I'm a light packer, so I was amazed to see how many different items I had to pack for this nearly two-week trip abroad. It's definitely better to be safe than sorry when going to countries where certain things are not easily accessible or available. Traveling with a group made it more challenging since I didn't want to inconvenience the group by either having to borrow things or waste everyone's time trying to come up with something while on the trip.

On my trip to Israel, I was allergic to something there and had to borrow Claritin from a fellow traveler. I made sure I packed some for this trip. Thankfully, I was not allergic to anything (except tear gas) while in Turkey and Greece, but I when returned to Alabama, my sinuses gave me fits! Something about coming from a 12-day stay in an arid climate, combined with a long plane ride, then landing in the damp and humid climate of the southern United States sent my sinuses into a tailspin. It took me several weeks to recover.

Imodium AD is a must, even for a strong stomach. It took me awhile to break down and buy it because I have never needed it and there was something psychological about buying it. But as a coworker pointed out, it's like packing an umbrella. When you have an umbrella, it doesn't rain; but when you don't have one, it's guaranteed to rain. On this trip, we had quite a few people with stomach issues. Interestingly, a man in Turkey gave one of our group members Turkish coffee grounds and told her to swallow them (she said she chased them with water), and she said within 5 minutes she felt better; a Turkish home remedy.

Two must-packs for traveling abroad: 1) tissue to carry in your backpack every day while touring because many of the public restrooms did not have toilet paper and 2) washcloths because many of the hotels overseas do not provide washcloths, or if you have two people to a room, there's a chance there will be only one washcloth provided, and good luck getting hotel staff to provide more. I was prepared for the first item and had plenty of those handy travel packs of Kleenex. The second, I was not prepared for, but will never be without again if I can help it.

There are so many other things to keep in mind when traveling abroad:
1) Make a copy of your passport to have in case it is lost or stolen. If you lose your passport, get to the US Embassy and, if you have a copy of your passport, the Embassy can replace it within a few hours. Passports are in demand in foreign countries, so keep it very close to you at all times. Pack a backpack or small purse with a zipper pocket for your passport that you can keep close to your body at all times. Never lay your backpack or purse down. Ever! 

2) Try to get some foreign currency exchanged prior to the trip. My bank, Wells Fargo, offers foreign currency exchange. They keep euros in inventory, but had to order the Turkish lira, which took only a day or so to get. I estimated that I would need 20 dollars a day in each country, in each currency. Then I rounded up. It ended up, because the lira is a weaker currency, most vendors in Turkey wanted US$. You just have to make sure the exchange rate is reasonable. I installed a foreign exchange application on my IPhone in case I would need it. 

I spent all my lira (intentionally) and came back with 205 euros and used my credit card only a few times to make larger purchases, so I felt like I had planned very well. Of course, the bank's exchange rate to buy back the euros was greater than the rate to sell to me, but it's to help with the risk they are taking to keep euros in inventory in case the value goes down. Likely, the airports charge a slightly steeper exchange rate, but if a bank in your hometown does not offer foreign currency exchange, that's about your best option. Unless, of course, you spend it all on the trip.

Credit cards and debit cards are great for withdrawing money from ATMs in foreign countries, but make sure you inform your bank when and where you are traveling so they do not freeze your account when you try to use it in a foreign country. Also, make sure you understand what type of transaction fees the bank may charge you to use your card in foreign countries.

3) Keep cash in various places to avoid losing it all in the event of theft or loss. I typically keep my money in a hotel safe (if I feel good about the hotel) and take with me only what I think I may need that day while touring. When we were moving from hotel to hotel, I had money in different pockets, in different bags.

I understand, based on conversations with several world travelers, that Rome, Italy is notorious for high theft. I've been told by more than one source that you should not carry a bag or backpack around Rome, and certainly do not leave anything on a table while dining (not even a mobile phone) because someone will run by and snatch it. Recently, someone told me a couple people in her group had clothes and money stolen from their hotel rooms while in Rome; so I advise extreme care and caution no matter where you go.

4) Never travel with expensive jewelry or clothes that you would miss if something happened to them. For my trips abroad or any extended domestic trip, I take clothes that I'm ready to donate or throw away. Why pack so much anyway? Who wants to bring back a mass of dirty clothes? Besides, if my luggage doesn't make it, nothing missed.

For those of you who value your belongings so much you would be heartbroken if your luggage got lost, there's a place in Scottsboro, Alabama called Unclaimed Baggage. You can eventually buy it back there. Unless someone buys it first. Which, by the way, Unclaimed Baggage is a perfect place to buy ski equipment and clothes. Apparently, people lose quite a bit of that kind of stuff on ski trips - something to think about. They also have some really nice jewelry.  

Packing "disposable" clothes allows me to leave the dirties in the hotel room or trash. This leaves ample room in my check-on bag for souvenirs of little value (again, nothing that would break my heart to lose), a much lighter suitcase coming home, with NO dirty laundry to face when I'm unpacking. Not to mention, it helps me clean out my closet and underwear drawer.

5) I purchased an international voice, text and data plan through AT&T for my IPhone. This gave me peace of mind, although I was too conservative and didn't use a fraction of my international plan. There is a way to track it, but I forgot to reset the usage once I got to Europe so I didn't spend too much time afterward trying to figure out this feature.

6) Always get travel insurance for this type of trip. Three big reasons: 1) in case you can't travel for the reasons covered, 2) in case you lose your passport, luggage, etc., and 3) in case you get injured while traveling. There are other reasons to get travelers insurance, but these are the most important to me. I spent a good amount of time trying to figure out which insurance plan helped me feel the most at ease, and I tried to imagine all possible incidents that could happen and made sure the policy insured it with a reasonable amount of coverage ($). One of the ladies in our group on this trip lost her passport and I understand her travelers insurance paid for the extended hotel stay. She had to stay an extra day because the Embassy was closed on Sunday - the day she discovered she lost it and our flights out were at 6:15 the following morning.   

7) I take A LOT of pictures, so I took three cameras and plenty of memory cards and batteries.

8) Which brings me to the last important item to take on a trip abroad: an electrical adapter. Most electronic devices have built in converters (thanks to the world economy we live in - most of the popular devices we use are made outside of the U.S.), so an adapter should be the only item needed. The adapter is the thing that allows your plug to fit into the electric socket. I have a hair dryer with a built in converter, but I elected to not take it. Everything else I took (cameras and IPhone) had the "110V to 240V" stamped on the electrical plug to indicate I did not need a transformer/converter.

With my bags packed and with much anticipation, I left Birmingham with a sense of gratitude that I had the opportunity to make this journey with my aunt and a group of strangers who would hopefully become my friends. This trip may not be for everyone, but it is certainly an adventure of which I am proud I took.