9. PACKING LIST FOR TRAVELLING BY CAR

Right from the childhood, the advantages of travelling light were dinned into me. And it took me six decades to throw away this advice.  For me now, my personal comfort is most important. I am neither a backpacker now nor can I afford the luxury of a five-star hotel. So I plan budget holidays without compromising on my comfort and habits.

This has motivated me to draw up a list of items which I must carry when I venture out as a tourist especially by car. Your list could be a little different according to your habits and tastes.

1.  TEA KIT

For me a good cup of tea as per my taste and at my time is very important. If I get up at 6 am in a Guest House on a winter morning, nobody is going to bring me tea at that time. Even if they do, the chances are that it would be a decoction tea boiled till all the tannin is released in the liquid. It might have been boiled in pure milk or the size of the cup may be too small. So why start my day by spoiling my mood right in the morning? Hence, a tea kit is an essential accompaniment for me while travelling. The following items are suggested:

·       A small electric kettle,

·       Tea Bags (Assam/ English breakfast/ Earl Grey),

·       Coffee Powder (Bottle or single use sachets). A refill pack is not advisable as handling an open packet is quite bothersome,

·       Dairy whitener sachets or milk powder emptied in a plastic jar for convenient handling,

·       Mug(s), if you like your tea in a large mug. Most Hotels/Guest Houses have small cups which do not satisfy at least my early morning craving for tea,

·       2 Spoon(s), one for stirring and the other for taking out milk powder.

·       Duster/Tissue paper for wiping the mugs dry before packing them up for the next destination,

·       A packet of my favourite Marie biscuits to accompany my morning cuppa.

2.  PHOTOGRAPHY

No trip is complete unless you bring back the memories with you. The   following are essential for a shutterbug:

·       Camera: I think one must carry a digital camera and take as many photos as possible. Later, if you don’t like, you can always delete them.

·       Camera Stand: Not essential but desirable.

·       Cell-charger: If you are using rechargeable cells, you may need to put them on a charger every night.

·       Extra cells: If you are using ordinary cells, you surely would not like to land up in a situation where you want to shoot and the camera does not comply,

·       Extra camera card of at least 8 GB memory for the camera is extremely important. In case the memory in the camera is full and one is yearning to take more photos, one would not start looking around for a shop. Even if one does, either you will not find it or it may be too expensive,

·       Camera Lenses, optional in case you are  an amateur photographer but essential if you are an avid one,

3.  MEDICINES

·       Routine Medicines: It is advisable to carry sufficient stock of the medicines in case you are taking something regularly and may not like to search around for a chemist shop in a small town which may not have your brand or may be dealing in spurious drugs,

·       Emergency Medicine Kit: Aspirin for headaches, Crocin for fever, Some anti-allergic for cold or allergic reactions, a pain-killer for sudden toothache/ear-ache, Digene/Eno for acidity, an antibiotic for stomach infections and a medicine like Immodium for uncontrolled loose motions etc. An upset tummy and high fever need to be controlled forthwith and you cannot wait until morning to see a doctor. A pack of Aspirin and Sorbitrate (nitro-glycerine) tablets, if you are a cardiac patient, is absolutely essential. Similarly, Glucose tablets for fighting hypoglycaemia, if you happen to be diabetic, are also advisable.

·       First Aid Kit: Must have Volini/Moove ointment/spray for any accidental muscular pulls, sprains or strains. A few Band-Aid strips, some cotton soaked in spirit, an antiseptic ointment, a 2” gauge bandage and a 3” crepe bandage are necessary for any unforeseen injury.

   4. CAR ACCESSORIES

·       A Towing Rope is absolutely essential. In case, your car breaks down on the highway, you should be able to get it towed to the nearest town.

·       Dusters/Glass cloth for cleaning the windscreen time and again.

4.  CAR DOCUMENTS

The following documents must be carried in original if you are travelling interstate:

• Car Registration Papers,
• Copy of Insurance Policy,
• Driving Licenses of all the people expected to drive the car in routine or in an emergency,
• Car Pollution Check Certificate and
• Duplicate car keys in the lady’s purse.

   6. DOCUMENTS FOR SELF

•    Identity Card
•    Voter ID Card/PAN card as it is essential for checking in most hotels,
•    Credit Cards (along with ATM password),
•    ATM Card (along with the password), 

   7. BEDDING

·     One bed sheet per person for using as inlay for the blanket which is often used repeatedly by different guests and may not be hygienic enough,

·     Your own pillow is desirable if you have cervical problem and want a good night’s sleep.

·       A small towel in case of emergency

 8. MOBILE PHONE

·       Mobile,

·       Mobile charger. One may consider buying a device for charging mobile in the car itself. Mobiles have a strange tendency to show “Battery Low” sign when you need it most.

·       Balance must be topped up with a sufficient amount in case of pre-paid connections.

   9.  IMPORTANT CONTACTS 

   All local and emergency contacts must be fed into your mobile phone for easy access and hotel booking papers should be available in your glove cabin. Important documents which one must not forget are:

•    Documents relating to your bookings/stay arrangements at various places,
•    Phone numbers of your contact persons in places of visit,
•   Emergency Phone numbers of your friends /relatives/persons, to be contacted in an emergency, should be kept in wallet/purse/glove-cabin for easy access.

  

   10. CLOTHING & FOOTWEAR

While doing all this, please don’t forget to pack your most comfortable clothes and footwear for various occasions expected during the travel which may require formal, informal or casual dressing.

   11. OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS

·  Spare specs if you wear specs. You never know when you may accidentally break it and then become incapacitated,

·       Goggles desirable while driving to reduce strain on eyes,

·      Sun-blocker cream if you are going to expose yourself to high UV rays,

·      Music CDs for your car or your favourite music on a pen-drive/ i-pod.

         ENJOY TRAVELLING!

*****