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Master Travel Tips
The travel season is upon us! It's time to whip out those passports and go on an adventure. Traveling is one of the best ways to have fun, expand your horizon, and rejuvenate... But it can also be stressful if you are not prepared. Our founder, Nichole MacDonald, is an expert at eliminating the might-go-wrong parts of travel and turning every inevitable disaster into an adventure. She has successfully conquered trips to some of the most challenging parts of the world, including India, Indonesia, the Middle East, even Sri Lanka, where she met someone who had never even heard of the United States of America. Just last year she spent over 80 hours on planes and crossed several international borders without a hitch or even discomfort. Here are some of her tips for all the globetrotters this summer:
1) First, let's just get this out of the way: Get a Sash bag. You'll need it for the rest of the tips.
2) You don't need to take the kitchen sink with you. Here are the basic must-haves (in addition to your clothes and shoes), all of which can fit into your Sash bag or easily in a carryon:
• Essential Oils
• Tissue
• Ibuprofen
• Ear Plugs
• Hand Sanitizer
• Lots of Lightweight Scarves
• Comfy Socks
• Travel flashlight
• Your Passport
• Your Smart Phone
• Phone Chargers, including Portable
• Your Credit Cards
• Cash in $100 denominations
• Lobster Claw
• Travel Pillow
• Sleep Mask
3) In the airport, keep your passport and itinerary in your outside pocket for quick access as you'll need it at multiple points. Once you are done, you can store them in your zipper passport pocket for safe keeping during the rest of the trip.
4) On the plane, especially on long flights, you'll want your oils, scarves, sanitizer, ear plugs, and socks handy. Keep those at your fingertips.
5) One way to eliminate the annoyance of the stuffiness and smells that are inevitable during long flights is to roll essential oils onto your scarf and wrap it around your neck, maybe even over your head, if you are comfortable. You'll create your own spa-like bubble and forget that you're in a plane with hundreds of strangers.
6) Remove your shoes during the flight so your feet are not constricted and wear your comfy socks. Make sure you get up at least once an hour and walk up and down the aisles. Stretch. Do lunges. Jog in place a little. This circulation will keep your feet from swelling up too much. Sidenote: I once traveled with a friend who did not listen to me about this! She wound up having to go to a hospital in a developing country due to blood clots. This is a big deal!
7) Use your earplugs and sleep mask for sleeping and resting on the plane, but be careful to insert the earplugs slowly and not too far into your ear. You could cause vertigo and get ill. I learned this one the hard way.
8) You can keep your Sash bag on the entire time you are on the plane. Because it's so lightweight and comfortable, don't worry about taking it on and off. You won't risk losing anything because it'll be at your fingertips.
9) Once you are at your destination and find yourself sightseeing, you can use your tissue and hand sanitizer for bathrooms that don't have all the conveniences of our western toilets.
10) You can keep your Sash on all the time, whether in a cab, on a train, on a bike, eating out at a restaurant, and even in the bathroom. Never worry about losing it or having it stolen.
11) Keep your phone in your outside pocket for quick access, but if you are ever in a crowded or questionable area, you can move it into a zippered pocket.
12) You can use a lobster claw to connect the dual zippers so nobody can access the zippered pockets.
13) Keep your extra charger and portable chargers in the pocket with your phone. You'll need that juice throughout the day!
14) Your bag is safe with RFID protection from would-be thieves, so no worries there either!
15) Relax knowing everything is safe and conveniently at your fingertips, and HAVE FUN!!
16) And take lots of pictures. :-)
Have any tips to share of your own? We'd love to hear them!