Tagged: packing light

The rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips (Part 3)

Travelling for strictly recreational reasons, such as sun/beach-trips or city-shopping trips is quite different from travelling to see rock shows.
For me, it’s important to travel light, not carry around heavy, bulky, impractical baggage – and have quick access to everything I need when I need it.

Speed and convenience being the most important thing. And being prepared for almost anything! :-)

Packing for a festival is also different from packing for a regular indoor-show abroad. The festival-necessities have already been described in a different blog – but these are the things I always put in my bag when going to a show abroad :-):

  1. Passport
  2. Cameras (I usually bring 2, one that can be dropped or used in the rain, or when Ozzy’s hosing down his audience. Camera 2 being my “good” one, when I’m not risking any of the above. Also, it’s good to always have a backup)
  3. Batteries, chargers and memory-cards. Lots of it! :-)
  4. Earplugs
  5. Tickets (of course)
  6. Meal bars/protein bars/nuts (if you’re in front row, and you get hungry, the whole show could get ruined because you’re starving and you can’t go anywhere for hours to buy something. Or you wake up in the middle of the night hungry, and nothing is open. That goes for the entire trip – food is expensive at airports and hotels, and sometimes you just don’t have time to stand in line at McDonald’s for a sloppy burger. Bring bars or nuts – that way you’re always good to go)
  7. Aspirins / cold caplets. Better safe than sorry.
  8. Nose-spray (if your ears hurt by the pressure at takeoff or landing, that’s your best trick. Nose-spray clears your sinuses and eliminates that uncomfortable feeling when your ears feel like they’re going to explode.
  9. Your banking-info. Anything might happen – you run out of money or you didn’t have as much as you thought you did, or just for security – make sure that you’ve got a backup and can transfer cash to your card if there is an emergency.
  10. GPS and printed directions/maps. Phone numbers, addresses in your wallet.
    Program the addresses you know you’ll be going to and save them in your “favorites” in your GPS before you leave. Then you’re ready to go.
    Sometimes your GPS might not work for whatever reason (happened to me in Belgium, didn’t know that the cigarette lighter socket was broken, cause the GPS was still running on battery. But once I realized it, it was a nightmare figuring out how to get from where I was to where I was going. So, always have a Plan B)
  11. Travel adaptors (it sucks to realize that you can’t charge your cellphone, camera battery, laptop and whatever else… Be prepared)
  12. The right currency. Even if you use your credit card for hotels and food, you will always need cash for anything from public toilets in some countries, to buying a hotdog somewhere. It usually costs less exchanging in your own country.
  13. I keep all my travel documents in a folder in the order I’m going to need them. That way I don’t have to stand there flipping through everything, searching for the right paper.
    It’s usually in this order:
    a) Boarding pass
    b) Rental car confirmation or train/bus/transfer confirmation
    c) Hotel confirmation
    d) Concert tickets
    e) Maps, directions, phone numbers
  14. Not necessary but nice to bring with you – hand wipes, disinfectants or just regular wipes to freshen up when you’re on the go.
  15. Laptop / iPhone / smartphone  I get a local SIM-card (for phones where you’re allowed to switch) A lot cheaper than roaming.
  16. Emergency rain poncho – cheap, easy to carry with you and believe me – you never know when you’re gonna need it!

 

I try to be smart about the clothes I bring, some stuff can be washed in the sink and dried near a window or hanging above an airconditioner set to “hot” (be creative, you’ll figure it out).

What I do shove in the carry-on, I roll, because it keeps the garment from getting crinkled – then I roll it Saran wrap. :) Makes it easy to fit anywhere in your bag, and it’s protected in case you happen to throw something in your bag that might have stained it otherwise (such as that mealbar for instance).

Just plan everything ahead, every step of the way. That saves you valuable time once you get to your destination. And, like my friend Vera stated earlier this morning – the most important thing you need to bring is your common sense.

Safe travels! :)

 

Also check out The Rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips part 1 and 2:
http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-1

http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-2

The rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips (Part 2)

Back in July I had to figure out a way to pack for a week abroad in two different countries and two different situations.
When you’ve got a hotel, it’s easy. You just keep your stuff there and bring whatever you need to the concert or walk around town. The challenge is when you are going to a festival or concert, and you don’t have a place to store your baggage.

I spent a few days in Thessaloniki, Greece then flew straight to England and the Sonisphere-festival. Two different climates even. So I had to really be picky about what to bring and what wasn’t as important.

It’s difficult to give general tips but this is what I did for THAT trip. I promised several people to write this someday, as they could not understand how I managed to shove everything I needed for that trip in a carry-on shoulderbag, But it could be done! And here is how…

BREEZING THROUGH SECURITY

The problem is always how to travel with only a carry-on and as few toiletries as possible (roll-on deodorant, perfume or aftershave, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, various makeup…all depending on who you are).

I solved it by making a few changes…

ROLL-ON DEO
Instead of roll-on deodorant = Crystal deo!
Natralia Crystal Deodorant
I bought one last year when I was abroad and it lasts for months and months and months…! Click the link to find out more about it. It works really well and is a lot healthier than regular deo.

A more EXTREME solution = Use Sweatblock before you leave – that way you won’t have to bring deo at all. I’m sure there are different brands everywhere but you’ll find it at your local pharmacy. Personally I would never use this product on a regular basis, but for travels I will, as it will keep me sweat-free and eliminate the need for a bulky roll-on in my carry on baggage.

And as a last solution – just buy a cheap deo when you get to your destination and throw it away when you leave.

PERFUMES / AFTERSHAVES
A lot of times, you get those little sample bottles when you buy your favorite scent. If not, you can get them for almost nothing on eBay. One or two of those is enough for a week abroad.

SHAMPOO/CONDITIONER
Women often get samples of shampoos and conditioners in fashion-magaines or stores. These are really small, flat, weigh nothing, can be packed easily. Then throw it away and you’ve got even less to carry when you travel back home.

Shampoo-tip 2: Shampoo-bars from Lush
Shampoo Bar Tin Check the link – these are awesome, they smell great, they lather, they weigh almost nothing, can also be used as a regular soap in an emergency. But basically, this is for your HAIR – and it’s NOT a “soap”.
I remember a friend of mine being very reluctant, cause she was not about to wash her hair with “some soap“. Try it, you’ll be hooked – and it’s perfect for carry-on travellers. :)

CREAMS & LOTIONS
This is a tip I learned from my friend Bianca. She collected the plastic containers that you get in “Kinder Eggs” and used those as little cream-jars! Perfect size, just enough for a weekend or a week, stores easily – great idea, which can be used for pretty much anything.
(I use the Kinder Egg-containers to organize foreign coins after a trip so I can find the right currency next time I go to that country)

There are travel-size toothpastes and empty spray-bottles that you can buy (unless you’ve got something that you can use at home – be creative!).

As for makeup, for us ladies, I found a few useful SMALL packages of eyeliners, mascaras (also samples) – not sure what you can find in your country, but take a good look around next time you’re out shopping. Instead of my usual liquid foundation, I use an all-in-one powder/foundation or mineral powder/foundation. Mineral makeup is good, cause once again you’ve minimized the need for liquids.

I use makeup-remover pads instead of regular remover in a bottle as it doesn’t count as “liquid”, yet in a way, it is. :)

That was the “liquids”-section. Other things that you might want to think about is to get a REALLY good carry on bag/suitcase and make sure it matches the airline’s requirements.

I prefer bags where I can easily take out my laptop when I need to, and where there are easily accessible pockets for my passport, boardingpass and cellphones. A bag that lets you organize these things in a practical way is worth more than gold when you go through security and don’t want to waste valuable time! :-)

 This is my favorite – that I used for my week in Greece & England – Living Dead Souls messenger bag.
It doesn’t look like anything special but believe me – you can put so much in this and still know exactly where everything is! I love it.
Part 3 of the Rock’n’roll traveller coming up soon!

5055413308767 Living Dead Souls Skeleton Hand Messenger Bag 

Also check out The Rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips part 1 and 3:

http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-1

http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-3

 

The rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips (Part 1)

I was at the bank yesterday and the lady showed me a calculation of what they figure “the normal person” spends monthly. I laughed, said it was clear that this was based on a completely different kind of people than me.

“Howso, are you a big spender?” she asked. She wondered if maybe I was a party-animal who spent my money on nightlife and other meaningless things (you know, expensive living in general).

Quite the contrary. I spend next to NOTHING on the things that they had listed. I’m saving it all for travels and I mentioned that I’ve been to 11 countries (including 2 continents counting the US-trip next month) only this summer.

She stopped what she was doing for a second and I could tell that she could not believe her ears.
“Did you go by interrail or something...?”

No. I went by plane. :-) There are so many budget airlines nowadays that it costs less to fly from Copenhagen to London, than taking the train from Malmo to Stockholm, which is in the same country!
You just need to know a few basic tips and tricks.

  1. Use price-comparing sites.
    There are always tons of different ones and it depends what country you’re in, what fits your needs best. I usually use www.flygresor.se . There’s http://www.edreams.com/ for other European countries – but be careful – the price they initially give you, might change when they’ve added their own service-fees! This goes for edreams.com.
  2. Always book Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
    Those are the days when you will get the best and cheapest deals. Never, ever book on weekends or Mondays. You’ll be surprised when you see how much of a difference it makes. A trip that costs $100 on a Monday morning, will most probably be down to $70 by Thursday, so stay cool and keep checking prices several times a day!
  3. Go to the airport website of your destination and check operating airlines.
    You might be able to find a budget airline you haven’t heard of before, and check their routes. The smallest ones aren’t always included in the results of price-comparing sites.
    I found Niki Air for instance, a small airline in Austria with ridiculously low prices on some of their routes. My flight was flown by Niki Lauda himself, the former racing star. :-)  
    Save on Niki Flights
    Same with Swiss airline Baboo (now Darwin) which operates from Geneva. I flew with them from Geneva to Florence a few years ago. It was the most comfortable plane I’ve ever been on, and they served fantastic gourmet food, air-style instead of the regular kind of plastic-tray airline food that we all know. :-) And it cost next to nothing! So – playing detective usually pays off!
  4. Consider renting a car – or using domestic flights. 
    If you’re going from Copenhagen to Florida for instance, you might find that it’s actually cheaper to fly to a New York-airport first and take a domestic flight from NYC to your FL-destination instead. Same goes for most cities.
    There might be a cheaper option if you choose a different airport.
    For my Firewind-tour that starts next week, I’ll fly to Dusseldorf (Germany) and rent a car – then drive to my 3 different destinations in Netherlands, Belgium and Cologne, Germany, cause it’s cheaper than flying straight to the nearest Dutch airport – even with the rental car fees and gas cost.
  5. A lot of times – taking the TRAIN can be a better and cheaper way to get from point A to point B. For my UK tour, starting next Friday, I’ll be flying to Manchester, but from there I’m taking the train up to Glasgow. Cheap, there are more departures to choose from and you actually see more of the country.
    Trains nowadays are modern and fast, and I find it to be relaxing. Usually they have Wi-Fi as well, so I can just check my mail or write my blogs on the train.
  6. Consider what’s most important to you.
    The cheapest tickets are usually for days and times when most people don’t want to travel. It could be very late in the evenings or very early in the morning. I’ve sometimes chosen the late departures, spent the night in some cheap hotel near the airport or bus/train/subway station, then continued on my way.

HOTELS

  1. Like with airplane-tickets, use a price-comparing site such as booking.com or hotels.com
  2. Or, if you are going to a specific place, such as a venue – go to the venue’s webpage and find out their address. Then go to Google maps and search for hotels nearby. Check the prices and compare with booking.com and hotels.com (or whatever is equivalent in your country). That way, you will save on transport costs. You don’t want to book a cheap hotel outside of town and then spend time and money getting to and from your “place of interest”. Be smart about it, it saves you $$.
  3. Read  the customer reviews, those have helped me a lot. I’ve only once voluntarily chosen a crappy cheap hotel, well knowing what I was getting myself into. It was extremely cheap and I just needed a bed and somewhere to put my bag. You need to know where your own limits are and how comfortable/uncomfortable you want it to be. Choose the right comfort level for the price you’re willing to pay, or else anything is going to feel “too expensive” (for what you got for your money)
  4. Airport-hotels are almost always the cheapest. Sometimes they even offer free shuttles to the city center, that way you will save on transfer-costs as well.
  5. Consider hostels or hotels with shared bathrooms.
    If you’re going to be out sightseeing most of the day, you might not need a fancy bathroom but can settle for a shared one and save yourself  $$$. Some hostels I’ve stayed at, have even been better than hotels, such as Pink Hostel in NYC (for women only) where you can cook your own food in their fresh, modern kitchen. THAT saves money, cause you can just go to the nearest grocery store and get a cheap TV-dinner or noodles or something and microwave it, instead of buying an expensive breakfast (breakfasts are not always included in hotel prices).
  6. Some hotel chains will get you points if you have a mileage card. Collecting enough points gives you lots of advantages, for instance a free hotel night or a free flight once you’ve got enough points. :-) I got myself a free flight from Tampa to Atlanta in October for my Delta miles. :-)

In part two: A lesson on how to pack light and just breeze through security and airports while other passengers are waiting at baggage carousels or desperately digging through their carry-on items to get through security…!

 

Also check out The Rock’n’roll traveller’s best tips part 2 and 3:

http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-2
http://lita77777.posterous.com/the-rocknroll-travellers-best-tips-part-3