Don't forget your toothbrush! (10 indispensable things to take on holiday with you)

Member Name: Holidaying

Product:	10 indispensable things to take on holiday with you
Date:	27/03/09 (237 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You'll have what you need.

Disadvantages: None.

Well my name is Holidaying and I have spent a fair bit of time doing that so I thought this would be an appropriate review to write!

What do I take with me? Well needless to say it depends where you're going, but for most holidays, I take the following:

1. Passport, insurance documents, additional proof of ID, passport photocopy (in case the original is lost or stolen), flight details.

2. Mobile phone! Yes even when I'm away I cannot bear to be without my mobile phone! It allows me to keep in touch with people at home and means that whoever we meet on holiday can be kept in touch with to arrange going for a drink or something. I try to be careful of the costs because it can be very expensive, even to receive a call, from home.

There is also a serious reason for taking a mobile phone, and that is safety. I think just having it with you makes you feel safer (but make sure you have relevant numbers in it, like the number of your hotel and the emergency services number of the country you're in) because if you need it, it's there.

I know it can be something that might put you at risk of being mugged but the key is to be discreet, and that's where the next item comes in!

3. Money belt! Obviously you can't put a mobile phone in here but you can put other items in here, such as your passport, traveller's cheques and a small amount of cash! There are some very good ones available that fit, are comfortable and discreet, and they're cheap! These are worth the money!

4. Nationwide Flex card! This is the best card for going abroad because it does not charge you any fees for taking money out of the ATM or making transactions, and you get a fair exchange rate. You can manage the account on the internet (but set this up before you go!) which is good to make sure there are not transactions there that shouldn't be!

5. A guide book. I like Lonely Planet but most of them are good. This is something nice to read on the plane and allows you to get excited about where you're going, and do a bit of planning. I find the best thing about these books is that you get a language section in the book with a pronounciation guide which will enable you to get a bit more out of your holiday!

6. Weather appropriate gear! This obviously means suncream and sunhat for hot countries, and warm clothing and a warm hat, scarf and gloves for cold countries. On top of this and related are things like mosquito repellant which leads me on to...

7. Before you go you have to do some research about where you're going, and if you're going somewhere with nasty bugs then you will need something like anti malaria tables, or strong insect repellant! You might need a mosquito net too, for instance. Some of these are impregnated with the ingredient that repels mosquitos, others are not. This means you might need to buy this product.

Along these lines, take a basic first aid kit as well.

8. Driving licence and international driving licence! If you plan to hire a car you will need one or both of these! You can drive in many countries with a UK driving licence but an international one costs about £ 50 I think, so could be worthwhile if you go abroad a lot to countries where the UK licence is not accepted.

9. As many clothes and shoes as I can take! This goes without saying for most of us girls!

10. Small comfortable bag for daytimes. I'm always surprised when I go away and see tourists with huge handbags or flimsy beach type bags. It's a good idea to invest in a 'day bag', which will be big enough for everything that most people will need in one day, which will be more secure and weather proof than the above alternatives, and which will be comfortable on both shoulders rather than weighing you done on one side.

I take all these things every time I go away and I recommend you do too!

Summary: Holidaying's holiday list.