Friday, November 29, 2013

My Essentials Before Travelling Overseas

I have quite a list of essentials before this trip. I haven't been overseas in 5 years.. so let the paranoia set in.

  1. Toothbrush + Toothpaste
    Very important. First impressions count. Although it would be unlikely for a stranger to be so close to me while I talk, I don't want the chance of them smelling my breath and fainting.
    Mouthwash is also important. And dental floss if you must ;)
  2. Phone Charger
    Whilst in the midst of visiting a World Heritage Site, or eating your expensive exotic dish.. you decide to take a picture and upload it onto Instagram. And show off to your friends.
    But oh the horror! Your phone battery is dying!
    ahhh not to worry. I'll just share this picture back at the hotel while it's charging.
    *come hotel room*
    WHERE'S MY CHARGER??? AHHHHHH!!
    Seriously, you don't want to forget it. Especially if you're the only one in your village that has your phone model.
  3. Powerpoint adaptor
    I guess this one's pretty obvious. And I place this on equal importance to a phone charger. Why? If you can't plug your phone charger into the power socket, how will charge your phone? How will you upload your photos on instagram? How will you call your Mum?!
    Remember to buy one before departing for your trip, just in case you won't be able to get one when on the trip itself.
    You can buy them online, or in most convenience stores. But some might not have the adaptors you're after. I think I saw Strandbags sell some, but they are really pricey. I think they were around $20 at strandbags and I was like "NUH-UH!"

    I bought my Australian to Japanese adaptor from a Japanese store in Sydney, Town Hall. It was a store called Maruyu and I bought 4 for $10. Super cheap compared to Strandbags.
    Australian to: Indonesian (left) and Japanese (right) adaptors
  4. Sunscreen and Moisturiser
    Whatever weather you're travelling to, you're going to need this! You don't want to come home sunburnt, nor with skin cancer. The sun in winter can also be just as deadly as the summer's!
    You'd also want to bring a moisturiser because... well, having dry skin doesn't feel nice!
    You can buy sunscreen that acts as a moisturiser, or a moisturiser with SPF30+ in it. The Australian sun is harsh, all year round. If you're thinking of coming to the Land Down Under, I recommend anything with SPF30+, or greater. It's that bad.
    Everytime I go outside without sunscreen, even if it were just for 5 minutes, I notice I am a couple of shades darker. I don't really like tanning.
  5. Compass (optional)
    This is optional for some, but for me.. this is one of the most important as I don't know how to tell North from South, nor East from West by looking at the sun. One of the reasons why I need to know my direction is because I have to know the Qiblat (the direction to the Ka'bah in Makkah) to pray my 5 daily prayers. There are some compasses that come with a book of cities to tell you how many degrees from North the Qiblat is. It's super cool! I'm using the ones my parents got from Hajj, but I think you can buy them from your nearest Islamic bookstore.
    I know some smart phones come with compass apps, or Qiblat apps, but well.. if your phone runs out of battery, or you have not internet data connection, you're going to have to find NSEW using the good ol' compass. I really learn how to tell direction by using the sun. That'd be pretty neat.
  6. Hygeine Things Now I'm going to go into the things that you will definitely need! These are things which I don't think anyone will forget. But I'm putting it into this list anyway.
    Soap, shampoo. And for the ladies, remember to bring your pads for your monthlies.
    'Nuff said.
  7.  Any Others?

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