Going on holiday with your family is usually a well-planned out experience, one which is more often than not conceived in advance, after months and months of debating and negotiating with your significant other. It’s usually like a game of squash, where you both bounce ideas off the wall and eventually, through some long-awaited miracle, one of them sticks and you finally agree on the perfect destination.
Nevertheless, there are certain instances when – through some amazing strike of inspiration – you just happen to go with the flow and simply decide to act on a whim. You go online, see an article about an exciting trip to Rome, your hubby just happens to be sitting next to you, and next thing you know you’ve just purchased round-trip tickets for next week for the family.
Since everything’s happening so quickly, it’s not uncommon to forget some essential travel items (as we have done on so many occasions), which is why I’ve decided to compile this short list for you guys to help you on your next spontaneous vacay.
His and Hers Backpacks
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If you’ve decided to go on one of those in-depth exploration trips and be out strolling for an inordinate amount of time, you will definitely need to think of a method of carrying all your important items, in a light-weight but practical fashion. These his & hers leather backpacks are the perfect solution for this, as they will hold all of your valued possessions without occupying your hands and will also make you look pretty stylish when you’re out and about in some urban travel hub.
Valuables
This might seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes when you’re in a hurry, it’s easy to pack the most inconsequential things and simply forget about the most essential items on your list. This can happen especially when you’re changing bags and you’re busy transferring everything from one carry-on to the other. When your mind is set on packing mode, it’s incredibly easy to fast-forward through your entire checklist and simply omit to include your valuables.
When I say valuables, yes, I do mean money (cash and ATM cards), phone (and charger), passports (if need be) and flight tickets or printed reservations, if you have any.
Comfortable Footwear
After having lengthy discussions with my friends about this, I’ve come to the conclusion that most of us ladies don’t know how to choose the right footwear for a summer holiday trip. In fact, it seems that for us this knowledge only comes through tormented experience, after we’ve gone through a few torturous days of wearing all the wrong platforms, sandals or shoes, simply for the joy of feeling or presenting ourselves pretty in front of complete strangers.
So rule no 3 of going on a summer trip is: wear comfortable footwear. Choose leather or canvas, as these are the most comfortable shoe materials and definitely go for flats. As a tourist, keep in mind that you will be doing a lot of sightseeing, which means walking around for hours on end, so in order to have a truly enjoyable experience, you have to select the right shoes in order to avoid any physical discomfort. Your feet will thank me later.
Basic Clothing Items
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If you are like me, then most of the times you pack your bag according to the weather reports, which means that if the forecast for the next few days tells you that it’s going to be mostly sunny, with no signs of raining, then you will only pack T-shirts, skirts, summer hats and light flowery dresses. Nevertheless, there are situations in which the weather report can be wrong and then you find yourself wearing nothing but a cotton shirt, a silky skirt and flip-flops in the drizzling rain.
While this may not be extremely disturbing for you, it can however have consequences on your children’s health, so in order to cover all possible scenarios, make sure you include a few essential items for bad weather, as well.
While there are many other things that we could complete this list with, I believe these are the most important things to consider when writing your traveler’s checklist and as long as you’ve got these four basics covered, you can easily add some personalized items along the way.
Speaking of packing… summer seems to be approaching fast. Have you figured out your next destination yet?
COMFORTABLE SHOES at all times, not just vacations. And a good refillable water bottle (with filter if you’re going out in the wilderness)
Reading this post sure fires up the mood to trapse – just get up and go! This is a good idea, having things accessible so it isn’t a big deal if you have a last minute opportunity to do something!
I completely agree Rosie! We are a “live by the seat of our pants” kind of family and I love the ability to just pick up and go at any given moment and not have to spend hours or weeks planning something out because the Universe always finds away to muck it up when we plan something lol!