Preparing for an International Trip

Now that we have returned from our Europe trip, I thought I would spend a little time explaining how to get ready for such a trip. 

Never in a million years did I think I would be preggers for this trip but I am going to be.

As I started to think about what I needed to do for Europe, my zen state really took over.

I really did not do much to prepare. 

Joe and I have been such travelers lately that I feel like I have this stuff down to a T. 

So here are some things I do prior to trips:

1) Confirm all reservations. 

This includes airlines, hotels, transportation, etc.

I made a spreadsheet of everything for easy reference. 

It includes

- Flight times, flight numbers, seat numbers (which can always change)

-Hotel information including check in date, check out date, check in/check out times, address and phone number of the hotel, confirmation number of the booking, and what was paid for. 

All of our hotels are paid in full but this reminds me whose name we put it under.  We put most things under Joe's name when it came to the hotels especially our Paris one because he speaks french so I am hoping to let him deal with it =0)

2) Print all confirmations out and organize by leg of your trip.

This is something I did for Greece which help tremendiously.

3) Keep all paperwork in a organized place. 

Fortantely for us, we have something that one of our travel agents gave us 2 years ago that works perfect. 

3) Make a list of possible activities.

For previous trips we had gone to fun relaxing places and while Europe will be relaxing, there is alot to do in ROME and PARIS. 

So a month or two before the trip I sat down and make a spreadsheet of everything we were interested in doing.  I included the hours, the price, and any discounts that were available.  For example, every first Sunday of the month a number of museums in Paris are free- so yes we will be hitting the most expensive one up to help save a little money =0)

This also helped us to see what to budget. 

4) Get those passports out. 

If you do not travel often- obviously you want to make sure they are still current. 

Thankfully, I knew this was not an issue. 

5) Make a list of anything that you need to take that is kind of out of the ordinary

A couple things on our list:

-Rome and Paris Pocket Travel Guide

-Zofran for if I get sick on the plane

-Vitamins

- Small umbrella that will fit in my purse
-Collapable water bottles

6) Plan to leave things at home

This is hard to do, primarily because we love to be connected to technology. 

But the more I think about it I will be leaving the Ipad and any major electronics at home.

Fortantely, I know all three places we are staying at along the way have hairdryers in the room so I will also be leaving that at home. 

7) Bring something to carry your stuff when you sitesee

This will be the first time we are going some place that is very touristy. 

That being said I invested in a $17 backpack for Joe at Costco to help carry stuff around the cities that we wanted to like our guides, cameras, snacks, etc. 

We will also pack 1 pair of backup clothes for the plane.

Why you might ask...

Well I was sitting at the airport waiting for our plane all ready to go on our honeymoon when my husband split Diet Coke all over my cute Bride shirt.  Thankfully I have packed an extra set of clothes so we have both gotten in the habit of doing this. 

8) Pack light

Our goal was to take one suitecase with a small carry on each- and we succeeded! 

My carry on was my purse and Joe his backpack. 

We also have fortantely saved up enought travel sized toiletries from all our other travels which is another way of packing light.  Anything that we do not have that is travel sized we either place in a smaller container or we just live without it for a week. 

9) Arrange airport transportation

Fortantely my parents took us, so this does not really entail much but finding out about parking, etc before you go to the airport is always good for budgeting. 

10) Puppy Camp

Obviously we love Clemson. 

He is someways will always be our first child, so when our friends agreed to watch him I jumped over the moon as looking for a place to kennel him gave me heartburn. 

I always like to have his stuff ready in his bag with his food, his favorite toy, his shot record and vet information and his dog bed. 

11) House Patrol

We have GREAT neighbors who keep an eye on our place when we are not there. 

Pick up the newspaper, bring in packages, etc.  It is always a good idea to let one trusted set know that your are out of town just to keep an extra set of eyes on your place. 

12) Have Joe pack first.

Joe is a terrible packer.  So I have him make his pile of everything he wants to take and I pack it.

Or if he already has packed it, I often repack it because it saves us so much room.

My stuff is also alot smaller so I find it just easier to pack Joe first and then me. 

Any thing that you do to help you get ready?