Ellie's International Travel Tips!

Some of you are experienced International travelers but most of you are not so these tips will be invaluable.

They were learned through hard experience either by me or others I've traveled with. They are in no particular order, just in the order I thought about them.

1. You, and you alone, are responsible for your luggage.
Note: Too many times someone assumes someone else is taking care of the luggage, then something gets left behind, so always assume YOU are responsible for your luggage. Then things go smoothly. One reason to travel light is so that you have less luggage to have to deal with!

2. NEVER, and I mean never, put anything down "beside you, on the counter, terminal transport train seats, anywhere." Tickets, books, money pouch, etc. If you put anything down, put it back in it's travel spot inside your luggage / fanny pouch / pocket. Note: This is the number one issue for lost tickets, passports, wallets, cameras. And I've seen it all. Including with my daughter-in-law in the New York International Airport leaving her Egypt ticket in the transport train. Thank goodness someone turned it it. And SHE is the most responsible person I know, so it could happen to any of you if you are not paying attention.

3. ALWAYS STOP for a moment before you leave any airline lobby, airline seat, hotel room, restaurant, etc. Your code words are, "STOP and BE PRESENT."
Note: I know you are excited about the trip, about who might be visiting with you, the story you are hearing when it's time to leave. And this is when that "one time" you forgot to stop and be present, or check the room "one more time," gets something important left behind. But if you follow #2 this will be less of an issue. Make this tip a good habit and you will be a happy camper wherever you travel.

4. Hotel Room Habits - Some of you are neat freaks, some of you are the spread-out-all-over-the-room-the-minute-you-enter type, and most are somewhere between. Whatever your type, here is the best travel tip about travel accommodations: Keep things in their place. Have one, and only one, place to put all your personal items, and keep them there. Your motto: Use something - put it back. Note: Sometimes people oversleep and then rush around trying to "pack" at the last minute. Then you are stressed and that's when important things like cleaning out the safe with your passport and money happens. Your life, and the group's life, will be much calmer if you follow this tip. And you will spend more time outside visiting in your new magical place, than trying to sort out your room and "stuff."

5. For International travel ALWAYS - carry with you

a) a legible copy of you passport and visa stamps

b) travel insurance papers

c) driver's license

d) your ICE numbers (In Case of Emergency Numbers)

e) your coded credit card numbers (like reversing the last 4 numbers that only you know but no one else does if they find the paper) and their respective international customer service phone numbers in a location other than those items. And ALWAYS call your credit card companies to tell them you are leaving, and what countries you will be traveling in. 6) If you take Rx drugs, make sure to have a copy of the EXACT drug you are taking if your need more if your yours is lost.
Note: Some energetic law must state somewhere that "When you follow these tips - you never need them, but when you don't that's when you wish you did." This is one of those "just do it" kind of things.

6. ALWAYS travel with those critical items you can't live without, in your carry on luggage, if you were to lose your luggage for a week. Your personal care items (following Homeland Security Guidelines - I'll cover elsewhere), a change of undies (or clothes), sunglasses, reading glasses, Rx's, earplugs, etc.
Note: I, for example, am very allergic to face lotions, and my skin is very dry. My hair is also dry so I use a special cream rinse that works wonders. Because these are "impossible to find" items in the local shops, and they make my life experience more enjoyable when I have them, I always make sure these items are in my carry on. I've seen a husband pack the baby formula and the plane is late and the couple not being on speaking terms having a screaming, hungry baby. I've seen prescription meds being packed but the luggage was lost or late. I've seen people packing their connecting flight tickets (I will be keeping them all until you need them.) You get the picture. I'll be making a list of things to have on you such as allergy pills, Advil and Immodium AD pills! You never need them until you pack them in the luggage.

7. Antibiotics: Bring a round of a broad-spectrum antibiotic. I know many of your are health nuts, but don't compromise on this. I bring a broad spectrum antibiotic - 500 mg tablet Ciprofloxacin - that I got from my nurse practitioner friend - with how to use it. But make sure you know what your body can/cannot tolerate, and if you have any allergies.
Note: In all the travel I've done I've only needed to use the antibiotic once - when I ate a Western Meal in Bali . . . which brings me to my next travel tip.

8. ALWAYS eat local food. Did I mention the only time I've needed to use the antibiotic for the traveler's tummy was when I didn't eat locally? It's another one of those "Just do it" kind of things that your tummy and intestines will appreciate! And local food is usually excellent since the local people know how to make their local food, and get their freshly harvested produce at the market the same day. So enjoy all the food, and follow my motto to "Try everything at least once!" (I won't tell you about the slimy, pickled, chicken's feet I tried for about 2 seconds or less after watching the locals sucking it all off the bones as if it was the best thing ever.) Which brings me to my next travel tip . . .

9. ALWAYS brush your teeth with bottled water. Your body isn't used to the local flora in the water so no use taking "traveler's tummy" chances. I'll remind you again when we are on the road.

10. ALWAYS take an Immodium AD the minute your tummy begins to "gurgle." I have found this action avoids lots of issues when you don't wait. (Now that I know more about the Acidopholis Pearls and the reviews this might be a great alternative before the Immodium . . . but if we are doing a travel day you may not want to wait!) With that said, I will say I have traveled all over the world and I've gotten travelers tummy ONLY one time and I eat everything! Including vendors on the street. So have fun trying new things.

11. NEVER drink a lot of tea (or coffee if it's even available) in the morning before we will be traveling or touring for the day, or you will be holding it a long time since these are diuretics and take water from your system. Bathrooms are not around every corner in these countries. Unless you get up really, really early and have time for it to work out of your system.

12. BATHROOM RULES:

a) ALWAYS carry Kleenexs to be used as toilet paper on you, and baby-wet wipes to wash your hands. Most countries now have TP, and modern Western bathrooms, but there are still places where you might need to use the squat toilet and need your own TP.

b) ALWAYS use every bathroom opportunity you get because you never know when you'll get another one.

c) NEVER flush TP / tampons in the toilets. These countries do not have any sewer system like we do so they often clog. You will notice that most public bathrooms have a small waste basket beside the toilet. Most Westerners don't know not to flush their TP so I'm here to educate you about the custom. "Place your used TP in the trash." It's an odd custom to you, but it's common place for all Asian countries I've traveled to. As these countries modernize their sewage systems are changing, but it's better to be safe than sorry with an embarrassing situation.