What to bring?

[Kuna]

MaxxumUSA,

I like your idea with the freebie catalgues.  It reminded me that amongst the gifts I took some magazines from home and a Dining and Entertainment Guide to give my girl an idea of the lifestyle in my hometown.  I could also point out my favourite restauarants and a few of the parks that grace our city.

We flicked through them when I gave them to her but one day when I came out of the shower I found her sitting at the kitchen table looking through the guide books because she was interested in my city.

If you're taking a notebook and have Internet connectivity in your apartment it's also pretty cool to give your girl a tour of your city using Google Earth.  We looked at my home and the suburb where I live... my office, my families homes...  some parks and the house I grew up in.  Google Earth is VERYcool!

I think it helped to give perspective to how close my family was and where I travel on a daily basis.

Kuna

[Turboguy]

WalMart has a pack with both the power adapter (adjustable for amps) and plugs for $ 14.00. 

The problem with taking too many 20's is that if you have a lot of bills it gets to be a big wad.   I got into a small problem with customs there becuase my wallet was too full.  It looked like a lot more money than it really was.   I spend a few weeks before a trip getting bills that will pass inspection.   Sometimes if I have not prepared I run from bank office to bank office cashing a check for a $ 1000.00 here, picking out the good bills and depositing the bad ones in a different office.  I sometimes think the bank I usually use is the last resting place for bills before they destroy them.  I get about 20% of the bills in usable condition.

Being a big time coffee drinker if I am staying in hotels I also carry a small jar of instant coffee and an imersion heater, one of those little curly things you stick in a cup to heat water.   You do either need one set up for 220/110 or the converter like WalMart sells with adjustble output.   A standard 220/110 converter will wipe out the heater in the first few tries.

[El Rock]

Would you fly Walmart  if they made their own airplanes .
We've had this discussion  before  concerning this crap dealer

WalMart has a pack with both the power adapter (adjustable for amps) and plugs for $ 14.00. 

The problem with taking too many 20's is that if you have a lot of bills it gets to be a big wad.   I got into a small problem with customs there becuase my wallet was too full.  It looked like a lot more money than it really was.   I spend a few weeks before a trip getting bills that will pass inspection.   Sometimes if I have not prepared I run from bank office to bank office cashing a check for a $ 1000.00 here, picking out the good bills and depositing the bad ones in a different office.  I sometimes think the bank I usually use is the last resting place for bills before they destroy them.  I get about 20% of the bills in usable condition.

Being a big time coffee drinker if I am staying in hotels I also carry a small jar of instant coffee and an imersion heater, one of those little curly things you stick in a cup to heat water.   You do either need one set up for 220/110 or the converter like WalMart sells with adjustble output.   A standard 220/110 converter will wipe out the heater in the first few tries.

[Turboguy]

Damn good idea Rock.  They are into everything else.  I would fly with them in a second.   Their power adapters by the way are the nicest I have had of the 3 or 4 so far.   They are a little bulkier but the switch is a nice feature.

[Wist]

I have made a dozen or so trips to FSU over the past several years and I have never had trouble using ATM's because I too notify my Credit Union of my day of departure and day of return plus I limit withdrawals to a certain amount per day. Most important is to burn it into your mind to be always aware of your wallet w/card at all times while it is in your front pocket. Never display wallet in public so keep small amounts plus coins (buses etc) in your other front pocket for discreet access. I would also suggest you make two or more copies of all documents including passport and visa & invite - color if you can - and pack them separately. Carry crisp new 50/100's as back up hidden on your person & consider bringing enough to include your hotel too because many hotels will not deal with credit cards and if you limit your per day ATM you will some difficulty in paying your hotel in advance as some of them seem to prefer. More than 20 kilo's on baggage for internal flights may cost you extra. Bring books to read while waiting for..... Since you are bringing a laptop purchase a translator program from Promt translation software, they're on the net, cheaper & easier than the handhelds I had in the past.

[SANDRO43]

Carry crisp new 50/100's

Question for the travelled European minority here : did you experience the same hassle on exchanging Euro bills at FSU banks ?

[BC]

Question for the travelled European minority here : did you experience the same hassle on exchanging Euro bills at FSU banks ?

No problem here.  Bills were not in bad condition though, but were used.  Given a choice, the vendors seemed to preferred EUR.