Traveller Tips
Outpost has been writing about adventure travel for over 11 years and whenever we needed an inside scoop or some really obscure travelling advice we’ve always been able to pick up the phone and give one of our experts a call. But what about all of the travellers who do not have access to such expertise? So we are now asking YOU to help us out with that great tip you’ve been hoarding to yourself all these years.
Tips online must be between 100-300 words.
Top three tips for Africa travellers!
1. Take sensible precautions with anti-malaria tablets etc. but also remember to take it easy, at least to begin with, when it comes to the sun and local food and drink.
2. Don’t walk around with all your valuables. Always leave the bulk of your cash or passport somewhere safe. Carry a small amount of local money whilst out and about – and yes, always err on the side of caution, but take a chance sometimes…who knows where it will lead you?
3. Pack and then repack! As a general rule, pack your bags as well as you can a day or so before you fly, and limit yourself when it comes to clothing and personal items. Once you’ve finished go and have a coffee and come back later for another look. Then remove half of it…the chances are you wont need it!
Fire away from here on in on our Twitter page with your Africa questions and add #AcaciaWildBunch? ahead of your tweet: http://bit.ly/2dM3Sx
When travelling, I keep a small plastic container (the kind you put left overs in) in my travel bag/backpack for snacks along the way. You can pick up some cheese and crackers, fruit or even make a nice little sandwich and it won’t end up squished in the bottom of your bag. Comes in especially handy if you are in remote areas or stuck on a train with a four hour delay to your destination, all the people sitting around me were quite amazed at the spread that I had for myself.
Hi – an essential part of my traveling kit is duct tape. It can fix just about anything (pants, backpacks, canoes, whatever!) and can serve as medical tape in a pinch (think blisters on your heels). Bringing along an entire roll of duct tape is not only unnecessary (who needs an entire roll to fix a tear in a tent aside from maybe Red Green), but cumbersome and heavy. Instead, I wrap a meter or two around a 1L Nalgene water bottle and my trekking poles, if on a hiking trip. This way, I have enough of the sticky stuff for an emergency, but barely feel the extra weight.
My hiking partner and I are doddlers. We like to linger, especially first thing in the morning. However this doesn’t always support the day’s agenda, for example on a summit day when it’s imperative to make a quick transition from comfy camp up toward the naked heights. Here’s an idea for a breakfast that is quick, clean, and full of energy for a strenuous day when you need an early start. Compose your own muesli mix using kamut, spelt, oat, wheat or any other oatmeal type grain. Add dried fruit, nuts, milk powder, sweetener of choice, cinnamon and anything else you like. Organic ingredients are the best of course. Place in a double ziplock bag. Add water, seal, and let soak overnight. Even if you’re bear proofing your food on a pole, in a bear canister, or hanging it over a cliff above tree line, the ziplock will ensure there is no spillage. Presto! In the morning you have a hydrated, ready to eat, wholesome, and yummy breakfast requiring no preparation, no clean up, and no wait time. ‘Just pack up, eat, and hit the trail! It will last you easily until lunch even if the trail works you hard.
When backpacking to many different beaches I enjoy the comfort of a large towel. Sometimes in the summer months there is also a need to a light blanket for those over air conditioned rooms. The solution is the chawel. One side of the chawel is of towel material and the other is made of fleece or cotton. It was also sewed together like a sleeping bag with a small hole in the bottom in order to make it also a changing room, hence the name chawel (part towel, part changing room). The helpful elastic that is attached wraps the towel up tightly. This multi- functioning towel was used everyday and I found more uses each time. I love my chawel!
(There is also pictures of my using the chawel in Lagos, Portugal. )
When I plan a trip I open a folder e.g. europe 2009 in my e-mail account and copy to it all my travel arrangements including electronic tickets for planes and trains, hostel reservations/cancellations, maps, activities (museum electronic entrance tickets, reservations for bike trips, etc.) and emergency numbers for insurance and credit card companies. I also add my scanned passeport. The folder gives quick access to my documents. during planning, travel and upon return. I keep the hostel reservations and cancellations details in the folder till I have had a chance to check my credit card statements for accuracy.
Tap water in most third world countries is not safe to drink. Travelers often choose to buy bottled water but it’s a good idea to have a plan B. The further you stray from the tourist path of gift shops and English speaking guides the less likely luxuries, such as clean drinking water, will be available. Water purification tablets are a cheap and effective way of protecting against a few of the nastier critters, such as bacteria, viruses and cysts (e.g. Giardia and Cryptosporidium). I try to carry a couple empty bottles in my pack which can be used to treat contaminated water. The manufacturers recommend waiting 30 minutes after the tablets have been added before the water is safe to drink. If the taste bothers you try adding Crystal Light for a little flavor. It is also important to note that wetting your tooth brush with contaminated water is just as dangerous as drinking it. In the end it could be the difference between witnessing ancient ruins and squatting in a dunny.
The worst thing to bring back from a trip are intestinal parasites, high risk zones are Africa, Asia and Haîti.
Be careful of water, raw foods, milk products including ice cream, mayonnaise, cold buffet, mobile canteen on street corner.
Bring with you Oregano oil capsules, take one at each meal, also handy are Probiotics capsules to treat diarrhea or tourista.
Want more tips on protecting your health while travelling, check the website http://www.cliniclfortin.ca
It is always a good idea to bring photos of the country you are from and of family and friends. I find people of any culture are curiously interested in what life is like in a distant land different from their own, especially children. It is not only a great conversation starter, but effective to form friendships…sometimes lasting ones! You will find it to be a special experience to share something of yourself and they will appreciate it.
Here’s a tip on how to be a real life rock star:
You never know what’ll happen when you’re traveling. Believe me, I really wish you all the best. But if you come up upon a dramatic situation and you need to perform CPR, there’s one thing you need to remember : a song.
The technique of CPR is really quite simple – check if the victim is breathing. If not, place your hands on the chest and pump 30 times before giving two breaths.
But there’s one precise and vital thing that makes the technique so important : it’s rythm. You have to pump at exactly 100 beats per minute. A tad too fast and the heart doesn’t fill up, a beat too slow and not enough blood flows out.
Students of the University of Illinois proved that the easiest way to remember the right rythm is by remembering a song.
Aptly enough, they recommend “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees. Or, if you prefer irony, “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen.
You never know what’ll happen when your travelling. We really wish you all the best. But if something dramatic happen and you need to perform CPR, you have to remember this simple trick.
The technique of CPR is really quite simple – check if the victim is breathing. If not, you place your hands on the chest and you pump for the 30 time before giving tw breaths.
There’s only one precise thing that make it so special : it’s rythm. A tad to fast and you jam the heart with blood, a beat to slow and not enough blood gets to the brain.
Since the best way to remember a rythm is through remebering a song,
Believe it or not, clothes pegs are a MUST for people who tour by bike. I save time, water and money (in those payer-use showers) by wearing the clothes I have cycled in, into the shower. I carry a bar of sunlight laundry soap, wash the clothes as they are on me, take them off, wash me, and I can usually do it all with one coin. Then I squeeze the water out of the clothes, and hang them on the clothes line to dry. Here’s where the clothes pegs come in REALLY handy. You only need to bring 6, two per shirt and shorts, one for each sock and you are done. The tent guy-lines makes a great clothes line, but then carrying a 6 foot piece of parachute cord is great too. You can use it to make a privacy ’screen’ across a bunk in a hostel with a towel for a curtain (again, use the clothes pins to keep it in place) – or tabs for zippers etc. So far, Canadians seem to be the only country who makes their clothes pins out of wood. I have even traded my wooden pegs with my camp-site neighbors in a camp site for their plastic ones, they LOVE the ‘Canadian Wood’ souviner!
If you have ever run out of the house for a bike ride and find that you forgot the dog leash you don’t have to waste time by going back home. just use your spare bike tube looped through itself around the dog’s collar. Being that the tube is stretchy it actually makes quite a good leash for bike riding.
Are you Kid Travel Ready? Sometimes travel with children is an overwhelming adventure for the parents. A fool proof way to make parents battle ready is the Mall Simulation Adventure. Take your kids to the mall for a shopping adventure because there is nothing like lineups to simulate airport travel, lineups, hold ups and delays. To increase the difficulty do it over nap time. This is guaranteed to help parents problem solve, and hone their ability to distract. It is also a great way to help kids go beyond their normal limits.
When I go traveling, I always bring along some baby wipes (depending on the bugs, either scented or not). They are great “instant showers” when there are no showers available or when the water is just too cold to wash your face. they can also double as hand wipes to use before a meal. Such an essential in my backpack!!!
Anytime I travel, I always tell myself that I will keep up a daily journal. However, I never manage to, as something always seems to get in the way (a great conversation late into the night, general sleepiness, a way-too-bumpy bus ride, etc.).
My solution is this: At whatever main stop I make, I find a postcard and detail my recent activities, thoughts and feelings on that particular part of the trip. I write it the same way as if I were writing it to a friend. I then mail it to myself, and when I get home… VOILA!!! It’s a wonderful way to review the trip and to keep precious memories alive, without knocking myself out with a lengthy, daily journal or a blog.
I know that summer is very good season for cruises and Alaska is very interesting destination travel go there. I booked cruise vacation to Alaska, hope it will be great, it is my first cruise vacation. Here the very cheap deals http://www.lastminutecruises.com/deals , can somebody provide any tips?
Hate it when you fray a shoe lace, lose a Zipper string, tire of breathing nasty fumes from constantly burning rope well heres the cure for that curse take electrical shrink tube slip it over the string or lace heat with a lighter or heat gun (don’t catch anything on fire) and Presto instantanous fixo. Use it on backpacks, jackets shoes, bags, ropes and all its a n annoy avoider. It comes in all different sizes and colours to suit your needs as well. Cheap easy, light wieght and effective.
Here is a great natural way to keep your shoe laces done up. Before the laces are tied and double knotted,
rub bee’s wax on your laces. This quick task should last for several tie ups. A tealight candle is perfect for the job and you will have a candle on hand for evening camp out ambience. Love those bees!
Don’t throw away those clear plastic zippered bags that many sheet sets and pillow cases come in. They are very handy as travel storage bags, especially for liquid toiletries in your luggage. Your items don’t get all jumbled up, it’s easy to find what you need, and the bags stand upright keeping bottles from tipping over. As an added bonus, you’re reusing packaging making our planet a little greener.
During my trek to Base Camp, Mt. Everest in 1995, no matter how well I thought I was prepared, nothing prepared me for the dry harsh environment and intensity of the sun’s rays at high elevation. The air is very cold and dry leading to what is called the Khumbu cough. In the nearby Goyko Valley, an avalanche killed many trekkers while I was there and we had to seek shelter in tea houses. Be prepared for dry cold air and lots of coughing by many who could be stranded in tea houses. Also, protection from the sun is an obvious especially at this high elevation. However, I did not expect the sun’s rays to bounce off the snow back to those areas on my face that did get burned that is my lips and bottom of my ear lobes.
Make a card (business card size) with all your relevant information including;
Passport number, date of issue and date expiries
Lost credit card phone number
Insurance policy numbers and contact number
Emergency phone numbers
Canadian Embassy contact number especially if traveling in 3rd world
Canadian 24 hour emergency number and website address
Laminate the card and carry in your wallet.
Tape into the back of your passport all emergency contact numbers, insurance policy and contact numbers.
Scan your passport details into the computer then email then to yourself. If you loose your passport and copies you made, you can easily down load the scanned copies and make prints. It really helps to get a replacement passport a lot easier and faster. Some Canadian Embassies require that you show your passport to gain access to consular assistance. You will need that copy.
Register with the Canadian Embassy online, if you are planning to be in locations or countries for a long period of time or in areas where they have issued travel warnings.
Health Insurance read the small print carefully, you may not be covered you if going into area which Canadian Government issued a travel alert warning you not to travel into that area/country.
Watch the Canadian Foreign Affairs web advisory when traveling in developing or troubled countries. Never assume they are over reacting if unsure contact the embassy for more details.
Don’t take risks with your health, take anti-malaria medication get all your immunizations up to date, use sun screen and condoms.
Don’t give money or candy to children. It creates difficulties for future travelers as it becomes an expectation of the children to receive gifts from travelers.
Learn a foreign language
When backpacking, bring garbage bags and duct tape, especially if you go during a wet season. If your feet are soaked, or the inside of your shoe is wet, forget cotton or even wool socks. Make some impromptu socks for your feet with the duct tape and garbage bags, and they’ll stay nice and dry without any chafing. Of course, this does get a bit uncomfortable after a while (a long while), but it’s better than sopping wet feet that develop nasty blisters.
While preparing for my backpacking trek through Europe I worried about having a bottle of shampoo explode in my pack. Instead of liquid shampoo, I bought a shampoo bar. It lasted my entire trip and almost 2 months after; so about 4 months! I kept it in a little tin and didn’t have to worry about anything leaking. it saved me alot of packing space, leaky bottles, and money!
Use an old wool sock to put your thermos &/or water bottle in when hiking in the winter – it will keep it hotter, especially when you stop for lunch. Also keeps water cooler in the summer.
Women, I’ve got the best tip youll ever need to keep yourself safe. Think its hard to keep a defensive weapon out in the open? Its not. Keep a sharp pencil, pen, a chopstick even (since these are pretty popular style wise) and push it through your ponytail. Not only does it give you style, but its a good thing to use when you need to defend yourself against those grabby men.
Forget about the “special sleeping bag pocket” at the bottom of your pack most of them unzip to leave a huge cavity. This way you can pack accordingly and maximize all 75 litres of your pack. Also you can stuff a dry bag, bivi sack or garbage bag in there and all your stuff is dry too! tie up your waterproof bag and throw your tent, food and other things that can get wet on top. now your ready to go trekking!
When travelling in the bush, it’s always handy to have the right tools. One way of doing this is to attach a waterproof lighter, a kaychain sized flashlight, and a small whistle to a lanyard to wear around your neck. This is easy to carry and can pay off big dividends in an emergency.
Ballons are handy to travel with. They are a terrific way to engage with local children when travelling off the beaten track because they make for a nice toy, game or gift. Fill them with water for more fun with kids! Of course they pack small and light so take up no space.
Toronto, ON
treading lightly on thin ice, i will put forward a tip that benefits women more than men (but only slightly). Take a sarong along! A sarong will be one of your most versatile items while travelling. My wife’s sarong has outperformed my pack towel in almost every category (lighter, dries faster, dries the body better, easier to maintain, and much more functional). In addition, it can be used on the beach as a blanket, but also as pool/beach dress when tied around the neck (this is where the ladies get the extra edge). Whether it is a 3 day backcountry trip or a 3 month adventure in Columbia, i won’t be caught without one now.
Roll clothes and place them in zipper bags, and then squeeze the air out of the bags before sealing. This effectively “vacuum packs” the clothes, and they’ll take up much less room in your pack. Plus, you’ll always have a couple of zipper bags on hand, which can come in handy during your travels!
A pillow case is a handy item to have on your travels. It can be used to cover the less-than-appealing hotel/hostel pillow or it can be stuffed with clothes to form your own pillow. It can also be used to keep items such as clean clothes together in your backback.
Bring tea tree oil soap along with you – it is antibacterial and helps with any kind of weird skin problems (bites, rashes, etc). You can pick the soap up at any local earthy store. Also, wrap your bar soap in parchment paper. This will allow you to not have a scummy mess in a bag.
Over the years we’ve endeavoured to lighten our load on backpacking trips – lighter food, less fuel. We always use dehydrated food but sometimes these take a long time to cook. We like to put the food into a water bottle just after lunch with sufficient liquid to rehydrate. By the time we make camp at dinner time, the food is almost rehydrated and just needs a quick boil to become soft and delicious.
Need to learn another language for your trip? Go to your public library & borrow a CD kit. Then you can learn at your own pace – at home, in your car or wherever! And it’s FREE! Also, pick up free Canadian flag pins from your Member of Parliament’s office & hand them out to the locals in the country you visit. You will be an instant celebrity.
I always take tea tree oil with me on vacation. It’s fantastic for dealing with zits, minor skin abrasions, insect bites and stings, in-grown hairs and heat and sweat rash. You can take a tiny bottle and dilute it with other oil if necessary. Fantastically useful and very cheap!
The old traveler’s adage: lay out what you want to bring, then take half that and twice as much money. Maximizing space in your backpack or luggage is something every traveler can relate to. An inexpensive way to make the most out of the space you have available is to roll up your clothes rather than fold them. Roll them up very tightly and keep them that way with the help of some elastic bands. This method will allow you to take everything you want and still have room for twice the money (less the 99 cents for the bag of elastic bands!).
No matter where I’m going, I always bring a package of cheap dental floss and a sewing needle with a large head. It becomes an increadably strong thread which is great for stitching up packs, repairing tents, sewing on buttons, and in a pinch, even flossing your teeth!
When many flights are needed for a destination, I always bring my mesh storage bag. However, my carry-on bag is already jam pack with all that lifesaver stuff for boring time spent between airports and flights (books, snacks, underwear, toothbrush, meds, value items, etc.). Once I’ve past the customs, all the essentials for the first flight are placed in the mesh bag. That way, I have much more space over the seas: important things are at hand reach and other stuff well packed in the carry-on bag which is put out of the way in the overhead bin. All what I need now is asking the carrying flight intendants to fill up my width-mouth water bottle with ice cold liquid, enjoy the trip with the maximized space you can find on a plane these days and head to another priceless around the world adventure.
Could someone please let me know whether my “traveller’s tip” for mossie repellant was published. Les Stroud used it when he filmed on our island. Did it win a prize? Could someone let me know? Regards, Sonja Raela
When travelling at home or abroad in a hostel or hotel, I always bring a large flat rubber sink plug. This has proved to be very handy when so many sink do not have a plug and require a different fit. I use it for holding the sink full of water for washing my clothes or for washing myself. It is great for holding the sink full of cold water, for chilling beverages or holding hot water for soaking or warming items.
So your hubby is picking you up after a long 15-hour flight home. It’s always good to have a nice clean mouth and fresh breath, but many airlines have banned liquids from carry-on luggage. To bypass purchasing toothpaste at the airport for a hefty price, bring little salt packets or pick a few up at the airport concession stands. Before getting off the plane or leaving the airport, just add water to the salt on your toothbrush and brush away. This kills the bacteria and frightens monster mouth away.
Developing your vacation photos can be costly, and picking and choosing your favourite memories based on price can be an irritating experience. Depending on your travel destination, you can develop your photos before you return home at a fraction of the cost. On a recent trip to Buenos Aires we developed several rolls of film and purchased a unique photo album for assembly during the flight home. The photo quality was high and it was fun receiving the developed photos to show family and friends upon arrival.
Every time I travel, I bring along a box of ‘hand me down treasures.’ This box includes a collection of small items that may not be worth much in monetary terms but have some sentimental value. Whenever I make new friends, especially children, I give them something from the box. Whether it’s a pin I kept from camp, stamps I collected as a kid, silly stickers too cute to be thrown away, comic books I’ve read too many times, old sports cards, or that odd piece of jewellery, it’s all about sharing a piece of myself with people. In many of the places I’ve travelled, the people I met have never seen a comic book before. To see the awestruck look on their faces and let them keep that memento is what life is all about.
Whether it be travelling through Europe during the winter months with my wife or trekking Mount Kilimanjaro with my father, I have discovered a simple way to stay toasty for over six hours. A water bottle! Not just any water bottle, but like many travellers and hikers, we use Nalgene bottles. Before going to sleep, pour some boiled water into your bottle. The Nalgene doesn’t melt and holds the heat, staying warm for a long time. It’s especially useful to place inside your sleeping bag against your stomach or down by your feet. Not only that, but if you’re camping, you’ll have uncontaminated water ready to drink or cook with in the morning.