Open the gates! Itchy feet are starting to shift all over the world as Covid-19 travel restrictions begin to lift in various stages.

We’re still locked down for now in Africa, but we’re getting prepped for when the powers that be say the magic words and we can finally cross borders again.

There are some incredible travel deals circulating at the moment and if our Wild Tribe are who we think they are, they are paying attention and getting ready to swipe those credit cards!

With travel in mind, we wanted to share some of the top travel tips we use to keep the process as smooth as possible. 

1. Make copies of your travel docs

You don’t necessarily need to make hard copies of your plane tickets and hotel booking confirmations, because those will be stored in your email inbox, on your phone or somewhere else convenient.

But a piece of good advice is to scan your hard items, like your passport, visa, or permit, so that you can have digital copies of those in case the originals go missing.

Store the copies in the cloud or make sure a friend or family member has access to them and you’ll have access to your passport number and visa details everywhere!

2. Take photos of your luggage 

Having photographs of your luggage can be very helpful in the event that it goes missing at an airport or en route to your hotel.

These things can happen, and we know from experience that as much information as you can provide the authorities on your luggage, the better.

This is especially helpful if you’re a photographer or a musician or someone travelling with lots of abnormal suitcases. This type of luggage often gets processed differently at airports and things get separated, so if you’ve got a visual record of everything you’re travelling with, you’ll be able to help speed up the administrative process of locating it, in the unfortunate event that it goes missing.

3. Stash your cash 

Draw cash as local ATMs to get hold of local currency instead of exchanging at airports where you’ll have to pay an additional fee for the conversion.

Keep different amounts of your cash in various places instead of keeping it all in your wallet. This can be a life saver in the event of losing your wallet or handbag.

Also, remember to notify your bank back home to let them know you’ll be using your cards in another country. You don’t want your credit card to be blocked because your bank suspects your card is being used fraudulently. 

4. Pack items that have multiple uses

Scarves, for example, are super versatile and they take up next to no space in your bag. It’s so useful to be able to grab one thing that covers a number of bases. Scarves are perfect to wear around your neck in chilly weather, or to wrap around your head to protect your hair in wind or rain. On hot days when you might have been caught off guard in the sun, a scarf acts as the perfect protection for your neck and shoulders.

We’ve visited temples in southeast Asia where scarves have been exactly what we need to tie around the wait or cover the shoulders. And out in the bush in Africa, a scarf can protect your camera gear from the dust.

Scarves are awesome, ok?

5. Take an international adaptor for charging devices

Travelling with an international adaptor is super convenient for charging up your devices (which, let’s be honest, are vital – camera, map, Google, Uber, etc.).

You don’t want to arrive at an airport or your hotel and have to search for an available adaptor that will fit your charger or your device. Some hotels have them, others don’t. Airports definitely don’t, so just keep one of your own that you can use any time you need to charge up. 

6. Be an organised packer

Lastly, our favourite packing hack has to be compartmentalising your suitcase.

You don’t have to go all out and buy specially made inners for your bags, but just making use of a laundry bag can make the world of difference.

If you’re going to be living out of your bag for a while, it really helps to keep clothes you have worn in a separate bag inside your suitcase and it keeps your space organised.  Then, on laundry day, it’s easy to grab your one bag of neatly contained dirty clothes and minimises the fuss. You’re welcome!

The internet is full of great travel tips and packing hacks and these are just a few of our “musts”.

At this point, it’s been so long we can’t even remember the way to the airport, but WHEN WE DO, we’ll be prepared! Let the countdown begin.

Written by Chloe Cooper