In the past eight months I’ve been up and down British Columbia, through 13 airports to and from South Africa, and between Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan. I’ve had good sleeps and bad sleeps, packed and re-packed my suitcase a dozen times, acquired and let go of precious items of clothing, struggled to maintain a healthy diet and body, and been robbed or defrauded three times. After all this, I figure I gots some pointers to share with you folks.
A.G. says hello from Chapman’s Peak
Packing
I took one mid-sized suitcase with me for a whole month of travel. Cape Town was in the middle of summer when I arrived (36 C!) so it was easy to pack pretty light, but there were so many items of clothing I could have done without. Only bring your favourites. Pack versatile pieces that work well together. Be prepared for weather changes – I still brought my leather jacket, two sweaters, a scarf, jeans, and two cardigans, and I used all of them while in Cape Town. Save space by rolling your clothing rather than folding them – also helps to eliminate wrinkles. And for Pete’s sake, put your name, contact number (in your destination), email, and final destination on your luggage. Some lady in lost luggage had to open my suitcase, found one of my business cards, and emailed me to see if I knew who the owner of the case was. My luggage was needlessly delayed because I did not have this information on my suitcase. If you’re taking a long flight, pack a change of clothes in your carry-on, along with other necessities to get you through the long journey…
Travel
I was really nervous about embarking on the longest journey I’ve ever taken while prepping to head to South Africa – almost 18 hours just from New York to Johannesburg, nevermind all my other connections. I almost over-prepared for my flight: I had snacks in the form of nuts, dried fruit, and energy bars. I had a steel water bottle that I could re-fill. Travel sized toiletries included: Aveda’s Purifying Gel Cleanser and also their Hand Cream, Saje’s Balancing Elixir oil treatment to combat dry airplane skin, and Saje’s Konjac facial sponge to exfoliate and cleanse.
I normally always catch a cold on airplanes, so I came prepared with Echinacea, Greens vitamin supplements, Vitamin E (which can double as a topical skin saver), Complex B vitamin, and most importantly – melatonin so I could get a solid sleep on the plane. I mixed in oral rehydration salts with my water about every 4-8 hours as well, and I think that combined with the melatonin-induced sleep really saved me. I went through 6 airports, dealt with lost luggage, and still arrived in Cape Town after almost 2 full days of travel feeling pretty refreshed and not jet-lagged at all.
When you check in for a long overnight flight, ask your airline agent if the flight is full. If not, see if there are any seats that have one or two seats on either side vacant – that way you can curl up and sleep.
Essentials: melatonin, oral rehydration salts, and Aveda’s purifying cleanser (I find the fragrance very comforting!).
Non-essentials: I love the smell combination of Saje’s Balancing Elixir oil, but the dropper cap was not very secure and due to the in flight cabin pressure, it leaked all over the inside of my bag. Smelled great, but was a big mess to clean up. The snacks were handy but I brought too many an they got squished. And I could have managed with just one book, rather than three!
Safety
As I mentioned, I was robbed or defrauded on three separate occasions while in Cape Town. Here’s what I learned:
- every time you leave your accommodation, check your bag and remove anything that isn’t essential to your outing. In my case, I lost both my local mobile and my Blackberry from home; a personal notebook full of ideas and poetry and other tidbits from the past year, in which I had just finished the last page; my laptop charger; my wallet full of cards, drivers license, debit card, and so on. My whole backpack got stolen and was full of things I absolutely did not need to have on me – things, like my notebook, of irreplaceable value.
- take out large sums of money only in the company of friends, and don’t use a sidewalk ATM if you can help it. I was victim to a rigged machine and someone must have been watching me enter my PIN from behind or afar – next day my bank account had been drained. Take extra precaution and cover up your hand as you’re entering your PIN, and only use ATM’s attached to banks or in secured areas – these will be less prone to fraud scams. Keep your stack of cash safe in your accommodation and take out only what you think you’ll need – leave the VISA and ATM cards at home.
- out at a restaurant enjoying a beautiful meal? Think your bag will be safe on the back of your chair under the watchful eyes of your party? Think again. Keep your bag on your lap or secured between your feet under the table. As I learned, it only takes one second of distraction for your belongings to simply disappear.
- I never required proof of ID once during my travels, so it became unnecessary for me to keep carrying around my driver’s license. NEVER carry your passport around with you if you can avoid it – I’m so thankful I didn’t have to deal with replacing mine while in a foreign country.
The rest should be pretty basic. I felt I was pretty much in the know when it came to traveling, but on this particular trip I learned a lot and wanted to share these new guildelines I’ve developed for myself, which I will adhere to for all future adventures!
Happy world.
