TIPS & ADVICE

Getting Ready to Travel

---

---

Have you ever been the only person in your family being so disorganized when packing for a trip? Do you always forget a phone charger or a second pair of socks just because you’re kind of forgetful? Well, Pink Smoothie has got you covered! I’m a bit forgetful sometimes, so I completely understand how anxious you might feel right before a trip. What if you forget your phone? Your polaroid? Your journal, so you can write down the memories? Jeez… stop worrying already! It’s time to get Pink Smoothie-ed with some Tips & Advice!

1.  Make a list… it ALWAYS helps.

It seems like yesterday I first heard my parents tell me that to be more organized, you have to do a list before the trip. That way, you can mark the things that are already in your luggage and add the things that aren’t.

However, I didn’t exactly do that (note: always follow your parents’ advice), but I’m definitely trying to. For example, if you’re supposed to be out of the door with your bags, check your stuff an hour before actually leaving, as well the night before.

How are you supposed to know if you actually added your phone’s charger? Or your extra pair of socks? Or even your extra change of… um, underwear?

And if you want it, you can even write it on a word document! But, if you’re less tech-savvy and more artsy-like, you can decorate a blank page with sketches or doodles, and then write the things you’ll bring with you for the trip. See? You can do it!

2.  Your carrier bag needs to have the most important things.

Always, always, ALWAYS, add extra pairs of clothes, underwear, books, phone charger, any electronical appliances you need to survive, and most importantly, tooth paste and tooth brush!

Yep. You might be thinking, “But Pink Smoothie, why should I make my carrier bag, like… a normal travelling bag full of my clothes and stuff?”

YOU DON’T KNOW IF YOUR BAG IS GOING TO DISAPPEAR, my dearest reader. You don’t know if it’ll be delivered to your hotel room five days later or even five WEEKS or MONTHS later, so you better have at least three pairs of clothes, five pairs of underwear, your laptop, extra books, phone and laptop charger, and a Spotify travel playlist ready. You might never know, my reader.

Even if people get their luggage the moment they go to customs, and then to where you collect your stuff, like 98% of the time… what about the other 2%, huh? We don’t know if your luggage is sadly lost in the midst of other lost luggage—forgotten and bitter.

Poor luggage, poor, poor luggage and the forgetful people that mix them up.

3.  Pack lots of books for the flights!

First of all, pack ‘em. Second of all, read ‘em. Third of all, ‘sleep with em. Just kidding about the third one—but please read on the flight! It can cause you sleepiness and comfortableness, and I sure love reading a wonderful book on the flight home or to your family’s travel destination!

Also, if you’re going home after the trip—make sure you bought new books to keep you company, as well your “old” books too.

We’re going to get into that step in just a few moments but remember to ALWAYS bring a good book without you. Sometimes, there are airplanes that have a mini-tv screen, so you can watch what they put there according to age range, but sometimes there aren’t.

So, stick to your plan A… and bring your books with you!  Coloring books! Your laptop! iPad! Whatever electronic appliance you want to bring with you!

4.  Snacks… are EVERYTHING

Yep. You’ve heard it before, you might have experienced it before… but FOOD IS EVERYTHING! In a road trip, in a plane, wherever you are—food is an extremely important factor in travelling.

For example, there are some airlines that don’t offer food, just pretzels and a beverage. Sometimes, there are airlines that just offer that beverage and no snacks! So, if your flight is super-early or super-late in the morning/night, you have to make sure you buy your snacks or bring some sandwiches or breakfast/dinner ready with you.

And even after surviving the flight, you have to drive three or two hours until you reach your destination and eat… because… you won’t like to die because of hunger, right?

So, pack your snacks. Your breakfast. Your lunch. Your dinner. Your sweet cravings. ANYTHING TO HELP YOU SURVIVE!

Never skip this step. Never.

If you do, you’ll probably not survive.

Just kidding! You’ll just suffer from extreme hunger and a stomach ache afterwards.

But if you DO follow this step, you’re safe and sound.

5.  Be confident about your trip.

Okay, this is “hard” for some peeps, but it’s totally understandable. First time flying? The plane will not fall down as you might think. Thinking you’re never going to get to the hotel? Calm down, traffic happens. You think you’re probably going to die when you’re passing through airplane security? Geez, all of us still get nervous, but actually, we shouldn’t be.

Fear makes security officers think we’re thieves, burglars, or someone even worse. So, they’ll probably pat you down or check your carrier bag, pockets, jackets, etc. Even your shoes!

Be confident that everything will be okay, as well as your trip. We need to keep our hopes up and discard any negative comment your brain might pull up from the middle of nowhere!

Being in a new country might seem exciting, terrifying, even dangerous for some people… but remember, it all counts as things in life.

We never need to feel negative or terrified about something—it’s part of our life! An obstacle that needs to be overcome, a step towards success… whatever you want to call it, actually.

And when you’re in your rental car, the GPS in your phone blasting through your parents’ phone (or even yours), and the view from outside the window, will make you feel cozy, and a warm feeling will come to your brain.

So, y’all… I hope you enjoyed these tips! I’m certainly excited to see your comments down below and tell me if you’re doing a road trip or taking a flight soon. I would love it if you used them and hopefully, they will ensure your trip’s success.

Until next time, my readers!

©2018
Pink Smoothie!​

---

---

---

---