It is the sem break once again, ad for most students that means only one thing: vacation time! Whether you choose to go on an exciting road trip, go jet setting to foreign lands, or embark on an exciting adventure within neighbouring towns ad cities, you would need some travel essentials; the things you could never do without (when travelling). Here is a run down of all my top picks:
1.) Holy Seat (Pee in Peace): Everybody knows about the horrors of public toilets. Unfortunately, when you got to go, you simply got to go. To prepare for these gross instances, you must always bring some germ-fighting protection. My first pick does just that. This product is a simple combination of alcohol, water, and lemon grass essence (to give it a fresh and clean scent) but comes in a quirky little spray bottle. All you have to do is spray the product generously on the toilet seat and wipe it off with some tissue paper, and voila! You may now pee without feeling icky about that dirty toilet bowl. Oh, and it saves you all the hassle of having to wrap the toilet bowl with soo much tissue paper that it ends up looking like a mummy (and we all know it all sticks to your behind).
2.) Ziploc bags: According to studies, one of the filthiest parts of a hotel room is the television remote control. Think about it. Think about how many people have touched that remote, and think about what they have touched before touching that remote control. Unfortunately, not many hotels actually clean their remote controls (because they obviously can not spray it with disinfecting liquids and stuff), so all the dirt and germs stay and breed on it. The best thing to do is take a Ziploc bag with you, and put the remote control inside it. It may seem odd, but at least you are saved from all the grossness.
3.) Facial Wipes: Whenever people travel, they have a tendency to get oily and sticky. This is probably because they do not have instant access to the loo, or cannot readily freshen up whenever they wish. The solution for that oily face that oil blotting paper simply cannot get rid of: facial wipes. Simply wipe your face with it and feel refreshed, invigorated, and oil-free. My pick for the best facial wipes are those little packages that you get from Bench. They cost thirty pesos and contain ten moist facial wipes. Make sure though that you are using FACIAL wipes and not baby wipes, body wipes, or germ-fighting wipes, because they tend to be rich in alcohol and dry out your skin.
4.) Sunblock: People who travel often forget to bring sun block with them, unless they are hitting the beach. Bad move. The truth is, most people who go on vacations suffer from a little tan because they end up using public transportation in their travel destination. Waiting on the streets just to find a cab, tricycle, train, bus, or jeepney will take its toll on your skin. To keep safe ad protected from the sun, slather on some sun block at least fifteen minutes before stepping out of your hotel room.
5.) Noah’s Ark Mosquito Repeller: This product may seem a wee bit pricey for some (it costs around 500 pesos) but it is really effective. Simply push a button to set it to function for 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours, and leave it on a place near you. You may also attach it to a lanyard to keep mosquitoes away. This little gadget makes use of sound waves to repel mosquitoes and repel mosquitoes three meters away.
6.) Lip Balm: I am not one who wears lip balm daily, but the fact that I am stuck for hours in an air-conditioned transportation seems to dry out my lips. Also, I find that I am often left dehydrated when travelling because I do not have access to free drinking water. The best way to prevent your lips from drying up is with a really good brand of lip balm. And please, for the guys, buy one without color.
7.) First-Aid Kit: Fill your first aid kit with some anti-allergy medication, pain killers, flu, cough, and fever pills, and some band aids too. This makes your life so much easier. Trust me, when suffering from an allergy attack, the last thing you would want to do is fall in line in a pharmacy. Plus, pain killers help ease a hangover. Again, a full first aid kit will not hurt anybody; so bring one with you every time you travel.
8.) A small, quick drying towel: Towels are not always available, especially when you plan to swim in public beaches or pools; or if you plan to stay in really affordable hotels or budget inns. However, a full blown towel will simply take up too much space in your luggage. Try to purchase some of those microfiber towels that are small in size, absorb a lot of moisture, and dry up real quick.
9.) Paper Soap: These small pieces of soap is very handy because you can carry it anywhere, and it fits inside your pocket. You never know when you will be needing some sudsing up; and this gives you the perfect amount of soap every single time
10.) A small spray bottle with water: I always have this in my traveling kit because it help soo much. I use it to wet my face (then wipe it off with my hankie), to wet my hands 9when i touch something sticky), or to spray on anything that needs moistening up (usually thats my head, hair, or nape).
Catch Confessions of a Partyphile (the radio show) on 105.9 mix fm or www.mixfm1059.com every Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 PM. For comments, suggestions, and more confessions from this partyphile, log on to http://party.i.ph
