So, mmm, I’ve talked about how we should prepare before the trip (here!), about transportation (here!), and about accommodation (here!), so I guess now I will talk about other miscellaneous things.
- Online Transportation Apps.
More apps for your travel…
These are different from the transportation apps that I wrote in the previous post. These apps are actually more for local mobility, i.e. moving locally within the places we are going to. Many places, of course, have good public transportation like trams, buses, trains, MRT, etc. However, public transportation system in some places might not be as good. Also, even when the public transportation system is good, sometimes they don’t always go to the spots we want to visit. And sometimes their schedule simply doesn’t really fit our schedule. Hence, unless we have our own car or rent a car, using online transportation apps might be an alternative. Though sometimes it can be a bit expensive, it can really come in handy when we need it. It’s like a taxi, except that it’s “online.” I’m not sure if I can explain it well, so I guess I’ll just give examples. LoL Well, some that are quite common and popular are Uber and Lyft. But, I guess it depends on the city or the country that we’re visiting. For example, I can find Uber and Lyft in the US, but I don’t think we have Lyft in my country. Similarly, when I went to Manila, Philippines, I used Grab to leave and go to the airport. Indeed, in Indonesia, we have Gojek (by motorbike) and GoCar. Just some tips, sometimes the prices can really differ even though the pick-up place and the destination might be the same. Hence, sometimes I just open all the apps and check which one is the cheapest, and I’ll use that. Also, I once read that the lower our phone battery is, the price is usually getting higher. It’s strange but I’m not surprised, though. I mean, they just want to make money, and after all, we need their service, right? So, well, we just need to find a way to “anticipate” it better ^^
- Sanitary Pack
Most of the times I have hand sanitizer and tissue when I travel. Actually, I’m a bit “obsessed” with sanitation. Not that that that obsessed actually, I can tell I’m not the very clean person like most people in general, but in some cases, I can really be concerned about sanitation and cleanliness more than anyone. That’s why I bring hand sanitizer and tissue when I travel. I can use it to clean before and after I eat. And, sometimes the public toilet is so gross they don’t have hand sanitizer and tissue, so to have one on my own is really important for me. Some of my Muslim friends even bring an empty bottle with them because not all toilets have bidets. In the US, for example, most toilets are the dry type so they don’t clean their butts (sorry, I don’t know what else to use to replace this word 😐) with water, and they just use tissues to clean. Some of my friends find this hard to live with, that’s why they bring their empty bottle solely for this purpose: to take some water and bring it in to the toilet and use it to clean. Well, in Indonesia we do clean with water, that’s why. Me? Well, I’m quite flexible about this. If I can find an empty bottle, I use it. Otherwise, I’ll just go with “American style”: dry clean with tissue 😐 The thing is, I cannot clean with only a little amount of water. I need a lot of water. Using one little bottle of water is not enough for me; in fact, I get this feeling that using a little water will just spread the dirt and make it dirtier, and it makes me anxious. In my American apartment, I provide a bottle in the toilet to clean, but it’s near the sink, so if I need more water, I can always get more until I feel clean. That’s why when I travel, I don’t really bother with it. Either go dry clean with tissue only or get enough water to clean. The logic might be a bit twisted, but it might have nothing to do with logic, it’s just my feeling. But anyway, that’s why sanitary pack is important.
- Food
Well, if my bag still has some space (well, sometimes I do make space for it), I always bring some food with me such as instant noodle, fruit, bread, snacks, etc. It can save money when I travel. Again, I’m not so adventurous when it comes to food. I love Indonesian (and Asian food), and that’s it. Of course, I can eat other types of food if I have to, but unlike some travelers who make it a must to try the local food, I allow myself to stick to the food that I will like, make me full, and healthy. Well, of course sometimes if I’m curious, I’ll give it a try; still, it’s not a must for me. Besides, because I’m a Muslim, I eat halal food. And this is not easy when I travel to places that aren’t “Muslim friendly” at least in terms of food. That’s why I just play it safe: take vegetarian menu or go to halal restaurant. Otherwise I’ll just buy milk, fruit, and eggs to boil. It’s cheap, fulfilling, halal, and healthy too. Or else, I just go to Chinese or Asian restaurants and see what they’ve got 😀
- Medication and First-Aid Kid
Well, to stay healthy is important. That’s why sometimes it’s better to anticipate the sickness that we usually get when we go on traveling. It’s of course the best to prevent ourselves from getting sick by eating and resting enough, but, well, sometimes things are just inevitable. Hence, it’s better to prepare for such times even though at the end we end up not using them, which is better, right? My “medication” and first-aid kid that I always have with me when I travel are Promag, Cajuput Oil, Tolak Angin, small bandage, tampon, and nail-clipper (maybe I shouldn’t include the latest here, but anyway…). Promag is an Indonesian brand, it’s taken when I was somehow late to eat or failed to eat regularly and so it hurt really bad, and then I take promag to reduce the pain before eating. Cajuput oil is to use when…I’m not sure, actually I rarely use it (LOL), but it’s always good to have it, perhaps to rub it on a certain part of my body such as belly and around the neck to make me feel warm? Tolak Angin is also an Indonesian brand, it’s taken when I feel unwell either because I’ve got nauseous, fatigue, headache, sneeze a lot, or such. It usually helps. Not only does it make me warm but also make me feel better. As for bandage, well, I don’t know, I just have this imagination when I can potentially get hurt and bleed, and having a bandage will really be helpful. I remember when I went to Bangkok, Thailand, I gave one of my bandages to a kid who hurt themselves, the parents looked grateful, and I was happy to be able to help. As for tampon, well, I’m a woman, so of course I’ll need it, sometimes my period comes earlier or on the day that I don’t expect. Having a tampon ready to use before buying new package will surely be helpful. As for nail-clipper, well, I don’t really like keeping long nails, that’s why…
Well, I think that’s all for traveling thingies, though. I’m not sure what else I can write for now. However, I think it’s always good to prepare well as one of my mottoes: Plan for the best, prepare for the worst. That way life can be better, hopefully ^^ Well, I hope my writing can help you prepare for your travel in some ways. I know there are many parts that actually are not important. But, well, this is not academic essay anyway, what do you expect? I write here like I’m talking to myself in my diary anyway, you know, pretending talking to someone when in actuality, maybe there’s no one reading this, hence, I’m talking to no one but myself. I just need to pour my feelings somewhere and this blog has become my archive(?). But hey, you can always skim and scan… Best of luck with your travel! 😊
PS: As you can see in the first pic, I have my notes and Google Translate there. I think it’s good to have them in one folder because sometimes I need to note important things, in case I’m worried that I’ll forget. Google Translate can be handy too. I remember using it in France with someone who doesn’t really speak English. We just speak and type, and show the translation to them, and they can do the same. We kinda guess what each other means to say. Still, knowing the language ourselves is still better, though. Hhe
