travel tips for winter

finally i finished back dating those "travel guide" posts prior to my japan trip, next up i will post about my trip itself =) but before that i want to share some important travel tips especially when traveling in cold weather........

since i was born in HK, i experienced winter since young but HK winter will never go below 0degree so you dont need to prep up ALOT of thick winter clothing.... but this time we are going to japan & even up the mountain so weather is going to be really cold, i foresee sub-zero temperature which is why i bought down jacket for this trip...

tip1: buy winter clothes overseas especially during japan new year sales

hubby jacket, photo taken from here....

my jacket, photo taken from here...

i bought these down jackets.. personally i prefer longer coat which firstly can cover my huge ass & make you look slimmer, secondly is it can keep you warmer since it covers more..... our coats cost on average like 30SGD which i thought was a good deal but wait till you go to japan new year sales.... those uniqlo down jacket you see in SG cost like $100, in japan, you can get the same thing like 3999yen!!! that's like 45sgd!!! me god!!! half price!!! & you have many other affordable brands to choose from in japan!!!!

tip2: DONT bring too much clothes
being girls, we tend to over pack especially vain me always like to shop & want to wear nice clothes while traveling... perhaps in summer is ok to pack more since those clothes are light & you will perspire more... but in winter, dont bother.... cause most of the time you will be hidden under your big coat... so you hardly get the chance to show off whatever nice clothes you wore beneath.... but of cause i am not saying wear same thing for 2weeks, that will be gross even if you dont perspire that much during winter.... perhaps you will change the innermost layer everyday but the outer shirt you can recycle for afew days.....

tip3: bring febreze or other fabric freshener

febreze, photo taken from here...

as mention in the previous tip, you can recycle your outer layers.. so what we did was to febreze our clothes since sometimes it will be difficult to wash them.... you should also do so for the blanket sheets, pillow case & bedsheets... cause we have heard enough of dirty & stained bedsheets... some people will bring their own sleeping bed & pillow but that's too heavy so febreze to the rescue... i wont say febreze will kill ALL the germs but some is better than none....

tip4: apply moisturiser & keep warm
this is really REALLY important... we diligently applied body lotion everyday & really covered ourselves with layers of clothes but we still kena cold rash... ours are not very serious rash, mine is a bit more spread out than hubby.... my whole upper chest to shoulder area all kena rash & some parts of the back... at first i thought i was allergic to sake since i tried different brands every night from the convenient shops... but subsequent i ask those drug store staff then i realised is cold rash & it's very common in japan perhaps due to the weather....

lotion for dry skin

i bought this from a drug store in kyoto... when i first applied, it was abit stingy but after awhile it's ok & the rash gotten better... according to the staff, this lotion contain 20% uric acid & that's very good for dry skin... we were abit surprised since uric acid is a by product & abnormal level in our body causes problems... but anyhow, it solved my rash problem so that's good =)

tip5: do sufficient research on the places that you want to visit
that's mainly for  free & easy travelers like myself... do sufficient research & dont believe EVERYTHING on one website, do check the information on other sites especially for those not so commonly visited places... i had learn my lessons.... we went to quite afew places that were very different from the information i gotten online.... the site said like 30min walking but instead we spent like 1hr+.... you can also like confirm with the hotel staff about those places that you intend to go... they probably have a better idea on the time spent & whether they are accessible since many roads will be closed during winter

tip6: bring extra bags for handcarry/check-in luggages
i always bring an extra bag for check in or use as hand carry but for this trip, i bought just too much that the things didnt fit inside that bag & as a result i had to hand carry several small bags... it was manageable but really clumsy especially when you traveling on trains....

tip7: try to choose hotels close to big train stations
this is because not all the train stations in japan have escalators or lifts... i think the situation has improved compared to the first time i went to japan but there are still many stairs places around... so you wont want to carry your luggage up the stairs & walk long distance to the hotels especially in the cold.... i chose all my hotels pretty near to the station ACCORDING to the map BUT again.. it turns out otherwise.... some are further than it looks but more importantly you must come out from the correct exit.... eg, we went out of the wrong exit in kyoto train station so we d-tour to the other side & took up a good 20min walk... can you imagine??? i was panting & sweating while walking with heavy luggage.... i know it's tempting to choose those more remote hotels due to various reasons like cheaper price or nicer scenery but i think it's not worth the trouble UNLESS you travel light... if you just carrying a 20inch luggage then sure, stay anywhere you want... but with a 28inch & many other bags, you dont want to go up the bus or a super pack local train just to reach your hotel....

so yup... above are the important tips or lessons that i learn from my recent trips.... of cause these are just my personal views  =)