#2: The Prepwork of Travel

First off, Happy New Year! I hope all of you spent a great time ringing in 2011 safely.

Although I've been doing more than my fair share of holiday visits and events, I've also been doing a lot of background work to prepare for spending a month abroad.

For starters, there's the basic necessity: a passport.  I had obtained mine a couple years ago, but some countries will not allow you to visit if your passport is under 30 days old.  Some countries also require visas if you plan to stay over a month, if you will work or if you will attend classes at a university.  All of this should be worked out no less than 2-3 months before departure.

My next step was to call my bank to let them know that I'd be leaving the country and wanted to use my debit card while overseas.  This prevents a block on my account for what looks like fraudulent activity, and if my card were to be lost or stolen, they'd have someplace to start looking.  The same goes for all major credit cards.  Be aware that banks and credit card companies charge you a transaction fee of 1-3% of your local currency (US $), as well as an ATM fee if you withdraw cash. 

Cell phones: Europe uses a different frequency than the USA does, so I had to call my service provider to have my cell phone "unlocked".  This tells the phone company that you're traveling and that you may need to use your phone on towers clearly outside your area.  Most carriers offer an international calling plan or special rates for your time abroad, but if the phone is unlocked, a calling card is cool too.  I've heard from other students and professors who have been to Spain that not all brands of carriers support the European frequency... some phones work and other phones seem to have no reception, especially if you have a small regional carrier.  In that case, you can buy a throwaway phone online or from a vendor, and get a calling card.  (My professors have Spanish prepaid phones that they're using during our stay.)

Very important: Europe doesn't use the same voltage that we do for wall sockets. Right away you can tell that the plug looks different and the prongs may not fit well.  I bought a power converter on Amazon for $3 that works on all continents in any style of socket.  I can plug my phone charger or whatever into one end, and pull out the appropriate wall plug to put into the socket.  If you don't do this, you can easily start an electrical fire, or short-circuit your electronics because of the power surge (not to mention shock yourself!).  For under $5, it's a handy gadget to keep for the future.

Packing is the hardest part of this journey, so far.  (Should I mention that I HATE packing?!)  Most airlines allow you 1-2 pieces of checked luggage, weighing no more than 50lbs, and a carry-on that can fit under a seat or in the overhead stowaway bin.  Any additional luggage is subject to hefty fees before you even start the trip!  Obviously, it's best to pack light.  I'm only taking one checked suitcase and my bookbag as the carry-on.  In case my suitcase gets lost, I'll have all my toiletries, cell phone charger, medicine, passport, and wallet physically on me in the carry-on bag.  I'll also include an extra shirt and a few pairs of underclothes just in case.

The suitcase itself shouldn't be more than 30lbs, by my estimate.  I'll have 2-3 pairs of jeans, 4-5 shirts, a rain jacket and umbrella, a regular lightweight jacket/sweater, a dressy outfit, winter coat and layers, more underclothes and socks, and a pair of boots.  Maybe not even that much, in fact.  Once a week we'll go to a local laundromat and do our laundry, so we've been advised to take a week's worth of clothes.  In Europe, people aren't as self-conscious about the clothes they wear as we Americans are.  Both women and men tend to prefer dark solids that can be worn maybe twice in the same week.  There's not really a stigma about being seen in the same outfit a couple days apart.  I found this odd at first, considering I always thought of European people as being very fashion-savvy.  Maybe they're on to something!

Most of our time will be in Spain, in and around Barcelona.  Since it's close to the Mediterranean, the weather averages around 55*F in the day and gets down to the low 40s-high 30s at night.  Another travel tip:  check the weather online a couple weeks ahead of time.  Of course you won't get accurate temperature readings that far out, but if you get an idea of the weather patterns, you'll be able to pack more effectively.  Right now, Europe's been having lots of heavy snowstorms, so the temperatures in Barcelona are cooler than average--more long sleeves and no shorts.  Snow clouds moving south eventually make rain, so a waterproof windbreaker and umbrella are necessary.  We'll also spend a couple days in southern France and Andorra, so I'll definitely need winter layers on then.

Speaking of Andorra:  have you ever heard of it?  Don't worry too much if you haven't.  Andorra is a tiny mountain country between the borders of France and Spain, in the Pyrenees mountain range.  When I say tiny, I mean tiny--181 square miles.  To give you an idea of how little that is, America's smallest state, Rhode Island, is 1,214 square miles--enormous in comparison.  Basically, you could squeeze two Andorras in the land area of New Orleans/Orleans Parish.  (All figures from Wikipedia.)

For the most part, Andorra looks pretty cool--lots of duty-free shopping (no local or customs taxes on the items) and lots of ski resorts.  In Europe, they only have 2 sale seasons a year, after Christmas and mid-summer--none of those "7am doorbusters! Buy one get one!" markdowns you see in the paper every weekend--so I'm hoping to find some cool, unique and budget-friendly things in the stores while I'm there.  I also hope to try skiing--nothing serious, just 10 minutes downhill or something to say I did it.

Two days until my adventure starts! I doubt if I'll have time to squeeze in another entry before then.  The last things left to do are pack and charge my camera and ipod.  I can't believe how fast winter break has flown by!  Let's hope the days in Spain feel long in comparison.