We all usually do a great deal of preparations and planning before undertaking a trip/ vacation though hardly think about ways for a smooth return home. 

What to do to make your after vacation come-back easy?  Here is a list of helpful tips. 

Organize Your Home 

Foremost, is to leave your home in a neat and tidy condition. Packing does lead to a disorderly state where clothes and things are strewn all over the place. No matter how hectic our schedule maybe due to last minute shopping or attending work calls, it’s best to keep aside some time for clearing and organizing your home.  

Begin by putting the clothes and items lying around back in the cup-boards or in their original places. Next, make the beds. After all, who doesn’t long to come back from a wonderful though exhausting holiday to a neat and tidy home. 

Clear the Clutter 

Coming to the kitchen – make sure that no dirty vessels are left on the table or sink, as that is something quite unhygienic.  A basic cleaning of the counter top is adequate for you to quickly prepare a meal! Also any left over food must be finished off or removed before departing and not stored in the fridge. Dispose off all kitchen and other garbage. Nothing uplifts our mood more than cleanliness! 

Contact Neighbours/ Friends 

It’s a good idea to let a close friend or neighbor know about your travel plans, who can contact you in case a need arises. Probably give them a spare set of keys of your house as well. Additionally, it’s ok to ask them for help and delegate tasks, like taking care of plants etc.  

Make sure to pay all your regular bills – electricity, phone etc., so that you don’t have to worry about that in the midst of a vacation if you’ve forgotten . This is all the more important if you’re going for a longer time of more than twenty days and to avoid any inconveniences later on. 

Take a Day to Rest 

Plan in such a way that a day or two is in buffer after you return.  Getting proper rest before the commencement of office or school is essential. The best way to get over jetlag is to take a warm shower, light aromatic candles and sleep for few hours no matter what time of the day it is. This does wonders in helping you to recharge quickly.  

You are sure to bring back a pile of dirty clothes from your travel, as laundry is not possible everytime during or soon afterwards . As such, before going, keep some necessary clean clothes ready as those are the first things you would need when you are back home. Also unpacking the suitcases can be pushed to later on and need not be done immediately. 

RATNA SINGH

Dream| Discover | Travel | Bliss

travelsimplygo.com

The post 7 Things To Do Before You Travel – Easy  Return Tips  appeared first on Travel Simply Go.

The most common question that crops in our mind when we are travelling long distance for the first time is –  how would I spend 10 to 15 hours in an aeroplane ? Similarly I too had been getting quite anxious about managing a 15 hour flight –  how would I spend my time, that too in a cramped space? But, contrary to what I expected, my maiden long haul flight was quite alright. 

 Just to think that you’ll be inside an aircraft for hours together might make you  uncomfortable and claustrophobic . Luckily, for me all these assuaged after my first trip. The flight was quite satisfying, and the reason for that are enumerated in this article.  

This blog is about top tips for a long haul flight.

Go For The Best  – Top Tips for a Long Haul Flight

1) Book your ticket on a top-notch airline ( preferably, Emirates, British Airways ) , to get maximum comfort. This not only assures a pleasant journey, also you’ll reach your destination feeling fresher. Not only are the insides spacious and hygienic, they even provide passengers with an attractive  kit with all essential items – eye mask, socks, lip balm, tooth-brush and tooth-paste. So you’re saved from carrying these in your hand baggage.

Do not compromise on quality for the sake of slightly higher prices. Moreover, kids are quite happy as they are given a goody bag full of soft toys, puzzles and games to keep them occupied. 

It is always a good idea to stick to one airlines for all your trips if possible, so that you can collect miles, and utilize it later on for discounts and upgrades. The same principal applies to hotels also. Keep your membership number handy while booking and during check-in, so that you don’t miss on getting your points added. Members are also given access to lounges and other perks.  

WHAT TO CARRY IN CABIN LUGGAGE

2) What you need to carry in your hand baggage are firstly,  a soft jacket/ hoodie / scarf as the temperatures inside may be pretty low. A neck-pillow, to help you relax, get some sleep and not end up having a neck or back pain . My favorite calming product is essential oil (lavender or tea tree) which I bring along for soothing the senses. 

Flights aren’t the place to  be trendily dressed in the latest fashion.  Wear your most comfortable, loose clothes and footwear! 

Noise cancellation headphones – though you are provided with  normal earphones, but that doesn’t cut off the background noise. As such having your own insulated ones is worthwhile. 

For me the in-flight entertainment is sufficient enough for the entire duration of the journey. Depending on your requirement you can have your own movies, shows or playlist downloaded . This will come handy in case you don’t find movies of your choice or if the system has some problem. 

One important item which we usually miss is a pen, it’s required to fill up immigration forms and other documents.  

Medicines are essential, you never know when you may need them. It’s best to carry all medicines  with you in your bag.

Having these things with you  in addition to a hand sanitizer and mask, specially now during  pandemic time is an absolute necessity.  

Few things that are not allowed in the cabin baggage is liquid more than 100 ml (to be carried in a bottle kept in a transparent pouch), lithium batteries, any hazardous items. Make sure you don’t carry any of that. 

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS

Put all the hard copies of your travel documents in one place, preferably a file – this includes tickets, travel insurance, proof of identity, passport, visa and now the covid test reports. For safety sake, you must also have soft copies of all of these in your device.  

Reach the airport 3 hours in advance, that’s a requirement for an international flight.  

Keep all your travel documents handy, as you enter the airport. You wouldn’t want to search your baggage at the airport if you’ve forgotten where it is kept! Next,  get your baggage checked in and collect your boarding pass. It’s here that you can request for seats of your choice, so check it out.  All this may take some time, depending on the queue .  

After this is the immigration and security checks which are mandatory. Once through with these two steps, you can be fairly relaxed. If there is time you can window shop or buy if you wish from the plethora of stores open 24/7. 

Or head to one of the fine restaurants, (offering a great variety of cuisines to choose from) and enjoy your favorite meal. This will not only uplift your spirts before boarding the flight, sometimes meals served on flights may not be of your liking.  

 As most international flights are in the nights, be prepared to be awake. A day or two prior to your departure, take proper rest and sleep. Better not to exhaust yourself, with last minute packing or shopping etc. 

If you’re not one of those travelers who gets to sleep easily on a plane, perhaps you can try reading a book or practice meditations or deep breathing exercises . These would surely help you in getting some shut-eye. 

These are basic guidelines for what first time travelers need to know for a long haul flight.

Read my other blog on `Easy return tips’

https://travelsimplygo.com/7-things-to-do-before-you-travel-easy-return-tips/

RATNA SINGH

Dream| Discover | Travel | Bliss

travelsimplygo.com

The post Top Tips for a Long Haul Flight appeared first on Travel Simply Go.

Weather can be an unpredictable aspect, and when on a holiday it can make or mar your trip. Even though travelers always check the ideal time to visit a place, but has nature ever been in our control? 

 “One such damper was a short two-day  trip to Pondicherry. Reached the sea-side town in the Bay of Bengal – late in the night to clear, starry sky. However, the next day’s weather was a complete contrast , as we woke up to skies overcast with dense, dark clouds! Keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the gloomy clouds  to melt away. Nothing of that sort happened though and in a short while , it started pouring!

With not much luck – the weather God’s were unrelenting!! It was only by evening did the intensity of the  downpour decrease gradually.  As the program was for just two days, bouncing out of our despair, decided to at least venture out for a short rendezvous around. Unprepared for this eventuality, and with no rain gear, the first stop that we hunted for was an umbrella store.

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Eventually, equipped with umbrellas and an enthusiasm to match, we headed to the main Puducherry beach area. Traversing the rocky boulevard of the beach, balancing umbrellas over our heads, with the choppy waves of the grey sea lashing against the rocks and pitter patter raindrops, this turned out to be a wet,  adventurous experience. What was anticipated as  a warm, sunny holiday to a beach-side, became a rainy getaway to Pondicherry . ” 

“Sometimes things go wrong in travel ! That’s where real adventure begins” 

 A similar incident, of having to deal with the vagaries of nature occurred during the new year’s firework celebration in Sydney. The area surrounding the Harbor and the famous Bridge is the venue of this  grand spectacle . There is always  a mammoth crowd and seats have to be blocked in advance. People wait since early noon, on the grassy lawns to reserve a premier viewing spot , bearing the harsh rays of the sun and the noisy, teeming crowds. Some had even come prepared for a picnic, with a food basket,  their mats spread out , thinking they’ll ring in the new year, celebrating with family and friends.  

 Imagine their anguish, when out of nowhere, thunderous showers came splattering down, just as the initial water show was about to begin. What a timing!! Utter confusion prevailed – as people scurried for shelter, leaving their prime positions, though the wiser ones with rain gears stayed put.  It was indeed a hilarious sight. The incessant rains continued for some more time, at length ceasing as suddenly as it started, prior to the main program.    

Finally, the fantastic firework display did take place amidst the excited, cheering spectators. Additionally, the goodness, such incidences bring to the fore is laudable. The helpful attitude of people, are  exemplary – a lady, who handed over her umbrella to children getting drenched, as she didn’t wish to stay back and was returning home.

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 What to Do –  Get into the habit of carrying umbrellas or raincoat and if possible an extra pair of clothes. These are really useful in unforeseen situations, particularly if you’re going for  a whole day trip. A superior quality rucksack to fit all these is  a mandatory requirement.  

Also, while planning a trip, keep into consideration the best season to visit and weather forecast during that time.

If you’ve just landed in your dream destination and are just checking into your hotel. Exhausted after a long flight, you’re waiting anxiously with kids and family for the check-in formalities to be over. Rest and sleep are the top requirement at the moment,   when to your disbelief you’re informed that your credit card, is not working. On the second attempt also `transaction declined’ error message was displayed. This is what happened with an acquaintance, who was left high and dry in a foreign country.  

Any attempt to contact their bank back home  was declined as it was still early morning there. An awkward situation no doubt, but fortunately, the hotel management were kind enough to let the guests in, giving them the grace time of few hours to complete the payment. 

What to Do –  Always, have an additional credit card with you and also carry  some amount of cash in the local currency. Before departing, let the bank know of your travel plan. 

When You’re Late for your flight in spite of reaching the airport punctually. 

Having reached the airport quite in advance as you usually do, you’re quite relaxed to find just a handful of people at the check-in. Stopping at a café for breakfast, by the time you finish, you notice  there are more  people in the queue now. You proceed to join them. The person at the counter seems to be taking ages and  you heave a sigh of relief when your turn finally comes. 

 As you are handed over your passes, you’re perturbed when  told, “ Sir, you’ve got to hurry up….it takes 20 minutes from here to reach the gates” . This was the least you expected. Wondering  whether airports have transformed into  mini city nowadays? 

 As you hurry, and are minutes away from the gates, you hear an announcement calling out your name, requesting you to reach as quickly as possible as the plane is ready for departure. Nervous, almost running now, you enter the fully packed aircraft, to the  amused, cynical look of passengers.  

What to Do –  The day prior to your flight, check details and logistic of the airport. Airports are becoming massive, all-encompassing, having not just eateries and shops but entertainment points as well, almost equivalent to a mall . Distances within the airport may be quite a lot, so plan accordingly.  

Everything cannot always be smooth sailing and perfect. It’s not always when travel goes wrong. Be Prepared. Be Vigilant. And you’ll sail through!!

RATNA SINGH

Dream| Discover | Travel | Bliss

travelsimplygo.com

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