I love to travel. Just the thought that I’ll be leaving and go to visit a new country, that I’m heading towards new adventures, gives me butterflies in my tummy and makes my imagination run wild. Browsing the books, searching the information about opening times and entrance tickets, making my own itinerary, booking a HI hostel, preparing my “must see” list and double-checking the time of sunset to make the greatest and most romantic photos is extremely exciting for me.
Unfortunately, part of the preparation for travelling is also packing, which is not on my top five favourite things to-do list. Stuffing clothes into a suitcase, wondering what else do I need and what I have too much off, what not to forget… it’s not what I get up in the morning happy to worry about. I have, however, after many packed suitcases and forgotten toothbrushes, drying the only shoes I had with a hair dryer, and endless searches of drug stores in a new and unfamiliar city, learned what I always must carry with me.
Personal ID and cash
You’d think this is the most natural thing to have with you, right? But it happens quite often we forget the most natural things to have with us. As there are no border controls within Schengen, we can travel from Slovenia to Italy, Austria or Hungary without being checked for ID, thus it can happen that you arrive at the airport (in Vienna, Budapest or Venice) and realize – only there and then – that your passport or ID card is neatly placed on the nightstand where you’re sure not to forget it and are sure to take it with you.
I suggest you have your ID along with all the important plastic card – such as the European health insurance, student ID, Hosteling International membership card and similar (with your student card, and also with HI membership card – even if you’re not a student you’re entitled to many discounts all over the globe), along with some cash, safely tucked away in a waterproof bag, around your neck and under the sweater. Never put these things in the easy to reach pockets of your backpack, as those are probably the most tempting places for pickpockets, who might be lurking for a careless backpack exploring a foreign city.
Never keep all your cash in one place! Divide it up and keep it separately. Have some in your valet and some in your waterproof bag around your neck. In worst case scenario of betting robed or losing the bag, backpack… you’ll always have some backup left.
A purse for coins
It might sound silly, but you’ll need some loose change along the way. Many gas stations will charge you to let you use the toilet (it’s usually 50c, but without them you can’t go in). Most often you’ll be able to get a discount at the gas station shop for the same amount. Public toilets are also rarely free. And it’s not handy to go digging through the whole backpack to find the valet and take out the money, not to show everybody what you’re carrying with you. Also, it can happen you don’t even have any change in the valet. So keep in mind to have a loose change in a small purse neatly ready in your pocket.
Traveling drug store
Everybody knows their body the best, so to say, that’s why you’re the best judge of the possible illnesses, allergies, and other unpleasantries that you can expect to happen along the way. So you should have the needed sprays, pills and ointments with you. And it’s also good to have, and doesn't really cost much, a small first aid kit with you. Some patches and bandages can always come in handy. If, like me, you get a cold quickly, you should have something for the sore throat and a few aspirins or similar to handle the headache. Also if you tend to get stomach acid (especially with food you’re not accustomed to) have some anti-acid pills with you. Some remedy for motion sickness might come in handy if you suffer during long bus or boat rides… Basically, trust me, there’s nothing worse than coming to an unfamiliar town, tired and with a headache, and having to try and find the first pharmacy, before even checking in the HI hostel.
Toothbrush and a towel
Packed separately from the rest of the personal hygiene and not in the suitcase that travels in the luggage compartment, or who knows where in the airplane, you should have a small towel, your toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste with you. Especially if you’re obsessed with oral hygiene like me), so you can brush your teeth at the first possible opportunity – or protect your braces, or get rid of the stale breath you might develop during napping on a long ride. Also, to wipe your hands somewhere other than pants, and refresh your face, you should have a small towel with you. Especially if using public toilets along the way – which you have no choice but doing – with no paper towels.
An umbrella and a folding rain coat
Even the most sunny weather forecast can easily turn into a shower, so it’s always good to be prepared for rain – having an umbrella or a folding rain coat with you. They don’t take up much space and are not really heavy, but you’ll be really grateful to have them with you, when the rain starts pouring down and you’re not completely unprotected.
Cutlery
When a friend of mine was wrapping the knife, spoon and fork in paper towels to take with her, I was laughing at her, but two days later this turned out to be one of the smartest moves she made. It happens along the way that you buy food to go (like a salad) but can’t eat it without a fork. Or can’t spread the pate on a piece of bread without a knife. If you tend to get hungry along the way and prefer things that cannot easily be eaten only with your fingers, you should consider cutlery – just make sure it’s not in your backpack while flying in an airplane, as metal forks and knives will be confiscated.
Spare shoes and slippers
I always think of more things to put in the suitcase than there’s room for. And usually I solve the problem by leaving the spare shoes at home – MISTAKE! After an unexpected storm at lake Ohrid and after having fun at a fountain in Krakow I finally learned that you must always have at least one more pair of shoes with you – not just the ones on your feet when leaving! Don’t spare the room by leaving the shoes behind, you might get more sorry than you can imagine.
And after long walks around the city, going up hills or stairs to see old castles, or great city view, after partying for hours… your feet will get the best treat when you take off the shoes and put on a fresh pair of socks and have the slippers on! Be good to your feet and don’t torture them with shoes while in the HI hostel. Have the slippers and if needed some thicker warm socks (if you don’t have them, I can lend you mine – in any colour you might imagine).
A needle and thread
Why do you need a sewing kit with you when you travel? Well, one wrong move and there’s your warm, favourite, and only sweater you brought with you, if starting to tear. You’ll need a needle and some thread with you. Even more, when you pick up your suitcase at the airport and see a whole side of it is torn. If you’ve ever seen how suitcases are being tossed aboard the airplane you’ll know this is quite likely to happen. And it’s possible to mend the damage right away if you have the right tools with you.
