Thinking About Packing

Hello Travelers! Can you believe that our trip begins in 84 days? It's time to start thinking about the details of traveling. It's time to start thinking about what you might want to pack for our tour.

If you haven't heard yet, our tour has been changed. We are now booked on a tour of Munich and Bavaria called "Hidden Gems of Germany." This tour of southern Germany is one of ACIS's new Pathfinder tours. These tours are specially geared toward smaller groups of as few as 13 people. These tours are also designed to allow participants to live a little less like tourists and a little more like the locals. This means that we will not have our own dedicated tour bus to take us from city to city. Instead, we will be riding the trains. This means that you will be dragging your luggage across town to the train stations. It's very important that your suitcase be well-suited for the journey. A light but sturdy suitcase with rollerblade-style wheels is best (something between 26 and 28 inches; 70 liters). Those suitcases with the swivel wheels are nice for the smooth airport floors, but they are absolutely useless on European streets and train statioins.

Let's not forget about all of that walking. You will be walking everywhere! We'll also be getting a little bit of exercise on a bicycle tour of central Munich and the Englischer Garten, Munich's version of Central Park (fair warning: they allow nude sunbathing in the park). We also get to do a little bit of ice skating at the Olympia Park, where the 1972 Summer Olympics were held. I know that in Southern California we tend to skip the appropriate footwear in favor of our favorite flip-flops. These beloved sandals will do you no good on European streets, and may even damage your feet.  It will serve you well to pack a lightweight but supportive pair of shoes that will go with whatever clothes you pack and get you though all of the kilometers that you will be putting on your feet.

Germany has weather, even during the summer months. It could be chilly and rainy in the morning and warm and humid in the afternoon. You need to be prepared. The weather won't stop us from doing anything. Bring a lightweight jacket that you can cram into your daypack. You might also want to pack a lightweight hoody to layer under the jacket in case it gets a little chilly (maybe in Füssen or Oberammergau, closer to the Alps). 

That's enough for now. I don't want to overwhelm anyone. In my next blog post I will talk more about packing and what to bring.

We Leave Tomorrow!

Too bad we can't fly supersonic.

Can you believe that we leave for Europe tomorrow morning? I can finally stop counting the days! I'm sure you've already finished all of your packing and you're all ready to go, right? Have you checked the weight on your suitcase? It's under 44 lbs, no? If you're having trouble keeping the weight down, you've packed too much. Unpack it all, take out half of what you crammed in there, and repack the other half.

Just a couple of reminders for tomorrow:

-Arrive at the airport by 8:30 AM. We will check in as a group (no curbside check-in). We will meet by the Continental/United counters upstairs in Terminal 2 (the western terminal). Remember that there is currently no parking lot for Terminal 2 (they're building a big parking structure there right now), so you should account for time to deal with construction difficulties and traffic.

-Visually account for your passport before you leave for the airport!

-Make yourself "checkpoint friendly." Empty pockets are best. Remove as much metal as possible from your body (bracelets, rings, earrings... etc.). Remember the 3-1-1 rule for liquids: 3 ounce containers, 1 quart ziploc bag, 1 bag per traveler.

-Give up your need to control everything. You are at the mercy of Homeland Security, the airlines, British customs, and other travelers. Getting upset and angry at everything will accompish nothing but making you and everyone around you grumpy and miserable. Time to access your inner Taoist.

I'll see you at the airport!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Figuring Out the Final Details

Venice, 2008

Now that we only have 9 days until our departure I have finally turned my attention to getting the final details in order. Fortunately, I remembered that the July 4th holiday happens to fall next week. This might have made getting things done a little more difficult than they need to be. This post is serving as both a bit of advice for my travelers and a reminder to myself of the things that I still have to accomplish.

The first thing I will take care of tomorrow morning is the quick phone call to my bank to inform them of the fact that I will be travelling and using my bank cards outside of the country. I don't want to get caught up in the unpleasantness of having my accounts locked out while I am on another continent. My bank allows me to order foreign currency online, so I took care of that this morning. I ordered $100 worth of each of the three currencies that we will be using in Europe (British pounds, Euros, and Swiss francs), just to get me started.

Tomorrow I will also take care of my cell phone and cellular data issues. Luckily, AT&T has made it simple for iPhone and iPad users to manage all of that through apps. No need to sit on hold with a representative. I know that most of you will have no need for cellular data in Europe. I plan to use it to keep this blog up to date and tweet from the road. Most of our hotels have WiFi connections available, so I won't need a huge data plan.

I spent a little time this morning putting together some of the essentials for this trip. I packed up my toiletries and shower kit, and made sure that I had all of my electrical and electronics needs taken care of. Steve Jobs and the USB have made this much easier than it was in the past. The iPad has taken the place of books, magazines, and even a laptop. Almost everything I use plugs into a USB port to charge. Now I just carry a USB charger that has multiple ports so that I only have one or two things that I might need to plug in.

 

Posted with Blogsy

23 Days: More Packing Tips

With only 23 days to go (yes, I'm counting) I thought I might take some time to share some packing tips that I have learned from some of my student travelers over the years, and share a few that I've figured out on my own.

Packing Cubes: I learned a long time ago that the key to compact packing for any trip to Europe (or Japan, or wherever...) is organization. I've learned how to compartmentalize my suitcase by using packing cubes. Packing cubes are wonderful mesh bags that allow you to separate your clothes. (One cube for pants, one for shirts, one for socks, etc...) I also bring along a couple of small mesh laundry bags to separate clothes that definitely need to be washed from those that might last another day or two.


Ziploc Bags: These little plastic wonders of American consumerism are amazingly useful on the road. I use them to store things that might leak in my suitcase. I also use them to store any extra coins that I might have left over, so they don't fly loose around my bag. Ziploc bags are not readily available in Europe, so buy them before you leave. Make sure you get the 1 quart size to comply with the Department of Homeland Security's 3-1-1 rule.

Roll Your Clothes: Two years ago I had a student traveling with me who managed to travel through 6 countries (including a trip on an overnight train) with nothing but a carryon sized suitcase. She managed this feat of spacial engineering by rolling her clothes instead of folding them. Not only was she able to fit more clothes in her suitcase, but they also came out relatively wrinkle-free. (Thanks for the tip, Courtney)

Dryer Sheets Fight The Funk: If you're seriously worried about staying odor-free, bring a few dryer sheets with you. Pack them in one of your Ziploc bags. When you repack your suitcase at the hotel, take one of the dryer sheets out of the bag and throw it in with your clothes. I use a combination of the dryer sheets and Febreeze when I travel. I also hang my clothes up in the room to air them out and to remove any wrinkles. (Thanks to Vanessa for this tip)

We should be receiving our final itineraries and receipts for our our electronic tickets soon. We have tentatively set aside June 30 as the date for our final meeting before departure. Check the trip site for our full itinerary and any announcements regarding the meeting.

Trip Site: Click Here