<p>Hey all, I thought I would post this on the parents forum, since more people here are likely to have traveled abroad themselves, or helped their children to do so. Traveling is quite a hassle, and in the next month I’ll be taking two different trips that I would like to solicit advice for. First, I’ll be traveling to an Asian country for three days to present at a conference. Then, I’ll be going to Morocco, where I’ll live for five weeks to study Arabic. Given the cost of flying with luggage these days, I’m trying to minimize what I take, and wondered what advice you might have to give.</p>
<p>The last time I traveled to Asia I took one duffel bag and stayed two years. Nowadays for a long weekend my wife takes two large suitcases, a small suitcase and a LARGE handbag – and insists that every last item is essential. Different strokes as they say.</p>
<p>Have all the your clothing color coordinate. For example, take black pants, tan pants, long black skirt, and blue jeans. A tan shirt works with 3 of the 4 bottoms. A white shirt works with all of them. A black shirt works with all of them. Take scarves or chunky jewelry to dress up the pieces or hide the fact that everyone has seen the same thing over and over again. Maybe an oversize shirt or a couple of colorful camis to layer as well.</p>
<p>Just realized that you may not be female. In that case ditch the jewelry but keep the skirt (insert little winky face here).</p>
<p>In Morocco, err on the side of modesty or conservative dress. Yes, there will be tourists that don’t care about that but the local might have more respect for you.</p>
<p>Best advice I ever got from my Aunt, who was a travel agent: Take everything you plan to pack and lay it out on your bed. Place all the money you plan to take with you next to your pile of clothes. Get rid of half of your clothes and double the money, then pack that.</p>
<p>…then, remove half of it. Then remove some more. If you’re female, remove even more. Most people don’t really need as much as they think they do. </p>
<p>The Asian trip should be able to be done with just a small carry-on or backpack. If you’re carrying a suit or something, then that should dictate the size of a bag you’ll need. Try to get by without the 3-5 hair treatment items - one small shampoo should do.</p>
<p>For the 5 week trip you’ll need a bit more stuff but bring a small pack of laundry detergent (make sure it meets the TSA requirements) so you can wash unders and socks so you don’t have to bring a zillion of them. You can wash them in the sink of the hotel if you can’t find a convenient laundry. Even if you can find one, the sink is usually easier.</p>
<p>It’s a hassle carting around luggage so the smaller the number and lighter the load the easier time you’ll have of it.</p>
<p>Check the TSA website to make sure you comply (i.e. 3 oz bottles of liquid in carry-on, etc.) so you don’t have any hassles at the airport. [TSA</a> | Transportation Security Administration | 3-1-1 on Air Travel](<a href=“http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm]TSA”>http://www.tsa.gov/311/index.shtm)</p>
<p>For the three day trip, remember that in asian countries, business attire is always appropriate - e.g. suit and tie. Business casual has not reached Asia. :)</p>
<p>Also remember to take lots of business cards - especially if traveling to Japan but really anywhere in Asia.</p>
<p>Check with your hotel website in advance - often times things like hairdryers will be provided - which can save you space.</p>
<p>Take a roll-up duffel bag - rolled up in your suitcase. Use it to bring the extra stuff home that you might accumulate.</p>
<p>Take along a few zip lock baggies - they just seem to come in handy</p>
<p>For the short trip, bring one extra shirt - just in case you spill right before the big presentation (learned that one the hard way)</p>
<p>For the 5 week trip - pack enough for 10 days - then send laundry out on the 5th day. When it comes back, send out batch 2. Having laundry done is pretty cheap - especially if you don’t use the hotel service and/or don’t have to rush it.</p>
<p>Leave all your toiletry at home. Everywhere in the world has soap, toothpaste, towels, and a shaver. 3 sets of clothing only. Light weight. Comfortable shoes. Sandals can be bought there. Enough for 3 days anywhere. You intend to bring more stuff home than you take there. Bring small gifts of nominal value but unique to you and where you are from. </p>
<p>In Arabic cultures, you need to learn how to negotiate. They are also perfect hosts so be a better guest. Better learn now than later. Remember you word is your promise in negotiation. Americans tend to speak in forked languages. </p>
<p>DS in India wished he had a portable digital camera printer. Instant friends can be made and kids everywhere like to ham it up for ignorant tourists. </p>
<p>As a parent of a child who had her passport stolen, make sure to take a copy of your passport and keep it in a separate place. We also keep a copy of it and all bank and credit cards at home. Came in very handy when she called and asked us to cancel her debit card. Other than that, a money belt is very important and I always pack several ziploc bags in case something gets wets.</p>
<p>Do not pack clothing items, pack complete outfits. Example of outfit is pants or skirt, shirt/top, underwear, shoes. Group them on your bed before putting them in your bag. </p>
<p>In choosing between clothing items, look for ones that overlap a lot with the others in basic colours/styles so that, for example, the same top can be used in two outfits, one pants can be used in 3 outfits, two pairs of shoes for all of them etc. (up to you how comfortable you are re-wearing an item).</p>
<p>Have enough to cover a week, with a different outfit per day but using the least combination of clothing to make the outfits.</p>
<p>Onward has good advice. Make a copy to keep in a separate place with you and leave a copy at home. If your passport is lost or stolen, replacing it will be much easier if you have a record of your passport number and other pertinent information.
I recently was forced to gate check my bag on a domestic carrier. It was a bag which had been a carry on numerous times. The agents are getting extremely picky about this kind of thing. It might not be worth the hassle to try to avoid checking your luggage.</p>
<p>Check the Department of State website for any current country-specific information. For instance, we traveled to Russia in June. Everyone in Russia is required to carry an appropriate ID document with them, and for foreigners it means carrying a passport at all times, which can be a hassle since pickpocketers are a huge problem in that country (and in many other parts of the world as well). We were never stopped by Russian cops, but we’ve seen them checking IDs of people who did not look European or Asian. Know the addresses and contact information of US Consulates or Embassies in the cities you are going to travel to. Check if you need to register at the local police station or any other appropriate agency if you are staying over a certain number of days. Here is the Morocco page of the Department of State travel site:</p>
<p>If you are traveling to China, make sure you do not drink any tap water. It is even recommended that Westerners brush their teeth using bottled water! A friend went to China to chaperone a group of HS athletes, and she got very ill.
Do not forget to have fun, but be mindful of the local customs and obey all laws!</p>
<p>To echo others, be sure to have an easily accessible copy of your passport- leave a copy with family at home and scan a copy into your personal database. Be sure to check on how to access health insurance coverage abroad, and NEVER check valuable items on an airplane. It is helpful to know the cell phone coverage in the area where you’ll be residing in advance. For local use, it might be more cost effective to purchase a cheap phone on arrival with a local SIM card. For emergencies, it is also helpful to have added international coverage to your personal cell phone priot to leaving the USA. Be sure to review texting policies. To be well prepared, have a quick reference of emergency contact numbers, including embassies.</p>
<p>Agree with everyone. You will be MUCH happier if you pack lightly. They do have stores and you can buy what you absolutely must but did not pack. We went to Europe for 3 weeks with a small rolling suitcase apiece and a warm jacket (it was cool at the time). If you’re concerned you may encounter cold weather (mountaintops, etc.), bring a pair of themals. It takes practically no space but is very handy for warmth. A thin vinyl poncho can also be very useful especially if it is wet but also doubles as something to sit on or a tablecloth.</p>
<p>Remember you can wear the same clothes two or three days in a row…change your undergarments. Sleep in the undergarments of the day before, having aired them out, then wash them. Appliance will be in the hotels…do not take them. If you are a male, get coolmax undershirts…they will not get clammy, and then they will wash and dry quickly. Hightech briefs for m/f dry quite quickly are very light weigh 4-5 pair should be plenty if you wash out at night, and hang to dry. Check [Sierra</a> Trading Post - Save 35-70% on Famous Name Brands](<a href=“http://www.sierratradingpost.com/]Sierra”>http://www.sierratradingpost.com/) for good prices for these kinds of items. Socks can be recycled if they are allowed to dry. Two pairs of shoes, wear the heavy, pack the light. Have a great trip! Some folks take older underwear, expendable clothes, then toss to have room for souvenirs.</p>
<p>The best advice I can give is to pack in only a carryon. Years ago I met a Mexican woman in China who travelled for 3 weeks with a bag the size of a bowling ball carrier. I learned from her to bring quick drying underwear and socks (3 pairs) and to wash them daily with soap while taking a shower. Bring a quick drying pack towel and roll them up for 1/2 an hour or so and hang to dry.</p>
<p>2 pairs of black pants (or one skirt if you are female and want to), a sporty type jacket that can make one pair of pants into a suit, an umbrella. Morocco in winter is like spring in the northeast. I don’t know what your expected temps will be in Asia.</p>
<p>You can get great advice from the Rick Steves website. His tours limit each person to one carryon size piece of luggage.</p>
<p>We went to China for two weeks. I went to Chico’s and bought mix and match clothes from their travelers collections, mostly red, black and white and added it to existing items. My most versatile piece of clothes was a big black shawl wrap thingy that I used often in airplanes, airports or cool conditions. The only drawback was in every picture I looked like I was wearing the same clothes! Do bring deodorant if you travel to China, you will not find it on the mainland.</p>