Hey Nerds,
Sorry for the radio silence yesterday. Between interviewing for a job and celebrating a birthday, the day got away from me. I hope you can forgive me.
So let’s continue to talk packing. This go around I want to talk some practical tips. Things you may not think of that could help with peace of mind or lighten your load.
- Makin’ Copies!
That’s right, my Rob Schneider loving nerds, making copies is an incredibly helpful step before traveling. If you’re traveling internationally, it’s always smart to make a copy of your passport(s) and take it with you. I also recommend scanning your passport and saving that scan into a cloud-based storage platform you can access anywhere via the internet. The copies easily fold up and go in your carry on. You can then use these when you are out and about instead of carrying your incredibly valuable passport while you’re out sight-seeing. Keep your passports stored in a hotel room safe. Having a scanned backup means that if for some reason you lose both the photo copy AND your passports you can easily access another copy from your phone, tablet, laptop, or a hotel computer. I also recommend sending a copy to your emergency contact while traveling.
But that’s not the only thing to photocopy! I LOVE a good guidebook, but they take up a lot of space in your bags and they are heavy. So take the time to read a guidebook prior to your trip and then photocopy or scan the pages of places you want to visit. Then you can take the printed pages, or use your phone/tablet, while out traveling.
- Go Analog
When it comes to maps, it’s wise to go analog. We typically travel with one printed copy of a local map. Usually these are the fold up, laminated maps that come in the back of travel books. We’re big fans of the EyeWitness Travel Top 10 books with pull-out maps. These are useful in the event your cellphone service is spotty or goes out completely at your destination. This tip is most likely more helpful for international travel. When traveling domestically, I recommend downloading an offline version of a local map. This is something you can do with Google Maps and ensures that you can still navigate a city with spotty or no cell service.
- Except When it Comes to Books, then Go Digital
I know, I know. This is confusing! Think of it this way, you’re trying to reduce what you have to carry in your bags. Don’t take an entire travel book, but take the map. In fact, try not to take ANY physical books and invest in a digital eReader of some sort. I personally travel with a Kindle Fire HD 7. It’s a little out of date compared to the Kindle Fire HD 10 that’s in market now, but it gets the job done. I carry one these for a couple of reasons: 1) it’s a convenient size (7.6″ x 4.5″ x 0.4″), so it’s easily portable, 2) at a little over 10oz, it’s light, and 3) I can load books, movies, TV shows, and games onto it and have tons of ways to keep myself entertained. Don’t get me wrong, when you’re on a plane with seatback entertainment you should watch that instead of using up your battery on your eReader/tablet. But I cannot count the times we’ve stayed in a hotel with one to two channels in English, usually the news, and we just want to watch something right before bed.
Fun Fact: Some streaming services allow you to download certain content to watch on your personal device. We typically do this with Netflix. For full instructions, go here. This way you can watch something you have meant to watch and may not own. For example, this is how we watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in our hotel room in Tel Aviv while trying to stay awake to overcome jetlag. Spoiler alert: my darling NP4L still fell asleep. - Plan for Small Emergencies
What do I mean by a “small emergency”? Blisters, cuts, scrapes, tooth mishaps, sea/motion sickness, bugs, sun, etc. Think of all the possible things that could go wrong on your trip and pack a few small items for “just in case.” For us, that means sunscreen or bug repellent wipes. Nothing that requires going into the quart-sized bag to clear TSA. That space is limited and at a premium, so we try to keep that for our daily essentials. We also always travel with disinfectant wipes to clean surfaces as needed. Depending on where you are traveling, you might find you want to bring travel toilet seat covers. Believe me, there are bathrooms out in the world that NEED a paper seat cover. I also cannot emphasize planning for cuts, blisters, and tooth emergencies. A small first aid kit is a must have with a few sizes of acetaminophen, Pepto Bismol chewable tablets, Dramamine, flexible band-aids, ointment, blister bandages, lip balm, a nail file, and a dental medical kit. I find I can fit most of these items in a small cosmetic or toiletries bag and slip it into my backpack. - International Service or a Mobile Hotspot
My final piece of advice is doing everything in your power to ensure you have either data or access to reliable Wi-Fi while you travel (most specifically internationally). With this, I recommend either investing in a cell phone plan/service that has sizable coverage internationally or look into renting or purchasing a mobile WiFi hotspot. When we traveled to Japan back in 2017 we rented a Pocket WiFi through the Japan RailPass website. We were able to pick it up from a location inside the Narita airport and use it throughout our trip. To return the device, we simply dropped it in any mailbox in the provided envelope. The device was small, convenient, and allowed us to stay connected with family while on holiday. This model is pretty standard around the world. There are also several options for purchase that you can own and pay for service as needed, such as Skyroam Solis. Today our nerdy household relies on Google Fi. They have a comprehensive list of countries covered and their unlimited plan allows unlimited data and texts while traveling in these countries and calls for 20ยข/minute.
And that’s it. Another 5 tips from this Head Nerd that hopefully will help you travel with confidence and ease. Remember, there’s always room for personal preference. If you absolutely have to travel with a physical copy of your favorite book, you do you. Just remember to prioritize going light and saving space as much as possible. Your back will thank you later.
As the world reopens, I do hope that you all will go big and take that dream trip you’ve always wanted. The world is such a big, beautiful, crazy, exciting, and adventurous place. You definitely will find a new you out there and appreciate what you have at home a little more when you return.
Cheers,
Head Nerd