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Lock the door and turn off the gas and water when you leave home.
Keep a business card of your hotel with you, to show a taxi driver.
Make sure you can pay your bills via phone or tablet, BEFORE you leave home, if you usually use a laptop. This happened to us and it sucked. I could not access my email after leaving the country...
Not really. I'm talking 1 back up batter that is the size of your pinky. Versus bringing a large size of shaving cream or contact solution. Batteries are expensive too anytime you buy at a non club type store which is probably what you'd have to settle for on vacation. If you've ever had a mouse die on a trip & always use one it can be very annoying.
A spare battery is still exactly what you say not to bring, it's something that you can buy at any convenience store if runs out and it's not expensive one can buy a 4-pack of AAAs for $5 at a drug store. Sure it's small but those small things add up when trying to efficiently pack a bag.
Laptops can also be used without a mouse (many people do) since they have track pads, so it's not even an essential item. I haven't used a computer mouse in years.
A spare battery is still exactly what you say not to bring, it's something that you can buy at any convenience store if runs out and it's not expensive one can buy a 4-pack of AAAs for $5 at a drug store. Sure it's small but those small things add up when trying to efficiently pack a bag.
Laptops can also be used without a mouse (many people do) since they have track pads, so it's not even an essential item. I haven't used a computer mouse in years.
*twitch*
I never said every single tip has to rhyme with the other tips
And a 4 pack of AAA's IMO is expensive if you're used to buying at a club store like I do. My mouse needs 1 AAA battery. That's SMALL. So I can put 1 small battery in my bag or have to go to the store & buy something that I normally wouldn't need. Besides. That goes to the whole point that if your lap top mouse battery dies. Chances are you it happens without you expecting. So if it happens when you're at the hotel or in a cabin. Is it always so easy to go to the drug store & get one? All of my examples are wide range examples for different situations.
And as far as your comment about lap tops being used without a mouse. Duh! But thats your opinion. Like I said. I know nobody that prefers to use the track pads. I can't stand using track pad especially if I'm doing multiple tasks/activities on the computer
Jesus Christ, a 4 pack of AAAs is not expensive. Of all the money one spends on vacation you're going to fret about the off-chance you have to drop $5 at the drug store for new batteries?
Bring spare batteries or don't, it's all a personal preference. But let's not start manufacturing some situation where it's a financial stress to buy a new mouse battery when on vacation.
Buy the batteries in country if you need to, along with the shave cream & tan lotion, why carry common junk in your bag to haul over continents. I do have a preference for deodorant though since overseas ones can be very smelly.
Forget the mouse (?) & also your computer (unless needed for business), just use your smartphone with a local sim card & all the apps necessary & carry an external power bank that is lightweight/small for it, maps will eat up juice.
I used to Xerox all credit cards, passport, important phone #s, etc., but now I just photo them & store online on a password protected, secure encrypted site that I can access anywhere.
Buy all popular "sights" tickets online before getting to town if you need to see it & possibly any train tickets or passes. I discovered if I book at the last minute, that is the day before, on bookingdotcom that some nice high-end resorts give deep discounts just to fill up the place. If I need to confirm a nice hotel in advance, say for the day of arrival in a new country & I want to unwind from a long transPacific flight at a 4-star property I use the bidding system at Priceline, not the "discount" booking there, since there is a decent way to game it.
Always get travel insurance that includes airlift to a major medical facility in case of major trauma & repatriation of your remains back home if the trip doesn't go well for you.
That's smart. You don't want to be the person stuck in Myanmar getting medical care for a serious injury or illness, that insurance covered airlift to Bangkok makes a world of difference. Commercial flights won't board seriously ill passengers and a med flight can run $50k+ even in a third world country
On electronics = Lots of stuff can work offline. Download languages to work offline in Google translate, download maps, web pages can be saved to be viewed offline so any guides to visiting certain sites or lists of food names etc.
Throw laptop in garbage, 8 inch tablet is much easier for travel. Bring an empty plastic water bottle, fill it up once you pass through the babboons. Avoid Frankfurt and Vienna... there are zero places to fill bottles.
If driving check things like tire pressure the day before. Windshield wiper fluid.
Bring a flash light with you in your car in case you're driving at night and might happen to need to look under your car or in the hood (a cell phone can do this too but sometimes a flash light can be better)
When traveling on a long international flight, always choose the red eye if possible! I love when the plane leaves at midnight. Try to get 6 or so hours of sleep and it really shrinks the length of the trip psychologically.
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