today i’m kicking off a new collaboration series with some bloggers. it’s called “what’s in your suitcase?” and we’re talking travel tips and packing ideas.
today’s featured blogger is anne from travel the globe 4 less, a travel site with fantastic tips on how you can, well, travel the globe in style for less.
how did you get started traveling?
I developed wanderlust at a young age, poring over my father’s dog-eared passport with giant, exotic stamps from the Middle East dancing across the pages. After doing a few French exchanges in my teens, I headed off to Belgium to be an au-pair for a year and loved the freedom to head to the train station each weekend and simply jump on a train to an unknown destination.
Since then, I’ve visited over 70 countries on six countries. Sadly, I have not been to Antartica but desperately want to go!
when you travel, how do you pack? what do you like best about it? have you ever used another style of luggage?
I have a dusty backpack in my garage which has not seen the light of day in a long time. Even on an extended trip around Asia last year we took rolling suitcases. I prefer these for the security, as often we stay in hotels that do not have safes and being able to lock our belongings away securely is a real bonus!
what are your carry-on must haves?
Temple Spa ‘Aaahhh-Balm’. It was recommended to me for pain in my back and calves but I have actually found it to be way more useful on long haul flights. I often get swollen feet (Christ, I sound like my grandma!) which can be a little uncomfortable and rubbing this in to my feet and calves is so refreshing and soothing! I also have to have my iPad, a quality eye mask and ear phones. No offence to all parents out there, but when will someone please invent a adults only airline? I know your children are beautiful, intelligent, unique little charms but when they are screaming endlessly, kicking the back of my seat, or generally being annoying, I would like to be able to lock them in a soundproofed room! They have adults only hotels so it seems only fair to me…
do you swear by any particular toiletry products for in-transit travel?
Other than the ‘Aaahhh-Balm’ I have to have a lip balm! Got to keep those lippies perky!
what is your go-to packing tip, when people ask?
It’s got to be packing pods. I know some people have total neat freak cases with everything rolled and wrapped in tissue paper, but much as I love travelling, packing is a necessary evil that I loathe. That said, god forbid if my husband should attempt to pack, as he just throws everything in haphazardly (seriously, you could be forgiven for thinking a natural disaster had occurred in there!) whereas I organise according to grouped items. I have a packing pod for underwear, one for cables (bloggers need a lot of cables….), one for medicines and plasters and one for toiletries which is totally water-proofed to prevent spillage all over my clothes. I like the fact then that when I need these items, I know exactly where they are in the case, and can extract them quickly and easily without emptying the case. Packing pods will also make life with a backpack much less frustrating when trying to find that all important item which always manages to wedge itself in the very bottom! I also have a packing list which I use to make sure I don’t forget anything. I have been known to forget underwear on a business trip so I highly recommend something like this unless you enjoy going commando!
what is the oddest things you’ve seen someone traveling with?
Not so much a question of what, as what in. Whilst backpacking around Italy many years ago, two girls hobbled into the hostel where I was staying with huge backpacks dragging them down, wearing six inch stilettos. I kid you not!!
you can follow anne on facebook, instagram, pinterest, and twitter. thanks for sharing, anne!