I think that one of the most stressful things about travelling is packing. You don’t want to leave home and realize you forgot something (especially when you travel somewhere remote). For me, I always rely on my “packing lists”. I usually print the list and review it a few days before leaving (just to make sure that I don’t need to go buy anything). Then, on packing day, I slowly move through the list checking off items as I put them in the luggage.

The lists below are exhaustive and a bunch of stuff listed only makes sense depending on the type of trip you go on (you won’t need bug spray when skiing in the Alps!). I keep them as Word documents so when you download them, you can add to them. Always feel free to shoot me a line if there is something you think I should add to the list that would be helpful to others.

Some packing tips:

-put your undies and socks in a special bag so they don’t get mixed in with the rest of your clothes

-bring batteries, charging cables, headsets and medication on the plane with you

-create a special bag of goodies for you to easily access once you get settled on the plane; it should include: kleenex, Wet Ones, a water bottle that you filled in the fountain after you pass through security, an apple and some other favourite snacks

-a great site for “The Ultimate Carry On Guide” is: The Blonde Abroad (it’s a bit girly and extensive but you can get some good ideas from it)

-remember to download at least 4 movies (2 for each journey) onto your electronic device; I personally always travel with my MacBook Air so I go to iTunes and “download” the movies; I then have 28 days to watch the movie (and once started you have 48 hours to finish the movie)

-if you are travelling with a companion, don’t forget a splitter for your device so you can watch a movie together

-International flights usually have respectable weight limits for your luggage (i.e.: 50 lbs) but if you plan on taking “internal” flights once at a destination, make sure to find out their maximum weight (and pack according to that weight)

–Pack for a Purpose is an amazing organization where you check their site for the place you are going to visit and they list supplies needed in that community

-if you are travelling in a malaria infested area, I spray my clothes in permethrin (the brand is Sawyer)

-make sure you have Travel Insurance; I use CAA (which is the same as AAA) for an “Annual Travel Plan” – it’s good for a year for as many 2 week trips as I like; if I am going for more than 2 weeks I just need to “top up” my plan for a few dollars

-make sure your passport has more than 6 months until it expires

-if you don’t have one already, apply for a NEXUS card (if you are Canadian): it gets you right through customs and there is always a special line for NEXUS card holders in the security area so you also zip through

-make sure you set up a “roaming” plan on your cell phone; most plans let you “Roam Like Home” where you pay a set fee per day ($5 in the US and $10 further abroad) where you get to use the data plan from home

-just to be safe, I find online the details for the Canadian Embassy of the country I will be visiting a take note of the contact info (I usually just take a screen shot of the website) – this way if there is an emergency and you are in a panic, you have the contact info easily accessible

-if your child is not travelling with both parents, you should download the below Consent Form

-make sure to make an appointment with your travel doctor well in advance because some vaccinations have a schedule and need to be administered over the course of a few months. FYI, for malaria I have been taking Malarone and I find it’s easy on my system and doesn’t effect me emotionally (with Lariam, I would hallucinate!)

–How to Call Abroad is a great site where you can figure out how to call a specific country or how to call home once abroad

-if I want to call Canada from abroad and charge my credit card, I check out Canada Direct to speak to the local Canadian operator

-if you will be driving around a country, I always like to get a local SIM card – make sure that your phone is “unlocked” before you leave unless your phone won’t accept a foreign SIM card

-ALWAYS keep extra cash on you (but not in your purse/wallet). Your socks are always a good place!

-if you are travelling in an unsafe area, keep a special wallet on you with minimal cash that you would hand over if you were mugged

-I always keep an extra credit card in my luggage so if my wallet is stolen, at least I have a card to use until the stolen cards are replaced

-when you are abroad and you are paying with your credit card and they ask if you want to convert to your local currency, say: No. What happens is that they do the conversion with the worst rate; it’s better to keep it in the local currency and then when your credit card company does the conversion, you will get the going rate (not a jacked up one)

-although it might not be necessary with your particular credit card company, it’s always good to advise them before you are travelling so no “red flags” go up with the use of your card in a foreign country

-my favorite sites to book travel on are Expedia and Flighthub.com; you can always check Kayak.com to ensure you have the best flight chosen

-if you are Canadian and you have a Nexus card, when you book your ticket and it asks for a “redress” number, just type in the 9-digit code on the back of your card in the upper-left hand corner – this way you are TSA approved and you can go in the special TSA line when you check in when coming home for the US

-I have an application on my computer called: Sticky Notes; I will create a new note for any flight research I am doing; if I don’t do this I find that I keep on doing the same search over and over again and forget from one day to the next what I have discovered; with the Sticky Note, I will write down the different dates and cities I have searched, what site the info came from and the different prices and options

–Skyscanner will show what airlines fly into a city; some of these airlines don’t show up on sites like Expedia or Flighthub (i.e.: Air Transat) so go directly to that website

-once you book a flight: put into your calendar a note 24 hours before the flight for you to do the “online check in“; on the day of your flight, put in the details of the flight (i.e.: time, airlines, flight #) and include the booking reference number (which you will need for your online check in and sometimes when you check in at the kiosk at the airport);

-create a contact in your phone called “Passport” and put it all of your passport details (i.e.: number, date of issue, place of issue, expiry date) – this helps for when you want to do the online check in and you don’t have your passport with you

-note that NON-STOP and DIRECT flights are different: “non-stop” goes directly from one destination to another; with a “direct” flight, it goes from one destination to another with stops in between (you actually don’t get off the plane so theoretically it’s “direct”)

-I had always used Aeroplan for my travel points but it is sooo limited; I got so frustrated with the lack of flight options and then when I finally found a flight I liked, the taxes were insane; I have moved to RBC Travel and it’s much better – you can book the travel you want (although there are restrictions); my favourite card is the TD Reward Travel card – at the end of the month, any items you purchased that are travel related (it can even be restaurants and parking), you just put your travel dollars toward the purchase and it’s taken care of

-I like to research hotels on Tripadvisor (FYI, I only use Tripadvisor for Hotels and Things To Do; I would never look to it as a resource for Where To Eat; for that, I look for local bloggers)

-I book all of my hotels on Booking.com. I love that you don’t have to put money down to make the reservation and can usually cancel your booking close to the booked date. There is a good system that rates the hotels (location is always important to me) and there is an overall rating (I usually only stay at places rated a “9” or above); I have the app on my phone so when I travel and have a bunch of places booked, it’s easy to access your reservation info

-if the hotel you have your heart set on show it is booked online, you should always call the hotel directly because there are usually a few rooms available that are not posted online

-I use Expedia.ca for my car rental needs

-BEWARE: when we rented our car in Mexico, the rate showed as $10 each day. It seemed cheap and once we checked in we realized why: it is mandatory to pay for 3rd party insurance (and it’s not something you are automatically covered for when you used your credit card). It’s the law to pay for it separately. So, what we thought was going to be $79 turned out to be $450. Just make sure to read the fine print when you rent a car in Mexico.

-when deciding on what car rental company to use, it’s best to choose the one where you can “pick up in terminal” as opposed to “shuttle to counter”

-I love The Guardian travel section: just Google “The Guardian” and then the city name you are visiting; there is always lots of great info

-I still like to purchase Guidebooks to have with me when I travel:

• Michelin Guides: I love these for their easy layout; they have a great star system so you know the best sites to see;
• Lonely Planet, Roughe Guides and Moon Guides are good for intrepid travel
• DK Eyewitness Travel books if you like to see lots of pictures; when in places like Europe that have many churches, parks and monuments to see, I like to see a picture first so it’s easier to decide which ones to choose to visit)

-a good site to look at when deciding when to travel in Asia based on the weather is: Selective Asia

-I like the site: meltingbutter.com to get info on specific destinations (in terms of what to see, where to eat, etc.)