Packing to go on holiday, whilst exciting, can be a stressful affair. With the stringent weight restriction that airlines now enforce, penalising travellers heavily for going a mere ounce over the allowance, it is more imperative than ever that we pack the right items. Having said this, there will always be items we forget as we excitedly pack to go on holiday.
If your forthcoming holiday is leaving you mentally visualising your suitcase, despite there still being a few months before you leave, then why not start planning your packing? Avoid getting caught out at the last minute and take a look at these top items that travellers often forget to pack:
An umbrella
Taking Turkey holidays or enjoying trips to Greece, Spain or anywhere that is considered to be a notoriously hot holiday destination, can often lead to optimistic holidaymakers, who confidently leave their umbrellas at home in favour of sun cream lotion.
Whilst these locations are typically blessed with blue skies, soaring temperatures and glorious sunshine, when it does rain in these countries, it often pours. You needn’t pack the big and bulky umbrella you would take to Glastonbury Festival, but it is wise to pack a small and discreet umbrella that will cover you against all eventualities. Alternatively, a thin waterproof mac or poncho will do the job and can be folded away to fit discreetly in bags.
A phone charger
Being an essential item of our handbags and coat pockets, mobile phones rarely get forgotten when packing. Phone chargers however, are another story entirely.
If you want to communicate with the outside world, or use your phone to take photos of your holiday, then remember to leave some space in your suitcase for this small and unobtrusive, yet highly important item.
A plug adapter
It is equally as important to remember that a phone charger is rendered useless if you forget to pack a plug adapter. This essential foreign holiday item is often left abandoned when the family excitedly drive to the airport. You’ll need to check the exact adaptor you’ll need in advance, but remembering this is half the task done.
Mosquito repellent
Whilst hot countries offer a much welcomed alternative to the typically cold and rainy UK, they are not without their disadvantages. Mosquitoes are perhaps the main one, so to avoid scratching yourself tirelessly for a whole two weeks, make sure you pack plenty of mosquito repellent. It doesn’t take up too much room in your suitcase, but will certainly come in handy.
Aspirin
Whether your holiday comes with aspirations to party all night until dawn, or to sprawl out in a corner of a beach with a good book, you never quite know when you’ll need some aspirin. Should you forget to take it however, you can usually pick it up from chemists at your destination, so don’t worry too much if it’s left behind.
Great tips. It seems like I am always over-packing and at the same time under-packing by forgetting things like the items on your list.. I would like to add one more general travel tip that saved my last trip to Rome from total disaster. I lost my passport during the day but had no idea it was missing. Fortunately, I had an Okoban tracer tag on it. A waiter where I ate lunch found it and entered my tracker number on their website and I was sent a text message (and an email) before I ever even knew my passport was missing. Lucky for me because I was leaving in the morning for Germany and getting a new passport would have been impossible. I found these tags at mystufflostandfound.com. It saved my trip and I now have tags on almost everything that goes with me on a trip.