is not permitted on aircraft or in airports. Nicotine patches help to stop cravings during your flight. Some international airports have a designated smoking room available.
• Aircraft air-conditioning can be chilly when you are sitting for an extended time on a long haul flight. Take a warm garment - a pashmina is ideal as it enables you to maintain an elegant persona and warmth at the same time!
• Keep items together in one smallish bag you can stash beneath the seat in front and still leave room for your feet. Getting up and down to access hand luggage stowed in overhead lockers becomes very tiresome
• Don’t expect much from an airline when you travel economy class.
• Take the items you might need with you.
• Aircraft carry some items for your comfort. Often they are not readily available and you have to ask, individual entertainment sets may have to be pre-booked. Blankets, pillows and bottles of water may be given to you on request.
• Some budget airlines do not provide free food and beverages for economy class passengers. Take a few dollars for on-board purchases – snacks and meals, beverages (alcoholic and soft drinks) and movies. The airline may allow you to reserve and pre-pay everything you possibly can when the tickets are purchased. Availability can be limited and more expensive on board.
• Most airlines allow you to take food on their aircraft. Most countries do not allow you to bring your own food through their borders. Dump any food removed from the aircraft in the quarantine bins in the terminals prior to approaching border security controls.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis is a very real life-threatening condition some people contract from air travel. Elasticized socks or stockings can help prevent DVT. If you suspect you may be prone to DVT discuss your travel proposal with your doctor and follow advice on precautions.
• Reapply your make-up and do your hair prior to landing and you’ll walk onto the concourse feeling and looking youthful, groomed and gorgeous.
Travelling Bright
Wear loose dark clothing (food or liquids spills on dark garments aren’t as obvious) and flat or wedge heel shoes for comfort. Airports and aircraft are not the places to be teetering around in stilettos!
Accessorize with an elegant, inexpensive short necklace (long necklaces tend to get caught up in airline blankets and dangle in your dinner) or a scarf (or both) and take the bag you intend to wear most of the time you are on holiday onto the aircraft with you.
Make sure earrings are securely fastened. For an obscure reason earrings tend to work loose in aircraft and if they drop onto the floor they’re almost impossible to locate while you are confined in the seat space.
Black pants or dark jeans are essential travel attire. Apart from looking smart, a light weight pair of black pants or jeans containing a decent percentage of Lycra or stretch is a practical, comfortable garment to wear when you are flying. Jeans must have good stretch in them (at least 2% Lycra), if they are rigid and stiff they will dig into the waist, hips and behind the knees when you are sitting for a long time. Be wary of skirts, they ride up the thighs.
Black pants teamed with a white shirt and worn with confidence, style and panache will take you anywhere!
My sun-following friend yearned to stay at New Zealand’s beautiful Huka Lodge and dine in the world class restaurant set romantically on the banks of the Waikato River. Her opportunity came when her husband’s business trip coincided with their thirtieth wedding anniversary. My friend planned a weekend’s worth of outfits, checked in her luggage and flew into Auckland airport from Sydney. When she arrived she discovered her luggage had gone elsewhere. It was midday on Saturday and the shops had closed for the weekend.
It took 3 ½ hours to drive to Taupo and as she drove my creative friend devised an outfit based on the slim black pants she wore. She commandeered her husband’s white business shirt, turned the collar to the inside and used the complementary sewing kit to temporarily stitch it down. The restaurant chef gave her a sheet of Alfoil that she tore into squares to cover the shirt buttons so they shone silver bright. (She got the idea from her teenage daughter who had recently been given a school detention for individualizing her high school uniform!). She rolled the shirt sleeves to ¾ length, opened the newly fashioned Grandpa collar to her cleavage and wore the jewellery and make-up she’d brought in her hand luggage, Whilst the outfit wasn’t quite the coordinated number she’d planned to wear, my friend still dazzled her husband at their anniversary dinner!
Don’t dress like a tourist!
Why shouldn’t you dress to look youthful and attractive wherever you are? Just because you are in a different place it doesn’t mean you can’t look great. Dark denim jeans, flat, comfortable, well heeled moccasins, a plain white tee shirt and a medium weight jacket worn with a slouchy shoulder bag look classy and effortless. Wear the jewellery from your hand luggage. If the weather is hot substitute dark knee length shorts or a straight, knee-length skirt for the jeans and ditch the jacket. The more stylish you look; the better you will be treated in restaurants, stores, hotels and on tours.
Avoid old lady tourist clobber of the baggy black trakkie daks with the white stripe down the side, the faithful old rubber soled sneakers that have seen better days, the faded, oversized sloppy joe with slogan or a picture on it, and, worst of all, the dreaded bum bag. This is outfit screams “foreigner” and “tourist” and can actively encourage poor treatment, bad manners, rip offs and thieves.
Tales of Woe
An awesome 92 percent of the world’s population are honest, decent, hardworking and helpful people. We need to be wary of the remaining 8 percent.
When we are out and about at home and abroad:
• Keep your wits about you and be aware of what and who is around you.
• Maps and guidebooks are often used as a distraction by pickpockets and thieves. Be cautious of anyone approaching with an open map wanting directions.
• Keep your bag zipped shut. It is astonishing how many women wander around with an open handbag.
• Make sure your handbag is with you at all times. Never leave it on a supermarket trolley, a shop counter or in a changing room while you zap off to locate something.
• Backpacks are an invitation to thieves in a crowd.
• Be wary of children carrying dismantled cardboard boxes. They can build a wall around you and distract you. Suddenly your valuables – mobile phone, wallet, credit cards, and passport or room keys are missing.
• Don’t gamble on street games no matter how goof-proof the game appears to be. The game will be illegal and you will be conned.
• Never wave money around in your fingers.
• Ask yourself how a roadside currency exchange store can offer better rates than a bona fide bank is offering. If you must use a currency exchange booth or store double check, triple check and count with the dealer any currency you have bought or exchanged before you leave the store.
• Identity theft is a real problem. Carry photocopies of your passports, credit cards (front and back), travel documents, insurance, drivers’ license, medical card and itinerary separately from the real deal, leave extra copies with someone who is easily contactable, or scan them on a computer you can access from an international location if you need identification numbers.
• Leave precious jewellery at home. Have fun wearing inexpensive fakes whilst you are on holiday without the worry of protecting real gemstones and metals.
• It is worth visiting the Department of Foreign Affairs website before you head off to foreign countries. It contains heaps of information, travel tips, passport and health information, travel advisories and facts about local customs. Go to www.smartraveller.gov.au for information and follow the prompts.
• Governments issue travel warnings on their websites. There are warnings for just about every country on the planet. It is in the governments own interest to keep your holiday dollars at home.
Travel insurance
Invest in travel insurance so you are not out of pocket in an emergency. You may be entitled to a discount on your premium if you belong to an automobile association. Many insurance providers offer discounts to homeowners or clients who already hold policies such as home contents, building or medical insurance with them. Some travel websites offer insurance at the time of booking. Frequent travellers benefit from an annual policy which works out cheaper than taking a new policy each time you travel.
This Goes with That
Air travel baggage weight restrictions, the need to heave suitcases off airport carousels or carry it up flights of European hotel stairs and global weather all contribute to the dilemma of what to take away with us.
Jump onto the internet and research your holiday, talk to a travel agent or purchase a guidebook about your destination. Lonely Planet and Eyewitness Travel publish up-to-date value for money guidebooks for every country in the world. Sell your guidebook on eBay when you return from your travels.
The internet, guidebooks or your travel agent have information on average temperatures and rainfall at your destination. Tropical countries don’t have wide temperature fluctuations but may have a wet and a dry season. If you’re travelling in Australia, the top end is tropical whilst Tasmania is seasonal.
• It’s easy to forget that Europe and North America are in the opposite hemisphere from Australia and New Zealand and therefore the seasons are opposite too.
• Check out attractions you intend to visit and the transport you intend using to reach them. More durable garments are required if you intend to perch on the back of a motorbike. Obviously your wardrobe choices will be different if you intend to spend your holiday reclining in a limousine!
• Is your accommodation up-market or relaxed?
• How long are you going away for?
• Will washing facilities be available at your destination?
• Do you plan to utilize the hotel laundry service? Airlines ban the carriage of washing powder.
• Are there local laws or religious customs that restrict clothes?
• Will you offend if you reveal your arms or your legs? Some countries and most places of worship require female visitors to cover their shoulders. A simple pashmina, sarong or shawl is usually acceptable.
I hope this is of interest to you and you can use some of my tips. Next time we look at swimwear - what to buy, and what's hot (and what's not!). Kisses, Dawn
