5 ms·
One travel technique that has worked very well for me takes place the day before my trip: using a pre-travel prep-and-packing checklist. I created this checkli
by susam 2y ago
One travel technique that has worked very well for me takes place the day before my trip: using a pre-travel prep-and-packing checklist. I created this checklist about 15 years ago and still refine it occasionally. This list has three sections:
A) Preparation tasks: Like printing essential travel documents, saving a backup to my mobile phone, buying foreign currency, activating data roaming, etc.
B) Packing list: Mine currently has about 30 or so items, covering everything from the very basics, like toothbrush and toothpaste, to the often-overlooked, like reusable ziplock bags, microfibre cloths, etc.
C) Last minute checks: These are final tasks to complete just before leaving home. This includes double-checking that passports are packed, non-essential electrical appliances and lamps are switched off, balcony doors are locked, wet waste has been properly disposed of, etc.
By the time I step into a taxi or train to the airport, I can fully focus on the journey ahead rather than worrying about forgotten items. After all, this checklist has served me well for the past 15 years. Every item is checked off before I leave home, so as soon as I get into a taxi or train, I can relax, knowing that nothing has been forgotten.
- ghaff 2y agoYou do get used to it and I keep a travel pile, but, yeah, checklists are never a bad idea.
- seer 2y agoThe one thing you _need_ to pack, apart from visa docs required for travel, is a credit/debit card. Anything you’ve missed can be purchased on location. Traveling to rural Vietnam looked daunting and dangerous for people from the EU, but once there me and the friend realized all the worrying and excessive preparation was for naught. We still forgot some things, an hour or two spent at the local shops and the problem was resolved. All you need is an accepted way to pay and you could get out of almost any reasonable situation. Now would it be cost effective? Surprisingly sometimes yes, but even if not it could give you some more stories to tell. Part of the fun of traveling is the stories you tell afterwards, and no good story starts with “everything went according to plan”.
- simonw 2y agoMy father once told me that as long as you have your passport, wallet and the name and address of where you're going everything else will work out fine. That advice has treated me well.
- ghaff 2y agoWhich raises a point that is often lost today. Assume your phone breaks, gets lost/stolen, etc. How do you know where you're going? Having a printed agenda is a very good idea even if you resent the weight of the paper.
- jonasdegendt 2y agoIf that happens, aren’t you pretty much walking to the closest mobile phone store? A basic device that’ll give you access to the internet, mail and maps is basically a commodity the same way a toothbrush is.
- harperlee 2y agoProblem: with 2FA, lost phone = lost access to your email and rest of digital life, when on a trip (I’ll assume no one travels with their recovery keys).
- ghaff 2y agoI actually do have my Gmail recovery keys with my passport though I haven't tested in a while. But from reading other comments, I guess I'm pretty paranoid and maybe more prepared for a situation where I don't have a working phone. But, if you use a password manager for Google, not sure if that does you any good. Honestly, regaining access to your various accounts if you need to get a new phone--perhaps especially internationally--may be pretty hard. I do sometimes travel with an older spare phone but it's getting out of support.
- 2y ago
- rwmj 2y agoI have one of these. It also tells me all the things I need to turn off / check are switched off in the house.
- Ylpertnodi 2y agoWith the prices of electricity these days I turn off everything by remote control per room each time I leave the house for work etc. Not even extension cord lights are left on, only the very bare necessities - fridge etc remain on.
- danparsonson 2y agoAh but the genius of such a list is that it can also cover things like closing windows, checking the gas cooker is off, watering plants... anything that you might later think "did I remember to...?", while flying to Indonesia. You might have left your fridge switched on, but did you close the door properly?
- ghaff 2y agoWith LED lights, making sure everything is turned off isn't such a big deal these days. But, while I don't really sweat closing up the house for a day or so, it's definitely worth checking things like windows on a longer trip. There are definitely a lot of things you normally do on cruise control and it's nice to be sure they really happened.
- jdeibele 2y agoRead somebody saying that they used their phone to take a picture of the stove knobs before leaving the house. As a person who has returned to the house at least twice to make sure the burners were off, that resonated.
- throwup238 2y agoDo you mind sharing these checklists? I’d love to throw them into my Obsidian notes for the next time I travel. I do it infrequently but it’s always stressful because it’s to visit family internationally.
- et-al 2y agoMake a checklist. Go on trip. Refine checklist by adding things you forgot and removing things you didn't need. Iterating on the checklist is key. Mine is pretty short because it's only about the non-routine stuff: - passport + passport card + visa - make travel notifications for credit cards (seems less needed these days) - chargers + outlet adapters - download maps for areas in Organic Maps, bookmark important places (don't trust Google Maps' offline maps) - write down confirmation/reservation numbers and important phone numbers - remove pocket knife from carry-on - headphones + earplugs + eyeshade - spare glasses (even an old pair works. yes in Asia you can get new glasses in less than an hour) - do you need swimwear, sunscreen, or a headlamp? - lacrosse ball to roll out knots (very personal, but 10hr flights in a cramped economy seat can put a strain on one's back, esp as one gets older) Again, this is my personal "perennial" travel checklist. It's written from my experiences of having a girlfriend break my glasses while needing to drive the next morning, and forgetting headphones for overnight bus rides. Similar to susam, I've also started keeping another trip-specific checklist (e.g. any items my in-laws want from America, or bring 98% DEET for SE Asia). These get deleted after the trip.
- harrall 2y agoWalk through your typical preferred travel day when traveling to build a checklist. “I’m going to be on a plane for 14 hours,” “I need to get ready for bed at night,” “I am going to walk through the city” or “I am doing a wilderness hike.” I only say that because everyone’s checklist is very different and I think it can be too easy to overpack.
- ghaff 2y ago>it can be too easy to overpack I think there are items that have a good size/weight to utility if you do end up needing them in a place where you can't just run to a store. But you also need to be careful not to fall into a "just one more thing" trap because it occurs to you something might be useful or even was useful in a very specific set of circumstances.
- sneak 2y agoDon't buy foreign currency. Take it out of the ATM in the country, and spend it before you leave. Leave the currency in the place it belongs.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y agoWhy?
- ghaff 2y agoATMs probably tend to be a better deal but for $100-200 amounts probably doesn't matter much. Whether you spend your leftovers at the airport depends on if you're reasonably certain you'll be back. I keep pounds and Euros but I have way too much of other currencies which between COVID and employment changes, I'll probably never use.
- 100-xyz 2y agoDepends on where you are going. We did a trip to India and we got charged several fees when withdrawing from State Bank of India. It would have been even higher if we had allowed State Bank of India to the currency conversion. Do your research before heading to a different country.
- KineticLensman 2y agoAgree. I have everything on it after one memorable trip where I forgot to pack any socks. The pre-trip to-do list is also really useful - e.g. all the things that need charging before I go. My list has subsections for specialised trips such as camping, wildlife experiences etc. On one camping trip I inventoried everything that came out of my car when I got back. This spotted a couple of things that I probably wouldn't have remembered for the next trip. Over the years I created a box full of tent-things that I can just lift into the car when I load up.
- ghaff 2y agoIt's not perfect because every trip is often a bit different but compartmentalizing stuff that usually goes together (OK, I don't need my UK plug adapter if I'm going to California) helps a lot without having a checklist of every item. You want your essentials first aid kit, your standard chargers kit, your misc travel kit... goes a long way.
- MiguelVieira 2y agoI have a spreadsheet that I clone and edit each time I go on a trip. So if I go camping, skiing, to the beach, etc, I can look at my old checklists, find a similar one, then clone it and tweak it for my upcoming trip.
- jraby3 2y agoI use multiple packing trips. One for solo (generally) business travel. One for me and my wife traveling. And the last one is for me wife and kids. It works really well and the lists are significantly different.
- swat535 2y agoI’ve stopped caring about packing. Now I only pack the very basics, medication, laptop and chargers toiletries for shaving etc and a few clothes. Anything else I will most likely purchase or won’t need at all. I avoid checking bags, just a small carryon and my backpack. To me the more important items are travel requirements, road conditions, directions, etc.
- flippyhead 2y agoI have a corollary: when I head out of my apartment/hotel/whatever, I assume I could be gone for a night or two -- you never know what will happen! This doesn't mean you need to lug around a bunch of stuff, but just enough basics to make it so you can easily say YES! at forks in the road that might require you to walk too far to get home that day, or stay overnight on a boat, or be out very late with a new group of friends. A toothbrush, change of underwear, and warm cost-thing, sunscreen, etc. Optionality is easy to prepare.
- senkora 2y agoI must inform you that in my mind this makes you a wizard. By which I mean, thinking ahead and preparing items that give you options in the event of unlikely but possible situations is a very wizard-like thing to do.
- jltsiren 2y agoI've started to prefer small checked bags over large carryons. Boarding a plane is more pleasant when you don't need overhead space for you bags. And you don't need special travel versions of stuff to get around carryon restrictions. The backpack should also be small. I find 20 L the ideal size, but your needs may be different. If your backpack is too large, you'll be taking more unnecessary stuff with you everywhere at the destination.
- r0fl 2y agoAirlines are a disaster. Having luggage lost is such a PITA, especially on short trips. Carry on only. I buy the smallest carry ons I can find so the carry on police at the check in counter don’t make me ever gate check.
- triyambakam 2y agoThe split in sections is really useful!
- voisin 2y agoSounds very well thought out. Care to share your list as a starting point for others?