janet_rose
Posted : 6/26/2008 7:19:22 AM
alieliza
I'll be spending 3 weeks in Shanghai, China, 6 days in Bangkok, Thailand, and 6 days in Tokyo, Japan.
First, start adjusting NOW to the time zone of your first destination. Avoiding jet lag - http://www.magellans.com/store/article/340?Args
Don't think of yourself as "traveling alone". Airports, airplanes, train stations, and trains are full of people. Many more people in foreign countries are multilingual than you will find in the U.S. (sigh). Lots of people will be eager to practice their English.
Be prepared to laugh at yourself when you have trouble communicating! Carry a notepad so you can draw pictures. Get a Kwikpoint visual translator for a convenient set of pictures. Have someone write down your hotel location so you can show it to someone if you get lost. Have them include any instructions that might be needed to keep a cabbie from taking a round about route to drive up the cost.
Some things you might not think about will be different. I haven't been to the countries you are going to, but here are some examples:
- In Germany a drug store sells only drugs. I had to find the "electric shop" to get a heating pad.
- In Australia each electric plug (220v) has an on/off switch. The "bottle shop" is the "liquor store".
- In the Singapore airport there are women's restroom stalls (I don't know about the men's.
) that have merely a hole in the floor. Guess where there was not a line. 
- Coming home from Canada, I had to go through U.S. customers before getting on the plane to come home. I almost missed my plane because I didn't allow enough time for that.
- Weight limits on luggage going to your destination may be different than the limits going home - even on the same airline.
In airports and train stations keep either your eyes or your hands on your luggage when it is not checked. I have large (4";), bright pink luggage tags on my bags so they are easy to spot when I pick them up after a trip. That also makes it less likely that someone will take your bag by mistake (happened to my carry-on when getting off a plane). Put a copy of your itinerary in each piece of luggage to help misplaced bags catch up with you. Securing your luggage - http://www.magellans.com/store/article/365?Args
Treat your passport like it is solid gold! Keep your funds and credit cards in multiple places (concealed pockets, hotel safe, etc - NOT your purse). Keep your list of traveler's check numbers, your U.S. driver's license, and a xerox of your passport separate from other valuables since they are not of interest to overseas thieves, but are of great value in recovering from theft problems.
Pickpockets can be adults or children. Make things as difficult as possible for them - http://www.magellans.com/store//article/352?Args
Some foreign places (like airport shops) may accept U.S. dollars. If so, check your change to be sure that it is not a mix of U.S. currency and the local currency.
Useful items:
- inflatable neck pillow; inflatable leg rest; inflatable back rest
- EarPlanes® to help with pressure changes (available in many U.S. drug stores)
- sleep mask; earplugs; sweater or travel blanket
- compression socks to fight leg clots
- anti-bacterial towelettes
- "ultra-violet light" water purifier
- motion detector w/alarm (on your luggage) - e.g. the "Angel Alert" child distance monitor (less than $20 at Walmart)
- cable lock (secure baggage together or to hotel furniture)
- luggage locks (yes, you can lock again - in the U.S. anyway) - http://www.magellans.com/store/Luggage___Locks___Tags?Args=&page_number=all
- silk neck pouch and/or waist wallet (worn under clothes); money belt
- aluminum credit card holder [blocks hackers from reading radio frequency (RFID) tags]
- a small roll of duct tape for various repairs
- clothing compression sacks
- socks with a passport holder
- phrase dictionary - small
- card with metric conversion chart
- time converter (from one time zone to another) - cardboard
- Kwikpoint visual translator (pictures you can point to)
- electric adapter plugs
- a voltage transformer if your appliances are not dual-voltage
- surge protector
WARNING: Periodically get up and walk around the plane. Even young people can develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT) - blood clots in the legs.
Note: As always when traveling, the first thing to do in a hotel room (even before unpacking) is to verify that you can get to the fire exit with your eyes closed (as if there was smoke).
A great travel site for info and supplies: http://www.magellans.com/
ETA: I forgot to say HAVE A GREAT TIME!! 