GUEST BLOGGER: The Art of Travelling

Posted on Apr 29 in Featured, Featured Article, Guest Blogger, QV Body, QV Face, QV Feet, Skincareby QV SkincarePrint

Annyeonghaseyo dear readers,

How has April been treating you?

I have been in a slump for some time, what with unhappy stuff happening one after another and me seeing no solutions for them. Upon my sister’s suggestion, we put a pause on life and left for the beautiful land of South Korea [it was supposed to be Japan, but the turbulence over there made us change our location to Korea].

As it was a pretty last-minute decision for me, I had tonnes of to-do things before leaving. I was even rushing a work report 4 hours before departure!

A friend coined this term: ‘panic waking’, which means you wake up late for work or school and rush around getting ready in almost-impossible record time. Well, I was experiencing ‘panic packing’ the night before the trip – stuffing whatever I need in my luggage in record time. Thank goodness for past ‘panic packing’ incidents which made me seasoned in this aspect. Ahem.

Here is The Unofficial Bewildered Traveler’s Guide to Preparing for a Trip.

1) Check your passport’s expiry date.
You do not want to reach the airport only to be denied onto the plane or into the land you are heading to just because of the few numbers in your passport.

2) Change money, have sufficient funds in your debit card account or remember your credit card.
Many years ago, I ran out of cash in Melbourne a couple of days before the trip ended and had an only two-figure amount in my debit card account [it was the poor-student curse]. I could have ended up washing plates and bowls in a restaurant if not for my friends who tide me over the last few days.

3) Buy travel insurance
My parents always stress the importance of this to me. I did not like spending money on this, especially
for short trips, but the recent natural disasters in Japan sobered me up. For this trip to Korea, not only did we purchase travel insurance, we also registered ourselves at the Embassy… just in case..

4) Check-in 24 – 48 hours before your flight.
There is always a chance you leave something essential at home halfway to the airport and have to turn back for it. Checking in ensures that the plane will wait for you [in a reasonable span of time, of course]. Also, I like the idea of being able to choose my seat on the flight, but that is just me being strange.

5) Charge the camera battery and empty the SD/CF card.
Taking photographs in a foreign country is a must for me. Why go somewhere with only the memories in your head and heart? Sometimes the memories will fade, and you have nothing else to remind you of them.

Do not forget the travel adapter!

6) Pack!
Oops, I am stating the obvious. For females [or perhaps just my sister and I], a big bulk of things-to-pack are the toiletries stuff. I place easily-spilled liquids in bottles into sealable plastic bags, and the rest into my pouch. Medicine is also an essential. In some Asian countries, there is this medicine called ‘Po Chai pills’ that work wonders for stomachaches. Flu tablets are also important due to the difference in weather conditions. Bring sufficient and appropriate clothes. Pack charging equipment for your electronics.
Wear a good broken-in pair of shoes.

7) Book a cab.
I stay about an hour away from the airport and usually travel at dawn, thus no chances are taken and the advance booking of a cab is a must. Allocate sufficient time for traffic congestions and set the alarm clock and you are ready for your trip!

Much love,
starmist
www.thegirlstarmist.com