Travel Fail

by Mike Barish on

If you’re as bored at work as I am, you’ve already discovered the joys of Fail Blog. This little gem popped up a few days ago. I knew that the TSA was strict about what items make their way onto planes, but when did we crack down on pants? What did pants ever do to anyone? Pants are one of the five most docile articles of clothing you can pack. I blame the proliferation of cargo pockets. Of course people are going to be fearful of your pants when they contain any number of secret compartments hiding mysterious items like wallets, passports and hard candies.

So next time you’re heading to the airport, leave your pants at home. The TSA is sure to appreciate how easy it is to search you while you’re in tightie whities and your baggage won’t be flagged. And don’t get cocky by trying to smuggle gas in your pants. As you can see above, that would be a double-whammy.

Lariam Dreams (which pills do you pop?)

by Josh Lew on

If you’ve traveled to a tropical country, you’ve probably heard of Mefloquine. It is the most popular prophylactic against malaria, and is often sold under its trade name, Lariam. Lariam can have some serious side effects such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, nightmares and insomnia. You might say, “having nightmares is better than catching malaria and ending up in a hospital or worse.” I’m sure everyone would agree with that.

But when you wake up in a strange foreign land after a Lariam-induced nightmare…and you aren’t quite sure if you are really awake or if your waking state is just another extension of your dream, it can be pretty unnerving.

After such an experience, you might ask yourself if it is really necessary to ingest Mefloquine every time you enter a tropical region. I’ve known people who pop the little pills once a week when they are in Hong Kong or Singapore where the chance of catching malaria is akin to the chance that you will win the lottery. I guess some travelers choose to err on the side of caution when they enter any unfamiliar place.I haven’t even mentioned the host of shots and other pills that some guidebooks and doctors say you might want to consider. Typhoid is a big one. Cholera is another. Neither of these have vaccines that are 100% effective and they can bring about particularly nasty side effects. That doesn’t stop doctors from recommending them and people from getting the shots.

So what do you really need when you are traveling in a developing, tropical country? I guess it depends on how apprehensive you are. For me, Lariam and obscure vaccines are out unless I find that I am entering an area where a particular disease is truly a threat (see the WHO web site if you want to research a country you plan to visit). I also keep up to date on basic immunizations like tetanus and Hep B. And keep in mind, no matter how Lariam happy you get, there are diseases like SARS and H5N1 out there to remind us that health concerns are always going to be a scary part of traveling. And so I ask you, Gadling readers: what do you consider a necessary part of your travel-sized medicine cabinet?

Studying abroad? Here’s what to pack.

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Around this time four years ago, I was preparing for a semester abroad by frantically packing every item of clothing I’d ever worn, along with hundreds of CDs (remember those?), and a four month’s supply of toiletries. Can you say overkill?

As with all packing, less is more. Over at Matador, Jenny Sherman lays out everything you need for your upcoming trip. Among her suggestions? A travel diary:

“Even if you don’t keep one at home, you’ll be glad to have it there. Get a nice one like a Moleskine and you will be more likely to write down your experience with the crazy waitress or the local slang you just learned.”

And don’t forget an extra duffel bag for transporting all those touristy souvenirs home. And yes, you will buy them, so don’t act like you won’t.

Also, you don’t need a four month’s supply of toothpaste*, deodorant, razors, and shaving cream. Unless you’re studying abroad in Antarctica, these items will be available.

Finally, think hard before bringing anything you can’t afford to lose. I can tell you from painful personal experience that expensive items can easily be stolen from dorm rooms, left on trains, stepped on, and otherwise rendered unusable. Don’t let it happen to you.

Read the whole thing here.

*Offer not available in the UK.

Time posts their 25 “must have” high-tech travel gadgets

by Scott Carmichael on

Time has published a list of 25 “must have” travel gadgets. The list contains some of the usual suspects, like the Apple 3G iPhone, the Amazon Kindle and a Canon digital camera.

Then there are several “gadgets” you wouldn’t immediately think of, like this UV water sanitizing pen or a wine “skin”, which is nothing more than a piece of bubble wrap for carrying wine bottles in your luggage (I find using a sock and a plastic bag to be a cheaper solution).

The list covers everything from an ultra thin notebook (the Apple Macbook Air) to the Kensington battery pack for).iPod and iPhone, (reviewed here on Gadling last week.

All in all, it isn’t a bad list, but it might be a little too rich for some travelers. Some of the items missing from the list (in my opinion), are the Asus Eee PC or a similar $400 ultra portable laptop and a real handheld GPS unit, like one of the many Garmin handheld mapping devices which allow you to navigate while walking through an unknown city, or off the beaten path.

Of course, different travelers will have different needs, so let me ask you; what are you missing from this list? Do you own a “must have” product you’ll never leave home without? Leave a comment, and in the coming weeks I’ll put together a list of the Gadling top 25 high-tech travel gadgets.

The toilet paper chronicles

by Aaron Hotfelder on

I want to tell you about how I first discovered the meaning of the word “love.” Sounds pretty heavy, huh? Stay with me.

Several years ago, some friends and I were traveling through Morocco in a rented Fiat Uno– the car Fred Flintstone might have designed had he been born a few centuries later. All of a sudden, as if a bolt of lightning struck my intestines, I felt rather ill. [Too graphic? Keep reading.] I was at the point where, as most travelers to the “third world” will sympathize, I was in need of a trip to the facilities.

We were driving along, and I made my requirements known: “If we don’t stop somewhere,” I said, “something very bad is going to happen.” That was all my fellow passengers needed to hear.

We soon pulled into some one-horse town– a place that probably wouldn’t have appeared on any map– and I bolted to an open restaurant. Seeing the establishment’s proprietor, I spoke my very best French: “Perdon, où est les toilettes?” Perhaps the man couldn’t speak French, but he could tell by my gingerly gait, and the look on my face, what I was after. “Upstairs,” the man said in Arabic, as he pointed to a nearby stairwell. “Shukran,” (thank you) I said gratefully.

I quickly made my way to the Promised Land, and soon everything was right with the world. Admittedly, the bathroom turned out to be a hole in the ground, but that would meet my needs considering the circumstances. But wait. Apparently this restaurant did not have the same hygienic standards as the nearby Denny’s in my hometown, because there was a roll of very important paper (VIP) missing.

“What the hell am I going to do?” I wondered. Without much elaboration, you can imagine the scenarios that rushed through my head. “What the hell/shit/fuck/ am I going to do?” (Really, pick an expletive– they were probably all used.)

As I am considering this nightmare situation before me, I suddenly hear a knock on the bathroom door. “Aaron,” said my then-girlfriend’s angelic voice. “You might need this.”

I opened the door, and accepted one of the most cherished gifts I will ever receive– a cloud-white roll of the softest toilet paper known to man. “Fiona,” I told her. “You have no idea how much I love you.” She had brought me the roll without a reminder or a prompting. She knew what I needed, and she came through. “That–,” I thought, “that’s true love.”

The moral of the story– besides that insignificant bit of wisdom about the real meaning of love– is to always carry a roll of the white stuff with you. You never know when it might come in handy.