ALL the TRAVEL tips you will EVER need to know (Travel Tips in General)

Member Name: shopop

Product:	Travel Tips in General
Date:	04/02/04 (254 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun in the sun!

Disadvantages: a hecka lot of a organising baby!

I?ll make this as short and sweet as I can!

Get Your Guides!
Rough guides are invaluable, they will contain everything you need to know from people who have been to the country you have been to, and they are fully researched, and contain great info, including ?secret weapon? websites to look at!

Last Minute Dot Com!
If you have managed to get a bargain flight at a bargain price, you may in a bit of a flurry trying to get everything organised. Just remember:

Passport
Money
Travel Insurance
Travel jabs
Map/rough guide

Loong Haul!
Here are a few things to help a long haul flight go smoothly;

*Baby wipes*- even if you have no babies, these are such a handy thing to have, keep them for when you arrive in your destination, they are useful for wiping sun cream/sand of your hands/face in the beach!
*Facial water spray*- to refresh your skin on the plane/cool your skin on the beach
*Eyes drops-to refresh tired eyes*
*Good book/magazine- maybe buy your favourite magazine in advance, but save it until you get to the airport, you never know if the airport shop will have it in stock (they probably will, but if its peak season, they often sell out)
*Face and hand cream* the atmosphere on the plane is dehydrating to your skin, so have a rich cream available, to keep you moisturised. A cream that serves multi purposes is **aqueous cream**; forget lugging around a cleanser, moisturizer, after sun lotion, skin-healing cream, even nappy rash cream! Just get a tub of this, (available in small and large sizes) from your pharmacy, it works wonders, and is also very cheap!
**Drink lots of water, but water is only good for you at room temperature, and don?t gulp down loads, just have a glass full every hour, this should keep you hydrated.
*No Sun beds!*Well?at least 24hours before you go! (Some of us don?t like to be the only pasty ones on the beach..) These will dehydrate your skin. Something,
which your skin
doesn?t need right now!
*Tick Tock! Change your clock time when you get o the plane, and try and adjust to that time ASAP
*Snacks plane food may have improved from times of yore, but none the less, bring a fave snack of your own, just in case?
*Photocopy your passport and leave the photocopies with someone at home just in case




One thing I find people always forget is a Phone charger! Especially if your going to a country far away, where you might not be able to easily buy them

Luxury!
Here are a few tips on traveling in style!

*Cashmere socks* a personal fave of mine, as comfort is everything when you?re sitting in a cramped seat!
*Eye cover/eye cooler* these are great for getting some sleep or relaxing, especially when traveling through different times zones, when you want to sleep during daylight.
*Juicy Couture Tracksuit!!* Another personal fave, you don?t need to splash out on the money for one of these, you can get look a likes for under £10 in primark, marks and spencers etc, the great thing about them is that they basically feel like pyjamas! If you feel like you are in pyjamas, you will feel like you are at home in your bed, and then relax?then Zzzzzzzzzzz BUT! The only problem is, if you want to be SFU (suitable for upgrade in airline lingo, you have to be smartly dressed, so maybe try changing into this in the toilet after check-in?you don?t want to miss out on an upgrade opportunity now do you!)
*Toothbrush!* If you?re on long haul, this will come in handy! Bring it in a plastic case, so not as to make it obvious, and also wet your bag/seat when you return. You can get the plastic case from superdrug for cheap, along with other good small travel items.
*Head Pillow for extra comfort!* These can be bought at the airport.


Anxious about flying?

*Bach rescue remedy or Australian Bush essence Calm&Clear* if, like me, you?d rather not be 30?000
feet up in the sky in a piece of
metal, then these remedies are ideal!!
*Kalms* I swear by these natural herbal remedy tablets, as they do not make you feel sluggish, and just take that anxious edge of flying.
*Goody Bag* this idea is also good for over excited kids/husbands?. You simply buy a few items for yourself to keep you occupied on the flight. For kids try glitter pens, with coloured paper, or stickers. For adults try manicure sets (but no nail files, as you cannot take these on board) or even a game boy! Or but an item at the duty free that you have been meaning to get, and look/play/read it on the plane!
*Pictures of your destination* It helps to have a picture of your destination, and try to close your eyes and imagine you are there. It also helps to make you understand why you have got on the plane, when you know you don?t like them!
*Religious/spiritual* if you are religious, a small chant that you know might help, or take a small prayer card, you can buy these from most card shops, or churches.

It may be told to you 100 times, but RELAX! The plane journey IS NOT your holiday! It is purely a means of getting from one place to another-when else do you get a chance to sit for 4-13 hours just doing nothing at all, being waited on? Think of it as a time to pamper yourself?! Or write a letter to someone that you have been meaning to make contact with!
**www.fearofflying.com** I don?t think I could of got on a plane, if it wasn?t for visiting this website! It is written by a pilot, and it goes through every procedure imaginable, and has great breathing exercises to banish away anxiety. It?s all free to view, and it takes you step by step through your fears, and at the end it has a personalized package for you to print of and take on the plane. I cannot rate this website enough!!!

Leave your house/flat/room tidy, so you haven?t the stress of tidying up when you return, and buy your favourite tea/snack for when you r
eturn home too. We all like a cuppa tea when we ge
t home!!

Search the Web!
There are a bundle of good websites with tips on traveling! Glamour uk website (the website for the magazine) has a list of top ten travel products, as does www.boots.com also has a good guide to lots of travel products and travel jabs.


Its highly publicised, but you must take precautions against DVT

Exercise
Drink fluids i.e., water fruit juice

If you have a history of DVT or blood clots then speak to your GP, but the following might help;
Mild dose aspirin
Flight socks
Exercise aids such as airogym DVT exercise cushion

When you get there! The Best part!

Try and go out in as much natural light as possible, this will help your body clock adjust
Apparently you will have to take one day to recover for every time zone crossed?so just take it easy.??!!
*Find out if tap water is safe, to be on the safe side, stick to bottled
*Find our where the British embassy/nearest hospital is?just in case
*Respect local customs/laws?i.e. with concerns to clothing etc
*Have fun, relax and enjoy!

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