8 Best Travel Tips for the Adventurer
SKOVA is all about embracing your wild side through wanderlust. Have you ever looked forward to traveling but the week before your trip you start stressing over your itinerary, what to pack, or trying to decide what to do? Travel can be hectic at times but over the years, our guest blogger Jeanine Romo from Le Wild Explorer learned ways to make prepping for travel easier! So read on for some of her tried and true travel trips!
1. Decide What You’re Packing in Advance
Do you have a problem when it comes to packing? If you tend to overpack, which so many of us do, start prepping a list of items you’ll need. For example, if you’re going on a ski trip make a list of all your winter gear essentials at least two weeks in advance. Knowing what you absolutely must take with you will help you figure out what you already have and what you still need to get.
So with two weeks, you can shop in-store or online for those items and still have time just in case you need to return or exchange anything. After knowing which essentials are needed you can curate what outfits you should to take.
My tip to packing less clothing is to go with a color palette that can mix and match to create different outfits. I don’t need 5 scarves for a week, nor do I need several pairs of shoes, although the shoes are so tempting! Make sure to check the weather before packing. I usually check the weather when I book my flights to get an idea, then again before I start packing, and a couple days before I leave.
2. Use Packing Cubes
Packing cubes not only keep your suitcase organized, they keep YOU organized! I keep my tops, bottoms, and dresses in different cubes, undergarments in another, and use an organizer case for my electronics. My shoes also have a packing cube they go in and I keep my running shoes rubber-banded together to take up less space. The cubes help keep your clothes compact and are less prone to getting wrinkled or dirty.
3. Leave Room for the Unexpected
Things happen! Plans don’t always go how you wanted them to and opportunities also arise. I never try to jam-pack my days with too many activities because I want to leave room for things that may come up. Fancy a tour that needs to be pre-booked? No problem! Plan for the things you really want to do and have some time in between for “wiggle room.” I always have a list of things I want to do but I try not to place too many times and dates on those things. So if I’m done with a pre-planned activity I can just go to my list and decide what to do next. Not over-planning will save you some headaches and help make for a better time during your trip.
4. Download Travel Apps
With technology at our fingertips, make travel even easier with some of the best travel apps.
Here are some of my top suggestions:
Maps Me - Don’t have data? Download the Maps Me app, then download the destination you’re going to while you have WiFi. You can mark locations and get directions all without WiFi or data.
Citymapper - If you do have data, I suggest Citymapper because it also gives you real-time public transit information.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/citymapper-ultimate-transit/id469463298?mt=8
Splitwise - Doing a trip with a group of friends? Keep track of expenses on Splitwise and split the bill at the end of the trip.
XE Currency - Having trouble with conversion rates? Avoid getting ripped off because you don’t know how much 1000 baht is when your tuk-tuk driver asks you to pay for your 10-minute ride.
Google Translate - Lost in translation? Have your app handy and carry on the conversation.
Google Trips - It saves your flight information, your reservations, and gives you
recommendations for your itinerary! If you’ve saved places to your Google Map, it pulls that up for you too!
5. Charge Up All Your Electronics
I like doing this 2-3 days before my trip so I don’t forget anything. I charge my camera, GoPro, power bank, etc. This ensures me that when I go to take out my camera on the first day of my trip that it will actually have enough battery to take the photo. Oh, and don’t forget the SD card!
6. Organize Your Travel Documents
Make a copy of your passport to take with you and keep it in a separate place. In case you lose your passport, a copy may help. Also, send a copy of your itinerary to someone at home or someone you know who isn’t traveling with you. I keep my family posted on my travel plans so at least someone has an idea of where I am at any given time.
7. Have Extra Cash Hidden
Having an extra $100 or so in cash can come in handy if you lose a credit card. I keep some extra cash and two extra credit cards hidden in different places just in case. I also never carry too much cash on me while I’m out during the day.
8. Pack A Towel!
You might be in between hotel stays and want to hit the beach or go sunbathing. Or during a road trip you might want to eat outside and want something to sit on. While hotels offer clean towels they might only be for inside/shower use. I take my SKOVA travel towel with me on my trips. It’s easy to pack, colorful so it never gets mixed up at a pool party, and makes for a cute picnic towel!
Click here to shop our Red Kilim Travel Towel, as shown above in Jeanine's adventure to Knapp's Castle!
Jeanine Romo
http://lewildexplorer.com/
Follow Her On Instagram!