| Now for some advice for you novice travelers. Just because you have a Balikbayan Box Cover doesn't mean you've mastered the art of packaging it the Balikbayan way. Here are a few things you should know: |
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| 1. |
Pack the heavy items on the bottom first. This includes your canned goods, books, or other flat paper products that can serve as a strong base for the rest of your cargo. |
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| 2. |
Wrap the breakables with your clothes or any other soft material that can take the impact off those perfume bottles. |
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| 3. |
Stuff all empty containers with other items. If you are taking a bowl home, make sure you put something inside it to save precious space. |
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| 4. |
Save room for those last-minute requests from relatives, "Can you take these padalas to my mom in the Philippines?" Of course, there's always space for friends. |
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| 5. |
Save room for those impulse purchases on the way to the airport — that extra box of chocolate or another Johnnie Walker. |
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| 6. |
Use Zip Lock plastic bags for bottles of liquid products like shampoo, lotion and cologne. High altitudes tend to make them explode. If you have squeezable plastic containers like saline solution or eye drops, squeeze the air out before packing them. |
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| 7. |
Use double-walled boxes. They cost a few more pesos, but they provide better protection from the steel-toed boots of baggage handlers and will serve you for years inside your Balikbayan Box Cover. |
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| 8. |
Bring a back-up person to the check-in counter. In case your box is overweight, you can unpack the non-essentials and give them to this person to take home. |
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| 9. |
There's no reason to throw out your back before your big trip. Get someone to help you weigh your box. You probably cannot read a scale while carrying a big box. Have your friend step on the scale with and then without the box while you take down the readings. The difference is the weight of your box. |
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| 10. |
Zip up your Balikbayan Box Cover and you're done! With the Balikbayan Box Cover, there is no need to worry about your box being overweight at the check-in counter. If the weight reading at the airport is a few pounds over, all you have to do is unzip your cover, and hand-carry those extra few cans of corned beef! |
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