Authored by Mark Peters in Travel Preparation
Published on 02-13-2009
The vacation is one of the most looked forward to events in most peoples lives. Many people work all year long thinking about few things other than where they are going to go for their vacation. Once the destination is chosen and the travel arrangements are made though, there are a number of other things to think about. Traveling, especially long distance traveling, can be a very stressful time. This is true whether it is a situation where one or two people are traveling by themselves, or if arrangements have been made for a large family or group to travel together. One way to alleviate the stresses that can surround the travel process is for a traveler to take some precautions and pack items that could help make them more comfortable. Whether it is cramped seating on an airplane or in the back seat of the family car or it is the long waits inside an airport or bus station, there are a number of situations that can make the traveler nervous or uncomfortable. Here are a few tips for things that a vacationer can do to make the process of getting to their destination a little more enjoyable.
One thing that is at times hard to come by is a favorite snack to get a traveler through a hungry moment while traveling. The best solution for this is to pack along a travel size snack or two. This is an essential thing to do when traveling with children as most children cannot feel hunger sneaking up on them and once it is there they don’t tolerate it well or with a lot of patience. Some good travel snacks to pack include beef jerky, peanut butter crackers, string cheese, crackers and trail mix. There are also small liquid refreshments that can be packed along too, many come in boxes or juice packets. Having a quick snack or beverage available at a time when a source of food is scarce can be a real blessing when traveling in some areas.
There are a number of things that can be packed along that will help a traveler be more comfortable on a plane. Plane seats are not always the most comfortable and airlines attempt to help with their mini pillows and small blankets. Often packing a thin beach towel along is a great way to have something to use as a blanket that doesn’t belong to the airline. Also, the beach towel can come in handy should someone in a travel group spill something that needs to be cleaned up. For entertainment during travel, vacationers are not confined to paperback books anymore as a few other good options are laptop computers, digital music players, portable dvd players and portable video game systems.
During long times of travel like extremely long flights, cross country road trips and the multiple changing of flights there are a number of things that a weary traveler can pack along to make them feel fresher and cleaner. A small package of baby wipes won’t replace a shower, but will make an amazing difference for anyone not able to properly wash up when they want to. A trial size deoderant may be just what a traveler needs to feel fresher and less offensive to their fellow travelers. Other small or trial size toiletries can also have this same effect on a traveler who is spending way too much time in an airport, on an airplane or in a car.
When it comes to being safe while traveling, there are a couple of things that travelers can pack along that may ease their mind and relieve any stress and worry too. A small flashlight can be a blessing during night travel or at a time when there is an unexpected power outage. It is also important to have identification on nearly everything a traveler carries with them from luggage, to laptop computers, and even to jackets or other clothing that may be taken off during a long delay. For some, carrying a small can of mace when traveling in an unfamiliar area, especially at night, may be a great way to ease their mind as well as protect themselves from those that may want to cause them harm.
Staying fresh, relaxed and comfortable is a great way to make the traveling process go by a little faster and also have it not make as much of a negative impact on the attitude and demeanor of the traveler. Most of the items described above, plus the others that travelers can think up on their own, are basically common sense type items but even they have the power to improve traveling conditions for those about to embark on a trip. Paying attention to their and their family’s travel needs is a great thing for anyone in charge of travel arrangements to do. Making a trip more comfortable goes a long way towards eliminating much of the stress and general uncomfortability that accompanies long vacations or business trips, but there is much that a traveler can do to make it easier on themselves.
