This isn't going to be a very exciting blog post- but it might include some handy tips for people who are still getting ready for their overseas adventures.
Yesterday was my last day at work (Shout out to everyone at the MSUE office!!). The next couple of days are pretty much going to consist of reading and re-reading maps, sorting out vitamins, and going commando in ugly clothes because everything is packed. But as I've been sitting around waiting for the next 72 hours to pass, I've come up with a couple of handy tips for people who are still prepping to leave for their destination.
1) onebag.com
I don't want to toot my own horn... but if I'm good at anything, it's fitting a lot of crap in a small space. (Anyone who has been to my house knows it runs in the family) But the guy who started this website is the Big-Crap-Small-Space MASTER. It was super duper handy for me- it'll be super duper handy for you too. (For the record... I wasn't actually able to fit everything into one bag- but the second bag is pretty small. I'm still chalking it up to a victory.)
Me: 1 Law of Conservation of Mass: 0
One of the most confusing things about this whole trip has been money. I know. Big surprise. Obviously spending any amount of time in any foreign country costs a pretty penny- so spending several months there on TOP of tuition is basically going to set me back for the first decade of my career. That being said, I'm trying to mop up any additional expenses if I can. The most annoying of which: overseas transaction fees! So here's my tip- find a bank that won't charge you! My personal choice was Bank of America- they have partnered with lots of major banks across the globe, so when I make a transaction overseas, it's like I'm just at another BOA. And since the international banks are pretty big- it's easy to find a bank or ATM. I also signed up for a package that allows me to do everything wirelessly (online or with an ATM). That way, I've managed to avoid monthly checking fees as well. Woo! Also- you leave with a fully functioning debit card- so there's none of that wait-ten-days-for-your-snail-mail-debit-card crap. (If you read this and start an account- say I referred you. I'll buy you sumthin' cool with the $25 they give me for the referral :)
Also: Check out that Tina Parole song. She looks a little scary in the video- but she's got great boots.
3) Hard Copies!
It's so so so easy to carry everything around digitally. I have so many zip drives I could start making them into jewelry. BUT! It's also a good idea to either leave an extra zip drive at home, or leave someone with some black-and-white, ink-and-paper information. That way if my plane goes down with me, my laptop and all my zip drive bracelets- my parents back home still have all of my banking information. And my flight information- so they can sue themselves into a comfortable retirement.
Me: 0 Knock On Wood: 1
I realize I just wrote those last three tips like I'm some sort of cool travel expert. Which I'm not. So also use caution/common sense when planning and packing. Also- I hope I don't get in trouble for naming names (onebag.com, BOA). Is there some sort of copyright something I should be following? Not sure. Cross my fingers on that one.
LAST THING- I have a really long layover in LA, and a really long plane ride after that. So if anyone wants to recommend a good book- that'd be great. I don't really like fantasy stuff or anything too difficult- so if your recommendation includes vampires, dragons, or words with more than three syllables, just leave it out.
:) Thanks for reading!
Ciao for now
~Apples
No comments:
Post a Comment