“Life is too short not to go on that spontaneous road trip.”
I am a naturally spontaneous person – call me up for a last-minute trip and I am there!
However, the main reason behind this enthusiasm is because I am confident everything is in place to pack and go at the drop of a hat.
Justin Case’s travel plan is made up of six travel toolkits/packs which are quick to grab and also quick to unpack when you get back home (I used to have my suitcases and bags hanging around for weeks until I got travel organised!).
So if you would like to start your own travel toolkits/packs here’s where you can get started:
Travel Documents
a) Passport (watch that you have six months before the expiry date)
b) Visas (e.g. ESTA for UK travel – most countries offer an online option)
c) Dr’s prescription letter/paper-based prescription record (good to have especially where countries have strict drug laws)
d) International driving licence (in addition to my British driving licence)
e) GHIC card (if you are travelling to Europe)
f) Travel insurance. All of these are scanned and stored in the cloud and emergency telephone numbers are all on my phone
Money
Credit card – which doesn’t charge fees abroad. I can use this also when I am making any overseas purchases from the UK
Tech & Apps
We can’t go without our Tech (and if you run your own business you are always on call)
a) Travel leads pack which has a spare of all the leads I need along with travel plugs. This means I don’t have to go around the house unplugging all my leads before I go and plugging them all back again!
b) A power bank phone charger – invaluable as a great back up and small to carry.
c) Apps already set up and ready to go:
- Trip Advisor – eating, sleeping, tours and trips
- Citymapper – will guide you round most cities
- Rome2Rio – solutions to get from A-B
- Places to stay – AirBnB & Trivago
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles – most used airline apps, train apps and taxi apps so I don’t have to waste time downloading things on public wifi
- Google Translate
Luggage – I have a choice of luggage for different trips:
- Big, medium and hand luggage-sized suitcases with packing squares and the same in rucksacks
- A small over-the-shoulder bag which can hold a phone, money and a few essentials or small lightweight money/document bag
- Waterproof bag (for wet clothes that you have to travel with) and laundry bag
Clothing
Carry less, carry light and pack for comfort. I have packing lists for different scenarios built around what I have in my wardrobe (which has lots of interchangeable options) that are comfortable, un-creasable, and light layers. You only wear 20% of what you take so a good trick is to lay all the clothes you want to take on the bed, remove 50% and then 50% of what remains.
The team at home
It is near impossible to pack and leave without putting some things in place at home so on my speed dial I have: a petsitter, key holders, family who need my itinerary, friendly taxi for airport transfers if no public transport option
Staying “one step ahead of the unexpected” is not always about planning for disasters, sometimes it is a life-enriching experience.
How the tedious TA6 form can become your best friend
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