Today I visited the Times Travel Show at BKC, Mumbai. I’m generally not very fond of exhibitions but I must say, I enjoyed this one. If you are a travel enthusiast, here are some reasons why you should visit such exhibitions too:
1. To get some ideas on new travel destinations.
2. To get some ideas on planning itineraries.
3. Group tour offers.
4. Attractive discounts for on-the-spot bookings.
5. A chance to win prizes.
Most tour operators provide packages on group tours with fixed dates of travel and fixed itineraries. However, some also provide ticketing services and customized tours if you should choose them.
This time, I collected a lot of information and brochures at the exhibition. But what made my day, was winning the lucky draw at the SOTC stall. Now, this is not a sponsored post. I am not advertising for this company but I am mentioning it here because I appreciate the gesture. The prize was well thought of and very useful for any traveller.
Here is what I got.
Can you guess what could be inside this? I was surprised to see that this actually had 8 items in it !
Here are the items that actually fit in this small bag. (clockwise).
1. A fold-able shopping bag.
2. A universal adapter.
3. A money pouch you can wear under your clothes.
4. A document organizer.
5. A flask.
6. An umbrella,
7. A combination lock for your luggage.
8. A hand-held weighing scale for your luggage.
What can I say? Today was my lucky day ! I love it when people gift me anything related to travel because those are generally the most useful things you can own.
Here are some more travel essentials that I own.
Make sure you keep your power bank in your hand luggage when flying as it’s not allowed in your check-in luggage. The phone battery can drain very fast especially if you’re using GPS to find your way in an unknown city. This power bank has saved my battery from dying so many times.
This pillow was gifted to me by my cousins. It is so soft and cozy that it turns long uncomfortable flights into a pleasure.
This one is especially useful to me when I travel solo. Before I got this, I was hardly in any of my travel pictures and if I was, it was a horrible close-up. But fellow travellers, make sure you don’t get obsessed with selfies ! Experience the place you are in at present rather than just collecting memories for the future.
My Dad gifted this to me. It’s a pen, a torch, a laser pointer, an extendable physical pointer as well as screwdriver. Very useful if you’re travelling for business, speaking at a conference or just like such quirky stuff. Just make sure you keep this in your check-in luggage when flying.
As you can see, my Victorinox has become quite old and is well used. It’s very handy as it has a bottle opener, cork screw, knife, fish scaler, nail file, tooth pick, screw driver, tweezer and many more things. If you’re going camping, this is one essential you must carry. Again, make sure this is in your check-in luggage if you don’t want it to be confiscated.
These are some of the interesting items you can carry with you or gift to a loved one who loves to travel.
Can you think of any more essentials you’d never travel without?