My Travel Journal: How to pack for a day tour

September 04, 2015 Unknown 3 Comments

Traveling can be so much fun. You get to live the life of a tourist which I find exhilarating. Everything is fast-paced because you have to visit as many tourist attractions as possible within a short period of time. One of the reasons why I love traveling is because I love telling stories of the places I've been to and the amazing people I met.
Tourism is all fun and games until you get into some kind of trouble like getting harassed by immigration, or getting stranded, or finding yourself in some kind of difficult situation.
There are the basic things you need in your travel bag that should help you when going on a tour.

What are those things you ask?
1. - Your Bag
2. -  Sunhat
3. -  Purse/wallet
4. - Diary/travel journal/a small notepad
5. - A pair of shades
6. - ATM card
7. - Passport
8. - Money
9. - Hand sanitizer/wipes
10. -  I.D card

This list is in no particular order of relevance cos all of the items are important. 

Your Bag- Obviously, you need this. Its where you carry all your stuff. You can get a travelers bag or fanny pack depending on how much you plan to carry along. If you're looking to be stylish, a nice big hand bag, leather backpack or rope bag like mine would do. I went with a simple Mac Douglas rope bag because it's chic, light, simple and does the job. It should be something you're totally comfortable with carrying and wouldn't weigh you down or slow you down. Something that doesn't draw too much attention. You don't want hoodlums eyeing your bag because it looks like a bag of money.

Sunhat- this is important if you're traveling in the summer. If you're not so comfortable with wearing shades because you use glasses, this should be a definite go to item to block out the sun. Even if you don't use glasses, they are incredibly stylish and go well with practically all outfits. They kind of add a pinch if sophistication to an outfit.

Purse/wallet- To keep your money, ATM cards, ID cards, coins or whatever. I prefer purses because they have more space and can accommodate extra junk like lipsticks, hand lotions, etc.

Diary/travel journal/notepad- this is for the artistic at heart (mostly). Some tourist sights can be so inspiring. It might be the valleys or caves or the people or art or even the food. You might have the urge to write something down. Now that's where a notepad would be gold. Not only that, you might also need one to take note of addresses, locations, directions, prices of things, phone numbers and much more.

A pair of shades- If you notice most of the items are relates to summer vacations. It's because summer is the beat time to tour. The weather is definitely favorable around this period. You need a pair of shades because of the sun. To prevent UV rays from damaging your eyes. Plus they are super fabulous and would pull most summer looks together.

ATM card- Now this is extremely important. I suggest a MasterCard because they are the most reliable and you can withdrawal without restrictions and less charges. Also, they work with 80% of ATM machines worldwide. You might think you have enough cash but when you travel anything can come up and it's best to be prepared at all times.

Passport- One very common thing that happens to blacks is getting harassed by immigration when you're in a foreign country. Personally, I think it's racist and unfair that you can't just walk around minding your own business without the law enforcement bodies thinking you're up to no good. It's not really their fault though. They've got to do their jobs and its mostly black that travel without the right papers. So you have to be ready for them. It's good to carry your passport every where with you but you have to be extremely careful. If you get your passport misplaced it's not so easy for the Nigerian consulate in another country to help you. They'll even think you're lying and start interrogating you like they found you with drugs or something.

Money- Apart from your ATM card you also need cash. Never leave tour hotel room/apartment cashless. Also, never go out with all your money. Why? Just in case you lose your purse or bag. So you'll have something to go back to. Have a budget so that when you're going out you can estimate how much to leave the hotel/ apartment with. It's also important to have a budget do you don't over spend.

Hand sanitizers/ wipes-  This is for the hygiene freaks. For me, I'll never travel without a hand sanitizer or wipes. I'm very particular about some things. I have slight OCD. After touring and you need to eat. Or after using a restroom that doesn't have hand wash or running water (trust me, anything can happen and you have to be prepared). I don't have enough reasons as to why I feel hand sanitizers or wipes are important but trust me they are very handy.

I.D card- Of course this is important because from time to time you'll need to show some means of identification. If you're a student, having an international students ID card can be very useful when traveling because you get discounts on so many things like entree fees, movie tickets and purchases at some designated stores. So if you don't have one, try to get one.

Some of the things I forgot to put while I was taking the picture was a phone, power bank and camera (extremely important).

I hope this post was helpful. So next time when you're going on a tour you'll know what and what not to pack in your bag. I just love doing this with you guys. So please leave a comment below. You can add and eliminate any item that you feel shouldn't be on the list.

I know I haven't been posting so much on the places I've been going to. I'm sorry about that. I'll definitely update you guys on my trips. Of which, I had the most amazing weekend in this village called kiambu. And our hosts, Grace and Shiko, were amazing. I totally love them. They the most hospitable Kenyans  I've met since I got here. I got to meet most of her family members and they were amazing. Plus I got a rose from her grand mother's garden. I think I'll add roses to my favorite flowers list.

p.s- today was the first time I actually held a real rose.