A big bloody congratulations to you, person who is escaping the mundane and repetitive daily grind for greener pastures. It’s very exciting that you’re about to jet off to the unknown and make some memories, maybe even some love. Who knows! The world’s your oyster! Somewhat literally!
You’re very lucky, and I – person who is currently inside the daily grind to give you tips on how to effectively get outside of it (the irony’s not lost on me) – am wildly jealous. But you’re not going to feel so shit-hot when you forget something very important, are you? Something that could make or break your trip?
Yeah nah. Don’t embarrass yourself or the people coming along for the ride. Keep reading for the absolutely obvious but totally necessary packing checklist, to get around before you leave on a jet plane and don’t know when you’ll be back again etc etc.
Passport
Roll your eyes all you damn want, but sometimes the most vital things are the most likely to be forgotten. And look, good luck getting across borders without this guy.
Insurance
People will always think “that’ll never happen to me” but it’s dumb. You absolutely need travel insurance and I feel like I don’t need to go on about it because we’ve all heard the horror stories. From gettin’ mugged to injury cover, you never know when your holiday’s going to cook you. Hook it up here – it only takes 30 secs to get a quote and it’s a small price to pay for peace of mind.
Visa
Please, please, please check if your destination requires a visa, or things will absolutely go tits up come arrival time. You might not even be allowed in the country – don’t be part of the statistic, yeah?
Meds
Whether you get the literal shits abroad or can’t deal with a bit of motion, you’re gonna wanna make sure you’re prepared for such bodily excretion. Spoiler: going vom-a-tron on a summer romance doesn’t get anyone in the mood, I don’t care how dope his ride is.
International adaptor
You are of course going to be using your phone, even if it’s just for photo and time purposes (but don’t pretend you ain’t gunna get on social media whenever WiFi is in range). It’s really annoying to forget an international adaptor, especially when you’ve been o/s recently and already have one in a rogue shoebox of storage at home.
Sanitary products
Your period aka the crimson wave, Aunty Flo, monthly visitor – whatever you want to call it – it has a nasty way of rocking up when you’d least like it to. Exhibit A? Holidays. You might struggle to find a tampon in some places because they only have pads, or when you do find a tamp it’s the applicator kind that you don’t know how to use because you didn’t grow up in the States.
Frangas
You just never know.
Toothbrush
How many times does Tim Ferguson have to tell you? DON’T FORGET YOUR TOOTHBRUSH. Sure, they give you the bottom-of-the-barrel kind on international flights, but it ain’t got nothing on your dearly beloved. Fluffy teeth are the pits. Don’t do it to yourself.
