I came across a couple of articles in the newspaper last week teaching people what to bring on their travel. I cannot help but cringe at some of the recommendations. Let me point out what I think is not right or useful.
1) First, it recommended 'take enough of clothing to wear for a week'. Now, what is enough for a week? To some people, that is half a wardrobe. Then it recommended that the traveller should bring a few T-shirts and jeans. Jeans? Do you know how long it takes a pair of wet jeans to dry? How heavy are they when they are wet? Jeans are out these days, please. And cotton T-shirts do not dry easily. These days we have quick-drying fabric!
3) It recommended bringing diarrhoea medicine, medicine for allergies and medicine for motion sickness. Diarrhoea medicine is correct. I bring that too. But what type? I bring 'charcaol'. Medicine for allergies? Hey, there are a thousand and one kind of allergies. Medicine for motion sickness? You either have motion sickness or you don't. If you are not susceptible to motion sickness, then why bring? Now, one very common medicine that is so useful and yet the article made no mention of it; PANADOL!
4) It recommended bringing a book to read, a thick one to last you through your whole trip. Now, I don't think that is a wise thing to do. If you are killing time at the airport or train station or bus stop, or cafe or restaurant, please do not read. It is a dangerous thing to do. You need to be specially alert at these places . You have to look and observe what is going on around you. And what is your objective of visiting a place? To look at things and people there, not to read a book.
5) It recommended bringing a mobile phone with you. Oh, come on, who doesn't leave home without a mobile phone these days? What is useful is to remind people is to bring the charger and universal adapter. If you have a power vault, bring it along too but do not put it in your check-in luggage. It is NOT ALLOWED!
I really wonder how many times writers of such articles have travelled before they started giving advise.
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