Travelling can be a joyous experience of enlightenment and discovery. Or a catastrophe of sleeplessness, miscommunication and missed planes.
Clearly, we’d all prefer the former so in order to get your next holiday off to a, er, flying start, Gransnet users have shared their travel essentials guaranteed to make your holiday that much more enjoyable.
Portable luggage scale
Light and tiny enough to fit into anyone’s luggage is this genius little device. There’s no need to balance precariously on your bathroom scales trying to get a rough estimate of your luggage weight. And for your return journey it’ll give you a fair idea of how many bottles of limoncello you can bring back without going over your weight limit.
Face mist
“It’s just so lovely and hydrating.”
Feeling hot and sweating after a long flight? With a quick spray, a good facial spritzer will have you feeling fresh and rejuvenated in seconds. Make sure you get one in 100ml size or less so you can slip it into your onboard luggage.
Microfibre towel
“It was quite weird to use, but very efficient. I’ll use it a lot, I think.”
Microfibre towels are lifesavers for journeys when space and weight is limited. Super-absorbent, they roll up to next to nothing and can be washed and dry in no time at all.
Bamboo fibre neck pillow
Unless you’re fortunate enough to be one of those sipping champagne at the front of the plane before luxuriating in a proper bed for the duration of the flight, sleeping onboard is rarely comfortable nor glamorous. A neck pillow, preferably with natural fibres, could be the very thing to save you from the most gruelling of journeys.
Multiple socket plug
Multiple socket plugKeeping all the your gadgets charged up can be a tricky business and our users advise on taking along a foreign adaptor as well as a multiple socket plug. This way you can dry your hair while simultaneously charging up your phone and eReader.
Kindle or other eReader
“So much better than packing all those books. Great on the plane and I can read it in the dark as it has a backlight too.”
Gone are the days of using up half your luggage allowance on books. Load up your eReader and you’ll never be out of things to read. If you’re going somewhere new it’s a good idea to download some travel guides of the local area instead of lugging around heavy (and usually quickly out of date) print versions.
SatNav
“Gadgets for holidays abroad always include an app where you can download road maps in advance and so use phone as satnav. Not got lost yet! Also one of those plastic gizmos that hold said phone in place on dashboard.”
Perhaps you’re the kind of person who relishes getting lost somewhere new. Discovering new sites off the beaten track. Hooray for you and your intrepid spirit! However, if you’re more likely to be flustered and frustrated as the precious minutes of your holiday tick away and you’re no closer to finding your accommodation – or indeed a necessary toilet – swearing at your travel companion as you argue over which direction is west, then a decent satnav should be at the very top of your list of must-haves.
Mattress topper
It’s true that no bed is as comfy as your own. However, there is a way to take your bed with you … almost. Mattress toppers can roll up to small sleeping bag size and if it’s going to guarantee you a good night’s sleep where you are, then it’s very much worth it.
Slightly unusual travel must-haves
We all have our more idiosyncratic travel essentials, er, don’t we? Our users share theirs.
“If travelling with my snoring sister, I take a pack of Blu-Tack to use as earplugs. Also necessary if I go swimming. This was a tip from my GP. Unlike wax it leaves no residue and is infinitely malleable.”
“My husband would take a fridge lightbulb if I let him – honestly. We always go self-catering and he gets very frustrated when the light in the fridge does not work.”
“A complete tool kit which includes cordless drill! We often find things need fixing.”
Gransnet is the busiest social networking site for the over 50s. At its heart is a buzzing forum where users debate the hot topics of the day, support each other through tough times and share a laugh. Brimming with useful content covering everything from fashion to grandparenting, travel to technology, as well as competitions and an incredibly popular bookclub, there is something on the site for everyone. Gransnet is recognised as a champion for digital inclusion and is constantly challenging the stereotypes of ‘older people’ in the media.
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