If you prepare properly for your vacation, it’s more likely to be stress-free.
And it’s no different on cruises, where one cruise ship employee shares her top advice on 7 things to do before boarding.
The person behind this advice is Lucy Sotherton, who runs the Cruising At Crew YouTube channel.
After working on ships for 10 years, the Birmingham native frequently shares her cruising expertise, tips and tricks to help the public have the best experience possible.
Lucy previously talked about the one important question to ask your crew. She also revealed that there are concerns about sexually transmitted diseases among staff, but that’s a topic for another day.
Here are her top tips for packing for a trip:
portable power bank
The first thing you need is According to Lucy, a portable power bank.
And she said it’s for both crew and passengers and is needed by almost everyone.
she says: “On a cruise, you’re obviously going to be in a port, but if you’re not doing excursions, you’re probably going to use Google Maps to get around the port.

Lucy gives advice (YouTube/cruisingasscrew)
“Alternatively, if you don’t purchase an internet package while on board, you’ll want to find a small internet cafe and use the Wi-Fi when you disembark at these ports. So I always use the following services: There’s nothing worse than finding your phone has 10% battery left in the middle of the day.
“It’s even worse if you’re using your phone for Google Maps and it happens because you’re doing it right now. So if you have a portable charger, you won’t run into this problem. It will be.
travel first aid kit
Next up is a travel first aid kit. You need to pack certain things that are thankfully easily available.
Lucy says: “While using this first aid kit, I bring bandages and plasters. You know, I have everything that you would find in a traditional first aid kit. I definitely bring seasickness medicine. I’ll take the Imodium, I’ll take the painkillers. I’ll take whatever.”The shop on board is always stocked, but you may need it.
“You’ve captured your audience, so prices will go up.”
Lucy said a box of seasickness pills can cost more than three times the retail price. We’re talking $10 instead of $3.

Cruise ship in port (Getty Stock Images)
waterproof smartphone case
Lucy believes that packing a waterproof phone case is very important.
A feature of vacationing on a cruise ship is that you are often surrounded by water. Whether it’s sitting by the pool or spending the day at the beach after your ship arrives in port.
“If you’re going on a boat trip or an excursion, or you just want to lie down in the pool area of a cruise ship, because you know that’s where everything is happening,” says Lucy.
“I had a friend who was on vacation and she liked to people-watch and see what was going on, so she would lie by the pool. They had a belly-flop competition. But she didn’t really think about where she was in relation to her stomach.”
Since it was a flop competition, we had a belly flop competition and my friend was completely engrossed in what was going on and didn’t realize that his phone was actually in the splash zone .
“After 30 minutes of enjoying the belly flop, she realized that her phone was actually wet. So if you know she likes to sit by the pool, your child probably You’ll need to keep your phone safe, so you can keep an eye on it while you’re playing, so a waterproof phone case never fails. ”

Virgin Voyages cruise ship in Sydney (Matt Blyth/Getty Images)
noise canceling headphones
This has to do with noise, and more specifically with noise isolation.
Noise-cancelling headphones are a must here, but how much you need “depends on which cruise ship you’re on,” Lucy says.
“Some ships cannot escape from there.” [the noise],” she says.
“So, Icon of the Seasons, you’re on this huge cruise ship. The ship is so big that you can go into a quiet zone and you can’t hear anything that’s going on in the pool area.” not.”
However, small ships are obviously more compact, which only makes it more difficult to conduct research without returning to the cabin.
Lucy says: “Using good headphones, noise-cancelling headphones, is a great idea because it means you can plug yourself in and pretend you’re alone and be in a quiet environment. ”

Beautiful sea surrounding the cruise ship (Getty Stock Images)
Backpack
Preparation is essential here, so make sure to bring a sufficient backpack.
“Even if you’re a handbag person, or even if you don’t think you’ll need one when you’re heading out to port, you still want to go prepared,” says Lucy.
“If you’re talking about mom and dad, you have to have everything for the kids, but if you’re going on a couple’s vacation, you have to have everything you need when you get off the ship. I want to warn you.” You’ll want to bring sunscreen and a bottle of water to be prepared for any eventuality, and you’ll want to have your hands free to explore the harbor.
“I think it would be much easier if I had a small backpack to stuff everything in.”
universal adapter
Lucy called it “one of the best purchases I’ve ever made” and said it was time to secure a universal adapter.
“Instead of having a European adapter, an American adapter, a British adapter, blah blah blah, you just have one adapter and you can cover every eventuality,” she says.
Lucy said this meant this was more important than ever, as many cruise ships were “still a little behind” and lacking USB ports.
Preload the gadget
Lucy said it was essential to have the necessary apps installed on her phone or tablet before riding.
She said: “If you feel like you need an app to help you get around the port or to help you navigate your time on your cruise, download the app before you go on your cruise, even if… I’m planning on purchasing a Wi-Fi package when I’m on the cruise, but the Wi-Fi isn’t strong enough to download anything I don’t want to use while in port. I can’t find Wi-Fi and download. App. “
Featured image credit: YouTube/crusingasscrew/Getty Stock Images
Topics: cruise ships, holidays, technology, travel, UK news, world news, YouTube, health
