Well, yes, I’m not exactly new. I was formerly the Beauty Editor here at Onya Magazine, and now I’m pleased as punch to accept the role as Travel Editor. Who would’ve thought that I’d enjoy gallivanting around the country as much as I did reviewing beauty products?
I can tell you, from a few recent trips I’ve taken in the name of investigative journalism, that I’ve uncovered a number of travel tips:
- Always request late check out at hotels. When you’re staying in 4 hotels in the space of 8 days, you want plenty of time to pack your suitcase and cosmetics (why do they always seem to sprawl themselves from one end of the bathroom to the other, no matter how tidy you promise yourself you’ll be?)
- Pack lightly. Whatever you need will always be at the bottom of your suitcase, so no matter how many times you anally retentively refold everything in your case in a bid to regain control over the chaos that is sweeping over your hotel room and seeping into your psyche, your suitcase will always resemble a primary school jumble sale. Yes, less is more.
- Store all brochures, flyers and general memorabilia in the front pocket of your suitcase. Immediately. Otherwise when you go to write your article, you’ll find that you’ve probably left the hotel’s media release in the bin along with the empty bottles of mini vodka.
- ALWAYS double check the room and aircraft prior to departure. I’m talking peering under beds, looking in shower recesses and rummaging inside airplane magazine holders. You have no idea what you can leave behind that you may need later – including mobile broadband internet keys, mobile phones and expensive lipsticks.
- Pre check in via the internet and choose a seat in the front half of the air craft in a window aisle. Sure, the view is pretty when you take off, but it’s not so much fun when you have to wake the people next to you to get to the toilet. The meal trolley always comes quicker when you are closer to the galley, and you can get off the plane quicker at the end of the flight.
- Never trust the images from a hotel’s website! Always check Trip Advisor and Expedia to view guest’s photos and reviews.
- Do not fly Tiger Airlines. I repeat, do not fly Tiger Airlines. They turn any flight into a marathon of endurance and survival – the winner being the one who can arrive at their destination without decapitating themselves with their meal trays or suffering with food poisoning from the meal trolley.
- When reviewing restaurants, be sure to starve yourself at least a week in advance, to avoid rolling back out on the tarmac with an additional few kilos. Or ten.
- Arrive at the airport with at least an extra hour to spare god damn it. That’s what the coffee and wine lounges are for. Better to be there early than to sweat yourself through the check in line (as though you were couriering drugs to Indonesia) worrying whether you are going to get your flight in time.
Gaynor Alder | Travel Editor
Onya Magazine
gaynor@onyamagazine.com
