What do you never travel without?

Since I completed the last stitches of my teddy bear in grade 4, I have never left the house overnight without it. Even now, seven years later, I still keep it by my side at night. Something about it keeps me comforted and gives me a sense of protection. Maybe it's because of the fact that I made it, stuffed it and sewed it together. Or maybe because it has kept me company all through my pre-teen years. It would be the first thing I notice missing if anyone took it out of my room. If I were ever going to travel, it would be the first thing I pack!

Like you, I constantly travel. I travel to school every morning. I travel when I read a book, when I take a risk, when I make a promise. But regardless of my destination or whether I travel there on foot, by bicycle, or between the wings of a great iridescent dragonfly, there is one thing that I always bring with me: hope. When I pull my coat on every morning, I carefully fold it and slide it inside my pocket along with my chewed whistle and leather wallet. It is a piece of silver cloth so thin that if I unfurl it and hold it in front of my eyes, the world dances beneath a silver shimmer. It is the kind of cloth that, when you fold it in half and gently rub the two halves together, makes a soothing buzzing - the sound of hope, familiar and invigorating. Even after I return it to my pocket, I continue to glimpse flashes of silver out of the corner of my eye, like the purple spots you see after staring at the sun. This hope is what makes me get out of bed at five thirty in the morning so that, instead of getting a ride from my mum, I can take my bicycle to school through the pouring rain that stings my face, the leaves that catch in my tires and make strange noises, and the burning in my throat. I do this because I hope to find magic. I often do.

I will never go anywhere without knowledge of where I am going. What are the laws and cultural customs at the country I am visiting? What should I never do and what is considered normal? In places like Romania, an even number of flowers is only for funerals and happy occasions are celebrated with odd numbers of flowers. In places like Thailand, the head is considered sacred and shouldn't be touched. In the USA, the floor you are on when you first enter a building is level one while nearly every where else would call it main or ground floor and the next floor up is level one. It is very important to know little things like these so that I won't accidentally insult anyone.

Travelling, it is something that all must do in order to live and thrive. Though travel may be more pleasurable for some than it is for others, it is a crucial factor in anything that we do. Personally, the thought of leaving the safety of my house brings a certain sinking feeling in the very pit in my stomach, along with the thought, "this cannot be good,". Yet ironically, it is something that I next to always end up enjoying. So to make the not so comfortable transition from paranoid traveler to relaxed tourist; I can never travel without a stuffed animal. The animal on subject in particular, my stuffed ferret. As juvenile as it may seem, it is the truth. Just being able to stroke it's velvety head and twiddle it's fuzzy tail is enough to keep me content for hours. Whilst his little, beady eyes look up at me, and my eyes penetrating into his, I can just imagine that we're both in the same place of mind, "this plane is so crashing. We're finished". I'll admit,I am not always the most sane nor agreeable traveler, so the fact that I am able to bring a little piece of comfort from home is just astounding. I write this without any facetiousness intended, for I'm only stating my mind: journeys become so much easier with a familiar companion.

There are many things that I need to travel with whether I’m flying or driving to my destination. First, my I-pod is important to me because it has a large arrangement of music to listen to. Also, it has apps for me to enjoy and apps to keep me updated about news or weather of my destination. In addition, I can use it to communicate with friends using Ping if I get bored or i can update my status. Additionally, if I,m gone during school I can contact my teachers or friends, in case there’s something important I need to know. Secondly, I always bring a camera so i can take pictures of where I'm traveling to or even on the way there because a picture says a thousand words. Also, when I get back I'll have memories to share with my friends and family. In conclusion, there are a good number of things I need to travel with.

Ever since I got my squishy, blue "Mogu" pillow; I haven't traveled without it. To start with, I am truly childish for my age, so rather than bringing a stuffy, which draws greater attention and embarrassment, I bring my "Mogu" pillow as a replacement of a stuffy. Secondly, it is convenient, when I want a hug or feel exhausted, nervous or depressed. Next, other pillows in hotels are not as soft and comfy as my pillow. So it makes it difficult for me to fall asleep without it. Lastly it is easier to stuff it into a bag or luggage without all the fuss, because it is a smaller pillow and is more flexible than others. In conclusion, my pillow is something I never forget at home when traveling far.

The Essentials

Have you ever suffered an awkward silence on a trip? Music will help fix it! Music is a large part of my life, certain songs remind me of my childhood and others just make me plain happy! I literally need my music to go to sleep, nothing like lullabies just… music! I always listen to songs on I-pod. I also like to play games on my I-pod, it’s entertaining and you can play on it anywhere! I could never leave my I-pod if I traveled anywhere!
Another thing I could never travel without is my sketch book. I often draw in my book once a night. If I didn’t have it with me I wouldn’t be able to draw at all for along time. I love to draw, it relaxes me, it calms my nerves whenever I need and it occupies me whenever I get bored. In conclusion, if I could only bring a couple of items on a vacation, they would definitely be my I-pod and my sketchbook.

I will never travel without my iPod. I would never travel with out my iPod because my iPod will keep me entertained along the ride to my vacation destination or on a bus ride to school. There a lot of music on my iPod that I can listen to. My iPod will keep me from being bored. I can listen to all kinds of music on my iPod, I can listen form country music to alternative music. I can also watch videos or even play games on my iPod. If I was going on a vacation for two weeks, I will always take my iPod with me. If you take my iPod away, I guarantee you that I will not listen to the words that you say to me anymore. To me, my iPod is very valuable.

The tense gears of the engine start up and the sky train takes off, on this train a man amongst many others wearing a pin-striped suit. Where is he going? Why is he headed there? Why does it matter? To us, his many by-standers it doesn’t, but to him travelling to his destination is pertinent to his future life. With him, he carries a list, one that no one else has. There is no duplicate and his list is no more important than anyone else’s. It is the list of his life. His priorities, his relationships, his talents; this list he carries everywhere and without it he wouldn’t exist. He wouldn’t be the loving father of a hyper two year old, he wouldn’t be the romantic husband cooking dinner for two and he wouldn’t be the careful son trying to battle his mother’s illness himself. His list is what makes and breaks him. Each of us have a list, a list that tells our stories and makes us individuals, it holds the key to our hearts and unlocks our insecurities and failures. Our list holds our goals, our accomplishments, our mistakes; it’s our life list. Without my list I wouldn’t be able to learn or experience new triumphs travelling and exploring has to offer. Without my list of life I couldn’t leave the house because I wouldn’t be who I am today. Our life lists are what help us step on that sky train and know where we are going and why. Our list is unique to each of us and I certainly wouldn’t be able to travel without mine.

One thing I would never risk to travel without is cash, for a reason that like insurance for anything that may happen, they can be solutions to all sorts of problems. Because they make available most of our needs and desire while traveling, a source of finance is essential wherever you go, and when compared to credit cards or bankbooks, cash is the most convenient portable financial device that can be used for all purposes without complicated steps of identification involved. They are accepted anywhere on earth where humanity exist, and are sources of pride and confidence to people, for they are evident signs of authority and there are very few things you can’t do with cash within your reach. As much as it’s of necessity that we meet our needs, cash is necessary when traveling, far or near.