My list of Essentials , each time I travel!

As a family we are rational travelers – we check the weather forecast and pack accordingly, thus showcasing our blind trust on the Meteorological Department! However, in the past our trust has been challenged! We realized that something is ‘essential’ only when we missed packing it! Having learnt from my past mistakes( read :blunders) , here are a few MUST PACK ITEMS:

1. STOLE/SHAWL/WRAPThis stole of mine is truly the love of my life! It has always risen up to the occasion to act as – a stole of course, a towel, a wrap, a bedsheet for the little one , rolled up and used as a pillow, swaddle cloth ( when my daughter was much younger) and even as a make shift umbrella ( imagine it to be spread across two adults and a child with rain beating down)!
2. HAT/CAP

Headaches can ruin your holiday especially if the destination is humid or hot! After forgetting to pack a hat, struggling to find a shop that sells Hats  and then suffering from a headache has taught me to always pack 3 ( each for 1 member of the family)!

3. SWIMWEAR

How many times have you checked into a hotel , realized that it had an infinity pool/pool with a view , but you had no swimwear because you thought that you would be a  busy tourist with NO time to unwind at the hotel? I have done it a few times and now I carry my swim wear everywhere, even if it is a day trip 🙂

4.SUNSCREEN, MOISTURIZER, INSECT REPELLENT

Irrespective of the weather forecast, do carry a good sunscreen, a good moisturizer and a good insect repellent. After a few terrible insect bites during different Jungle Safaris, we carry generous amounts of repellent!

5. DIARY/BOOK & PEN FOR THE YOUNGEST TRAVELER

Any holiday involves a lot of road travel/ air travel. A great way to keep the kids busy is to ask them to document all the interesting things they observe. This  has worked very well for us!

After a lot of hits and misses, these are a few essentials I carry along apart from the regulars!

Thanks for reading and I hope you all are planning because the Lockdown will end!