Monday, June 30, 2008
Packing Highlights from Trip #1
I thought I should probably review some of the key things that helped us on our recent Trip #1:
1) Melatonin - taking some of this right before bed every night really helped to alleviate the jet lag.
2) Noise-canceling headphones - these headphones make the plane rides far less exhausting by cutting out much of the engine noise inside the plane. They really make the trip seem half as long. You can also plug them into the plane's jack for music or movies, or your iPod or laptop.
3) Power converter, and plug adapters. We brought a power converter for our laptop and chargers, but the first time we plugged it into our room in Stavropol we tripped the breaker for the room and were fishing out our book lights to see. After having our power restored we used a different outlet and all seemed fine for a day or two. Then our converter melted down and was unusable. We thought we were out of luck for charging our camera battery, phone, and laptop when we realized that all the transformers for these items could handle up to 220 or 240 volts. So just a simple plug adaptor worked to get us powered again. My recommendation is to bring both: a brand new convertor (bought ours at Brookstone), and a set of plug adaptors. (Our convertor made a trip to Yekaterinburg 18 months prior without issue.)
4) Carry-on luggage if you have to make a connection with less than 2 hours between flights. There was plenty of room in my carry-on suitcase for everything I needed.
5) Deodorant/Antiperspirant. Yeah, I know.... duh. Normally I'm not a smelly sweater. (Interpret how you would like.) But there's something about traveling for a day and a half, the stress, and the Russian air that brings out the stink in the most flowery individual. And there were no washclothes in the hotel bathrooms we stayed at.
The luxury item:
6) Kevin's employer supplied him with a brand new Blackberry Pearl with world-coverage so that he could remain in touch with work. It didn't take me long to swipe it and start typing little notes to the kids every chance I got. The kids are now old enough to read and write, so I felt so much more in touch with them. I actually preferred using email to talking on the phone. (They aren't old enough to be good phone talkers yet.)
And the prescription item:
7) Since I had some major anxiety issues the last time I was in Russia 18 months ago, I asked my doctor for some medication in case the anxiety flared up again. I did start to get a little tweaked the first evening after meeting M, and after Kevin coaxed me to try the medicine, I'm glad I did. Half a pill killed the anxiety and I felt totally normal. The next morning I started getting a bit fluttery again so I took the other half. I didn't need any more after that. I think that the Melatonin helped me to get enough rest throughout the night to help, plus the whole experience of this trip was just better.
1) Melatonin - taking some of this right before bed every night really helped to alleviate the jet lag.
2) Noise-canceling headphones - these headphones make the plane rides far less exhausting by cutting out much of the engine noise inside the plane. They really make the trip seem half as long. You can also plug them into the plane's jack for music or movies, or your iPod or laptop.
3) Power converter, and plug adapters. We brought a power converter for our laptop and chargers, but the first time we plugged it into our room in Stavropol we tripped the breaker for the room and were fishing out our book lights to see. After having our power restored we used a different outlet and all seemed fine for a day or two. Then our converter melted down and was unusable. We thought we were out of luck for charging our camera battery, phone, and laptop when we realized that all the transformers for these items could handle up to 220 or 240 volts. So just a simple plug adaptor worked to get us powered again. My recommendation is to bring both: a brand new convertor (bought ours at Brookstone), and a set of plug adaptors. (Our convertor made a trip to Yekaterinburg 18 months prior without issue.)
4) Carry-on luggage if you have to make a connection with less than 2 hours between flights. There was plenty of room in my carry-on suitcase for everything I needed.
5) Deodorant/Antiperspirant. Yeah, I know.... duh. Normally I'm not a smelly sweater. (Interpret how you would like.) But there's something about traveling for a day and a half, the stress, and the Russian air that brings out the stink in the most flowery individual. And there were no washclothes in the hotel bathrooms we stayed at.
The luxury item:
6) Kevin's employer supplied him with a brand new Blackberry Pearl with world-coverage so that he could remain in touch with work. It didn't take me long to swipe it and start typing little notes to the kids every chance I got. The kids are now old enough to read and write, so I felt so much more in touch with them. I actually preferred using email to talking on the phone. (They aren't old enough to be good phone talkers yet.)
And the prescription item:
7) Since I had some major anxiety issues the last time I was in Russia 18 months ago, I asked my doctor for some medication in case the anxiety flared up again. I did start to get a little tweaked the first evening after meeting M, and after Kevin coaxed me to try the medicine, I'm glad I did. Half a pill killed the anxiety and I felt totally normal. The next morning I started getting a bit fluttery again so I took the other half. I didn't need any more after that. I think that the Melatonin helped me to get enough rest throughout the night to help, plus the whole experience of this trip was just better.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment