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FEMALE TRAVEL TIPS: Top 5 travel items & why? |
 Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 3:59 pm |
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| The other post has got such positive feedback, so let's get these ones down too to help those doing all this for the first time - and we'll put them all together into a big pdf guide for you...
What are your Top 5 female travel items & why? e.g. 1. sarong - because blah blah 2. fake wedding ring - because blah blah So what are yours? 1. 
2.
3.
4.
5.
Either stick them below or email them to me to - tom@gapyear.com - subject title: Top 5 female travel items Thanks! 
- Tom --------------- Tom Griffiths Founder gapyear.com |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 205 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 5:03 pm |
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| Ok so bearing in mind that my travelling is limited to africa until i come back from my proper first trip.
1. Clothes line/strong to act as a clothes line.. coz theres nothing worse than doing a batch of washiing to find it looks worse and is dustier than when u did wash it... 2. a torch.. personally im terrified of the dark, and i managed fine in the dorms but getting up in the middle of the night without waking everyone up to walk outside not being able to see... not my idea of fun! 3. a hoodie/warmish jumper ... africa? jumper? no way... wrong! i wore my hoodie every morning especially during the rain! and in the hills.. i have a slightly lighter one for asia from rohan. 4. sarong... we brought local wrap around skirts very similar to saronges which act as nearly everything. a cover up when locals come on to the beaches (and your not meant to offend), towels, shawls for covering arms and legs, amazing for flights as thin blankets or (sad i know) comforters, helps attract a bit less attention if your feeling a bit exposed and the most important for us ladies at the time... shower curtains since the ones where we stayed where literally see through. 5. Mascara or leave in conditioner.. for times when your feeling truly terrible ... after a month of bad shampoo, cold showers, swimming in lake malawi and lime washing my hair looked terrible and my photos came out terribly! So these may be coming with me! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 1404 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 6:33 pm |
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| 1. Universal plug. It's a tiny piece of kit that you will forget all about untill you really, really need a wash, and are in a grotty hostel that doesn't have one. Never will you appreciate that small disc so much!
2. Pack of cards. Again, seemingly useless, but it's a great way to make friends and pass long boring journeys! 3. Massive, hugely unsexy and horribly practical tshirt. Great for sleeping in when you havn't got round to washing your PJs, gives you something to get changed under if you're in a dorm with someone who has wandering eyes/when you're on a crowded beach, and you will never appreciate anything so much as that huge tshirt when you have sunburnt, blistered shoulders and have to haul your backpack across a city!! 4. A good deep-moisturising mask cream. The ones that you do once a week/month are best because they're usually in smaller bottles/tins etc, but girls, you'll find this useful when you're recovering from sunburn and your skin is dry and flaky (but DON'T use it on your actual sunburn because it stings!) and it will also give you somethign to pamper yourself with when you're feeling a bit sad and homesick! 5. A pretty scarf. Yes, this is a very girly answer, and I know lots of travellers that would get much more use out of a swiss army knife or something, but for the girly girls, this is a good one - it can be used to tame your hair when you can't find a place to plug in your straighteners, it can be used to cover your shoulders when you're sunburnt or visiting a temple, it can be used to cinch in floaty dresses or tops if you're going out and want to show off your figure, you can tie it to your backpack so you can identify it easily on a carousel... so many uses, and even if you don't use it for something practical, it's something you have in your backpack that can brighten up your mood :-) X |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 3099 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 6:35 pm |
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| Got to admit.. those 5 are also pretty high on my listx | |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 1404 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 11:02 pm |
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| 1) Silk sleeping-bag-liner thing: less than a tenner on Ebay. No need for sleeping bag if you have one of these - they fold up to be tiny, wash and dry really quickly and you can sleep in the most disgusting of hostel beds.
2) Pashmina-type scarf: one of the ones that is acutally quite a big piece of fabric when you open it out. Useful for everything - wear it as scarf or a shawl, use it as a pillow on buses, etc etc. 3) Ear plugs: beat the hostel snorers. 4)Travel journal: handy to fill the time on long journeys and so nice to read when you're back to the routine at home. 5)Crocs: I know, I know, they're ugly, but what else can you wear for sightseeing all day, kayaking, going to the beach and in the hostel showers?! I might look like a compete tit, but I think they're great! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 23 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 5, 2009 11:37 pm |
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| 1. A shampoo bar (or two depending on the length of trip) and tin to keep it in. Available from Lush, they're tiny, last ages, can double up as soap and you never have to worry about the pesky spillages.
2. Pair of Black flip flops - great to wear in gross showers, at the beach, and can look lovely with a skirt or jeans on a night out. 3. High factor sun cream... not only do I not want to look 80 when I'm 35, I also don't fancy carrying a heavy backpack around on sunburnt shoulders - ouch! 4. Alarm clock for when you have to get up early to catch a train/bus/flight 5. If going to a westernised country such as the US, Australia, much of Europe - take a good durable waterbottle with you - it will save you money by filling up with tap water each day rather than buying a bottle everyday! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 65 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Feb 6, 2009 12:21 am |
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afraid i dont have any tips as i haven't been travelling yet, but this is a great thread!! thanks  |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 516 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Feb 12, 2009 12:05 pm |
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| 1: Sarong: a big massive one, which can double as a blanket, pillow, beach rug, something to get changed under etc
2: Moisturiser: suncream dosnt cut it. 3: Money belt that goes around something other than your waist. the waist ones look stupid if you are wearing a vest top or a tight T-shirt. I had one that went around my thigh and was very comfortable and discreet. 4: Hand sanitiser: depends on how much of a germ-a-phobe you are. but its great when you are in manky trainstations and toilets with no sinks. 5: menstrual cup. Possibly TMI. Lots of countries you cant buy tampons in, a cup like a mooncup, takes up very little space. it can be cleaned anywhere with a few babywipes. bring some sterilizing tabs (cost nothing in boots) and you can sterilise in cold water once a month (no boiling). Also only needs to be changed every 12 hours and is great for sports, swimming etc. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 1 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 9:30 pm |
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| I definitely recommend a menstrual cup. If you are in the UK you can get a mooncup for £20 which lasts years and years, so you save money and so handy for travelling and even when you are back to normal day to day life. | |
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| Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:28 am |
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I definitely recommend a menstrual cup. If you are in the UK you can get a mooncup for £20 which lasts years and years, so you save money and so handy for travelling and even when you are back to normal day to day life.
i considered buying one of these before i went away but thinking back, i dont know how or when id have cleaned it properly. easy at home where you can boil it but when your travelling, you wont really want to be boiling it in a hostel kitchen! and i think sterilising it in a dorm isnt practical either |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 11489 Posts |
| Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 9:51 am |
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| 1) Travel journal
2) universal sink plug (essential!) 3) travel towel (saves soooo much space) 4) washing line 5) pashmina/scalf for covering up, warmth, pillow, decoration . . . |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 1370 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 11:12 pm |
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| 1) Leatherman army knife. Absolutely cracking for any challenge at all. Has bad ass knife to make you feel a bit safer when in dodgy hostels and makes you look well cool when you whip it out to make sandwiches.
2)Flip flops, utterly invaluable. 3)Tube of savlon - use for anything, instantly makes you feel better. 4)Big sunglasses, awesome against the sun, and when you just feel like crap. 5)2nd credit card. I usually hide mine in my 1st aid kit, just for emergencies. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 501 Posts |
| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:30 pm |
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| 1) moisturizer!!!
2) LOTS of hair bobbles 3) big sunglasses 4) lots of comfy flip flops 5) water bottle |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 10 Posts |
| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 8:19 pm |
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| 1) Water bottle
2) Moisturizer (I have wretched dry skin!!) 3) A plain white or black, slightly below knee length skirt.. They don't feel so "dirty" if you have to where them a bunch and they're acceptable in just about every situation. 4) Journal/diary/sketchbook, something to keep notes in at least! 5) Guide book |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 9 Posts |
| Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:55 pm |
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| 1. scarf/sarong
2. body butter from body shop- best moisturiser ever, a pot lasted me nearly my whole 5 months 3. savlon cream 4. a folder to keep tickets/leaflets/anything else picked up along the way! 5. pack of cards- best way to make friends and a good way to pass the time |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 41 Posts |
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