Three nights in Northern Ireland. Becoming more experienced travelling. And I’ve packed and repacked my bag several times. Always double, triple, quadruple checking.
My bag is a hold-all with an inside pocket. I put my “emergency stuff” in there and it lives there permanently, never likely to be used. A tiny first aid kit. A sewing kit long since harvested from a posher hotel. Spare cables for iPad, android phone and a long since discarded iPhone. A USB plug connecter. A European adaptor that I won’t need for this trip. Three cherished plastic bags. A spare set of headphones, although I rarely listen to music these days. Contingency charger with cable that I topped up overnight. Old pair of driving glasses. Emergency socks and undies. A pack of all my painkillers, unused since December, and diarrhoea tablets to counter side effects.
Next is the essentials. Sat nav and all cables for it. iPad USB cable. Android USB cable. iPhone USB cable. USB plug adapter. European adaptor even though I won’t need it this time. Posh Bose headphones as I’m now watching Game of Thrones on the iPad. The case for those includes another unnecessary Euro plug adaptor, another iPad cable and another Android cable. A small rechargeable torch, just in case the lights fail. Another charging bar and cable already topped up.
The food. More to avoid having to spend at an airport if the lounge don’t let me in or there’s a flight delay. Three bags of crisps and three bars of chocolate. Big free breakfasts and early evening meals make these a possible lunch too. Tea, coffee and sweeteners in sachets, just in case supplies at hotel and B&B are inadequate.
The clothes. Three pairs each of socks and undies. Swimming shorts that I know I won’t use. A plain t-shirt. Slippers supplied by my private hospital following my operation in October. A terribly designed pair of pyjama bottoms, just in case there’s a midnight evacuation. Although it might be better to be seen starkers than wearing just my travel oonly jamas!
The clear bag. Tiny toothbrush. Tiny toothpaste. Tiny deoderant. Tiny scissors. Tape to hold down my eyelid at night. Eye drops.
I’ll top that up with my vital iPad and folder with insurance documents, print outs of car park, flight details, boarding pass hotel and B&B. Passport and afatinib pills will go in my pocket – I don’t want to lose those if I’m stranded elsewhere. More important than the iPad!
And that’s it. Anybody would think I’m paranoid about USB cables not working and phone or iPad failing!
Seeing the World 
Leave a Reply