Here’s what we use as a checklist once we have a trip planned: Pre Trip Checklist
This is the checklist we use when packing, so we don’t leave anything behind: Packing Checklist
iPad/iPhone Travel Apps
We’re big Apple fans. We have all the Apple products. Computers, laptops, iPods, Apple TV and the iPhone. What about the iPad you say? Well, we’re waiting for v2 later this fall. We travel everywhere with our iPhone. It’s kind of like a 7 in 1 tool. Many people try to load as many apps as they can on their phone. Personally, we’d rather put on apps that are useful. Since we always have our iPhones or iPods, many apps come in handy while traveling or even while at home. Here are some that we have on our phones that work great.
Flight Track - Flight track is different than most flight tracking apps. It sync’s with your iPhone’s calendar and TripIt, has live flight tracking, real time status for weather, delays, cancelations, as well as airport gate information for over 4000 airports worldwide. You can also see the inbound flight information for the plane you’re about to board. A very handy app to have if you spend time in airports.
Star Map Pro – Since we travel to many unique, out-of-the-way destinations, it’s always interesting to look at the night time sky. Once you get out of the cities and into the countryside, it’s amazing what you can see in the sky. When you travel into the Southern Hemisphere, it really gives you a whole new perspective on things you can’t see from home. With a catalog of over 2 million objects in the sky along with details for many of them, you’ll be amazed at what you find. The best thing about this app is that it works “offline”, so you don’t need to use wireless minutes or data. And, using the built in Location information and accelerometer built into the phone, you simply start the app, hold it up to the sky and it will automatically bring up the map for your location and show you the objects you’re looking at. Very cool.
Convert - Is a very simple-to-use unit calculator. Need to know how many litres make a gallon? How many milliliters are in an ounce? Very handy when traveling to countries that use the metric system. The best thing is how easy this app is to use.
Motion X GPS – This is a great app if you like to get out and do some walking or hiking. It’s a full featured GPS that keeps track of where you are and where you’re headed. All of the basic GPS functionality is built-in: waypoints, destination coordinates, maps, elevation, altitude, speed, etc. Especially handy if you’re in an unfamiliar area. Since it uses location services on the iPhone, make sure your battery is well charged if you’re going on a longer hike.
World FactBook - The CIA website has some of the best up-to-date information on every country throughout the world. Now you can take a scaled-down version of that information with you on your iPhone. A very handy reference guide to have with you at all times.
iTimeZone – It’s hard enough to keep track of time where you are, let alone somewhere else. This handy app works great at displaying time in just about any location throughout the world.
Trip Advisor – This app eliminates the need for opening up a browser on your iPhone when you need quick information about a place or business. Get a condensed version of all of the information on TripAdvisor in this handy application.
We’ll bring you more favorites in the next week or so….so stay tuned!
Photos & Video
There’s nothing better than getting back from a trip and reliving your travel experiences with your photos & video footage. Before you leave on your trip, make sure:
- You have plenty of memory cards. The last thing you want is to miss out on being able to take photos half way through your trip.
- Don’t put your eggs all in one basket. While it might be more convenient to buy one large capacity memory card, we prefer to use a few smaller capacity cards. That way if your camera or card are lost, you don’t lose all your photos.
- Make sure you empty your memory card. Before you go, make sure your memory card is empty and you’ve downloaded past photos.
- Make sure your camera’s batteries are charged before you leave. That way you can hit the ground running and don’t have to worry about charging your batteries right away.
- Make sure you have the right power adapter for your destination. You want to make sure you can recharge your batteries once you get to your destination.
- Lens cloth. Make sure you take a small lens cloth. If you get the right one, you won’t even need any lens cleaner and you’ll be ready for any dust, dirt or fingerprints that may get on your lens.
Laptop
If you’re going to be traveling with your laptop, here’s a few tips:
- Backup your laptop before you leave. That way if you lose your laptop or it is stolen, you’ll have a current backup of your data
- Secure your laptop. Setup a Logon ID and Password to access your laptop. It’s one extra layer of security that can help protect your information if your laptop is stolen.
- Plan on alternate protection. Hotel safes vary in size. Sometimes there’s not a safe at all. Sometimes safes aren’t safe. Plan on an additional way to secure your laptop if necessary. Pac-Safe is one way to protect your computer.
- Power supply. Make sure you have the right electrical adapter for your destination country.
File Sharing & Online Services
What happens if you lose your hotel confirmation while you’re on your trip? Worse yet, what if you lose your passport? While everyone should always take copies of important documents (like your passport) with you when you travel, as well as copies of itineraries, confirmations, etc., it’s easy to misplace or lose them.
Our backup plan is to use an online file sharing & storage site, such as Mobile Me or Dropbox. These sites allow you to securely store files on the internet and then you can access them from anywhere that you can logon to the internet. You can store copies of your itineraries, passport, travel insurance documents, visas, etc, then be able to download or print them from wherever you are. Dropbox is free, while there is an annual charge for MobileMe. There are other services available as well.
Your files are safely stored and accessible only by you. As an extra measure of precaution, we store all of our files in PDF format and encrypt them with a password. Even if someone were to find out our login credentials to the site, they’d also need to know the password to the file to open or view it.
Personal VPN
If you’re going to take your laptop with you when you travel, consider getting a personal VPN. Considering all of the different places you might be connecting to the internet, even with a firewall, it’s a good idea to “protect” your web browsing and email. The best way is to use a personal VPN. A personal VPN protects your information once it leaves your computer. Your firewall and virus protection don’t do that. When you use an internet connection or hotspot, you don’t know who may be “sniffing” that traffic just looking for personal information, credit card numbers, etc. Who knows who’s in the hotel room down the hall that’s monitoring your internet traffic on the hotel network.
We’ve used WiTopia for PersonalVPN service for over three years. It’s extremely reliable and really doesn’t have any affect on internet speed. It’s very reasonable at around $60 per year and it’s easy to install and use for both Windows and Mac users.
Travelers Cheques
Travelers wuh? Ok, maybe the time for travelers cheques has come and almost gone, but they still can come in handy. The biggest name in travelers cheques is still American Express, Thomas Cook and Visa/Mastercard. American Express travelers cheques are available at any American Express Travel Office, banks, your local AAA office or online directly from American Express. Thomas Cook cheques are available online and some banks, while Visa/Mastercard cheques are available online, at some banks or your local Citicorp branch.
The Advantage
The big advantage with travelers cheques is that if they are lost or stolen, you can get them replaced quickly. While it is a pain to keep track of each one as you spend them, it’s still safer than cash.
IAH TIP: Make sure to leave a list of your travelers cheque numbers at home with someone you can reach. That way if they’re lost or stolen, you can have the information handy to have them replaced.
Fees, Fees, Fees
Travelers cheques certainly aren’t free. Usually you’ll pay a percentage fee based upon the dollar value of the cheques you purchase. You may qualify for reduced or fee free travelers cheques if you’re an American Express card member or member of AAA Motor Clubs.
Exchange Rates
When you take cheques overseas that have are in US Dollars, you’ll be at the mercy of the place where you use them to give you a fair exchange rate. And, you can almost bet it will not be “fair” or near the true exchange rate. The good news is cheques are also available in popular foreign currencies as well, such as British Pounds or Euro. While you want be at the mercy of the merchant cashing your cheque when it’s in the local currency, you will pay the issuing companies exchange rate, which will probably be more than the real exchange rate, but less than what a merchant may charge you.
The Cheque, Please
Many places will charge you to cash your cheque, if you’re not using it for merchandise or a hotel stay. With American Express or Thomas Cook, you can go to one of their local offices and cash your cheques with no additional fees. If they are in the local currency, you also won’t be jilted by an unfair exchange rate. You’ll find Thomas Cook or American Express Travel offices in most major US and foreign cities. Banks will also usually cash travelers cheques and may or may not charge a fee.
IAH TIP: Remember foreign banks have much different hours than most US banks. There are many different bank holidays when banks are closed and banks in some countries have very short daily business hours or may be closed in the middle of the day.
ATM
ATM cards are a godsend. You don’t need travelers cheques. You don’t need to carry cash. But using your ATM card in a foreign country is a whole new ball game that you have to be prepared for.
Foreign ATMs 101
- Don’t expect an ATM on every corner in some foreign countries.
Based upon where you’re traveling to, they can be a challenge to find. A good thing to do is check for ATMs in your destination country/city before you leave home. Plus, don’t forget they’ll need to be on your “network”. You can find the network on the back of your ATM card. Two of the most popular are “PLUS” or “CIRRUS”. - Don’t expect an ATM to always work.
Even if you find an ATM that’s on your network, don’t necessarily expect it to work. In order for ATMs in foreign countries to give you cash, they need to connect to your network to make sure you have available funds. We can tell you from experience, that it’s amazing how many ATMs have been “offline” or are having “network difficulties”. If they can’t connect, you don’t get cash. - Use ATMs in a bank if possible.
ATM’s located in major banks outside of your home country are probably the safest ATMs to use. ATMs on streets, in bodegas or small shops may charge large fees or worse yet, supposedly “not be able to connect to your network”, but capture your card information and PIN. - Don’t overuse ATMs.
Every time you use an ATM overseas, you could be charged a fee by not only your bank, but the bank’s ATM that you’re using. In addition, you’re withdrawal will be converted at the “bank’s exchange rate”, which is almost always higher than the “base exchange rate”. By taking small withdrawals out often, you’ll be racking up fees on each transaction. It’s better take a bit more money out (as much as you feel comfortable carrying) than making multiple withdrawals over a day or two. - Make sure your PIN will work overseas.
Many foreign ATMs now use 6 digit vs 4 digit PINs. It’s best to check with your financial institution to make sure your ATM card will work overseas. - Call your bank.
With card theft on the rise, many banks will automatically decline transactions that originate in foreign countries. To make sure you don’t have any issues using your card when traveling out of the country, you should call a few days before you leave and let them know where you’ll be traveling to and how long you’ll be gone. That way, you won’t have a rude surprise waiting for you when you need money. - Don’t expect ATM’s to use English.
In many countries who don’t use English as a primary language, you can’t expect ATM’s to serve up prompts in English. While most airports will have prompts in various languages including English, as you move into suburban or remote areas, they may be harder to find. It’s a good idea to look up basic ATM terms (i.e. withdrawal, checking, savings, deposit, etc) in the native language before you leave.
IAH TIP: Also think about reducing your daily withdrawal limit while you’re away. That way, if you lose your card while traveling, the chances of having your accounts drained of cash are reduced. Also, if you’re traveling to higher risk areas like Rio, Sao Paulo, Naples, etc, and be held up and taken to an ATM to withdraw money, you’ll limit the amount of cash that will be stolen. Don’t think it can’t happen. It has to people we know.
If You Travel Frequently
We travel to other countries almost 6 times a year, sometimes to remote areas. We opened an account at HSBC. HSBC is a large worldwide bank, with locations in just about every country on earth (except for most of the US). You can do all of your banking online and we’ve never had trouble using our ATM card in any country. Plus, even if some of the most remotest areas of the world, there’s an HSBC ATM or bank location. They also offer credit and debit cards as well. Check them out at www.hsbc.com.
Medications
One thing you don’t want to forget when you leave home, is any medications that you take on a regular basis. While it may sound simple just to throw them in your luggage, there are a few things you need to think about.
Destination Check
If you’ll be taking prescription medications along, it’s always advisable to check and see if they’re allowed in the country your visiting. It’s also helpful to make sure you’re name appears on the bottle to help avoid confiscation at your port of entry. You can check the State Department website for the country you are planning to visit. You certainly don’t want to have your medications confiscated or worse yet, be stuck in jail in the country your visiting for violating local laws.
IAH TIP: Make a list of the medications your taking before you leave and carry the list with you. Better yet, enter it in your wireless, so it’s always handy. That way, in case of emergency, you have a list of everything you taking at hand.
Extra, Extra!
You never know what will happen on your trip, so you should always take a few extra days worth of medication. You never know when your flight may be delayed or you decide to spend a few extra days (expected or unexpected) at your destination.
IAH TIP: Never put a majority of your medication in your checked baggage. If your bag is delayed or contents stolen, you’ve got a problem. Put most of your medication in your carry-on. You may still want to put a small amount of your medication in your checked bag, just in case you lose your carry-on. Never put all of your eggs in one basket.
Copy Cat!
Before leaving, have your doctor give you duplicate prescriptions for your medications. That way, if you lose your medications on your journey, it will make it easier to get the necessary refills. Also, you should take a copy of your current prescription for each medication that your taking. That way, if you’re stopped in immigration and your destination, it will help prove that the medications are yours and not illegal.
IAH TIP: Put your doctor and/or pharmacists phone number in your wireless address book. That way you’ll have it handy if you need to contact them in an emergency while you’re away.
Carry-ons
Carry-on luggage can be a pain. First, it’s hoping that by the time you board, you have a place to put it in the overhead bin. Next, it’s just one more thing you have to lug around and keep track of in the airport, in the taxi and elsewhere. We limit ourselves to two carryons max. If we’re not taking our camera gear, we limit ourselves to one. And..that’s a SMALL carryon. We leave the rollerboard at home and usually take just a backpack as our carry-on.
Be Prepared
No matter what your destination, you should always pack a days worth of clothing in your carry-on. You don’t have to pack your “best outfit”, but you should throw in underwear, socks, shirt and shorts or pants. You never know if your checked luggage is going to take a different route to your final destination. It’s happened to us a few times and unfortunately, seems to be happening more often. If you’re headed to a warm destination, throw in a swimsuit. If your bag is delayed, the last thing you want to do is be tied up in your hotel room or sitting by the pool in jeans and long sleeve shirt when it’s 102 degrees. Headed to a cold destination? Throw in a sweater or jacket.
IAH TIP: Note that foreign airlines can be far more strict in enforcing carry-on bag restrictions than US airlines. Make sure any variables you’re carrying on aren’t in a bag that may have to be checked.
The 3-1-1
One thing you’ll want to have in your carry-on is your Ziploc bag full of liquids. Pack it in an easy to reach part of the bag, so you’re not holding up the security line. Remember, your checked bag may not be at your destination when you get there, so always put your Ziploc in your carry-on. And remember, the 3-1-1 rule (Maximum 3 oz liquids, 1 qt Ziploc bag and 1 Ziploc per person) applies in many areas beyond the US. That includes most parts of the European Union (EU) and many parts of Asia.
IAH TIP: We always pack a couple of extra quart-size Ziploc bags in the bottom of our backpack. That way, should ours break, we have a backup. While most US airport security checkpoints have extra bags on hand, many international airports do not.
