Travel 'Must Haves'

                                                                                Summer is vacation time and that means TRAVEL! Hooray! Whether you travel by car, by plane, by horse or on foot, there are certain items you should always have with you. Below is a list of Must-Haves for travel to make sure your vacation experience is great!

First Aid Kit-

This seems like an obvious choice but it is amazing how few people and places are actually prepared with a First Aid Kit! And this doesn't have to be big and bulky. One time when I was boarding a plane, there was a family with an apparently nervous Mother who had a first aid kit in tote that was large enough to check as baggage! If you're backpacking into the woods for camping, a first aid kit does not require a blood pressure gauge or a blanket for wrapping a victim. Keep the first aid kit relevant to how well you can carry it. The basics include bandages in several sizes, anti-bacterial ointment, an eye wash, and tweezers can come in handy. A small supply of medicines such as pain relievers, antacids, antihistamines and anti-inflammatory medicines are always important - just be sure to switch them out every so often so that they aren't past their effective date.

Pest Repellent-

Vacation travel in the summer often means spending time outdoors and that can mean mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, fleas, ants, etc. Carrying some personal pest repellent makes sure all these unwanted pests are eliminated so you can completely enjoy yourself! Spray on yourself, your clothing - even your pets to make sure all pets are repelled and your vacation continues. However, be careful and MAKE SURE your pest repellent is safe and natural. Synthetic, toxic pesticides (such as DEET) are absorbed through your skin.

The other reason to bring an effective pest repellent is for the valiant battle against bed bugs. On vacation means you are sleeping in different places often with no knowledge of who has been there before you. When you arrive at your sleeping destination, thoroughly inspect all layers of linens down to the mattress for small dark dots, dark streaks, and molted bed bug casings or even for adult bed bugs themselves. Lightly spray each layer with a proven, safe pest control product which will accomplish two things:

(1) Any and all life stages of bed bugs will be destroyed, and

(2) You have created a barrier that no bed bug will cross to assure you of a secure night's sleep

Prior to travel via a form of transportation other than your own car (plane, rental car, riding trams from airport to bus, etc.), be sure to lightly spray your luggage down with repellent. One of the very best places to get bed bugs that you bring home is in the luggage compartments of public transportation and you don't want bed bugs!

Flashlight -

This is an absolute must have in all circumstances - not just for vacation. A flashlight doesn't have to be big - it just has to work! It can be one of the small, almost keychain sized flashlights or one of those you crank up to supply the energy to light it. If you choose one with batteries, check them before you travel and don't assume there is enough power. I prefer the ones with a separate setting of a red laser beam because that beam can travel far distances and can be a life saver if you get lost. Supposedly, a lone hiker in the Sierra Nevada Mountains was rescued due to his laser beam alerting a search helicopter. Just be careful with it - you don't want anyone to think you've got them in the crosshairs of a high powered automatic weapon!

Sunscreen -

Many people don't really think about how often they are in the sun, especially on vacation. For example, if you are in an amusement park that seems shady, you could actually be giving yourself uncomfortable sunburn without knowing it. Keep a small, sample sized container of sunscreen with you whenever you travel so if your family has to walk seven blocks from the hotel to the theater since the shuttle is broken down, you can protect everyone from the damaging rays. In order for toting along sunscreen to be effective, be diligently aware of when you and the family are exposed to sunlight - and it happens far more often than people realize!

Sewing Kit -

When I was a kid, I always thought my Mom's travel sewing kit was fascinating - kind of a like a toy but with really sharp selbstfahrer rundreise namibia scary things. I don't ever remember her using it until we were at a wedding four states away on a rural farm and I was horsing around and split a seam in my dress - oh, great. No other dresses, no time to get a new one, many tears. Not to worry though, Mom to the rescue with her trusty sewing kit and after 10 minutes of stitching, my dress was perfect and disaster averted. The lessons learned were never travel without a sewing kit and don't horse around in a dress prior to the wedding!

Travel should be relaxing and fun so carrying these essentials can make sure you are prepared for any bumps in the road. Avoiding pests and sunburn, being able to 'fix' things via a first aid or sewing kit, and always being able to see where you are going avoids many issues to ensure a fabulous vacation. Now make your plans, go somewhere and have a blast!

Louise Hodges is the owner of Greenbug All Natural Pest Control Products which are safe and effective pest control solutions for People, Pets, Indoors, and Outdoors. Greenbug products use an active ingredient of cedar mixed with safe carriers. Think of cedar chests and closets where you never see a bug - that is because cedar is deadly to pests yet harmless to humans, animals and the environment.