A European Vacation!

So I'll be on a small hiatus for a couple of weeks while my husband and I take our vacation this year.  We're heading to Italy and Munich and I'll be back in the swing of things by the first week in October.

While our flight is tomorrow, we have yet to start packing and will have to squeeze that in somewhere.  In accompaniment to my earlier post on packing for a weekend vacation, I'd like to do a full post on packing for a long vacation.  Particularly with international travel there are a few things I think are absolutely essential:

1.  Language Dictionary - It's nice to be able to understand and speak several key phrases in the country you're traveling to if English is not their first language.  The local residents will really appreciate your effort!

 

2.  Passport - Definitely check the expiration date on this one at least a month before you go! You can rush deliver one in about 2 weeks time but remember to give yourself plenty of time to get it.  Always double check ladies, if you've changed your name when you got married, make sure your ticket name and passport name are the same!

3.  An international plug adapter -- Don't forget, if you're bringing electronics, appliances, devices that need to be plugged in, double check the country you're going to and see if you need one of these.  You would be surprised at how many different plug outlets there are around the world. 

4. An  iPad, Kindle, and/or other device for reading/watching videos during a long flight.

 

5.  Common sense and a small carrying case you can hide in addition to your purse.  Don't travel with all your money in one place! Watch out for people (sometimes gypsies in a few countries) who pray on tourists and always keep a hand on your purse and make sure it has a zipper closure.  I've noticed people have carrying devices that are small and they can wear under their clothes to hide money and identification.  Definitely you do not want to lose your passport!

And while I'm gone, here are few topics for upcoming posts on my mind: my European vacation style, Italian fashion up close, Oktoberfest, why I don't like wearing pants on a rainy day, dressing for back to school when you're already a post-grad with a good job but taking additional courses (clearly that'll be whittled down a bit), and I still have to follow up with a fabulous August wedding I was a bridesmaid in as well as the outfit I ultimately wore for my date night on my birthday.  Discuss!

Finally, since I haven't really done the traveling in Europe thing before, (I've been through London for a few days and I've been to Berlin for a summer abroad program) I always imagined myself having a bit of the Clark Griswold approach to Europe, a-la National Lampoon's European Vacation.

See you in a couple of weeks!