International Travel

[Sweet_as_Jalebi]

I need major help. I am traveling with my sister to Bangkok in August & I am very EX-CI-TED. Thing is, i've never traveld outside of the U. S. of A. I have no Idea about International flights, customs, etc. I am soo nervous & excited. I am a jumble of nerves. Can anyone give me tips or pointers? Any help, even if it's not pertaining to Bangkok is helpful.

Gracias!!
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[crazybones]

bring a camera, a travel journal, and little paks of tissue for toilet paper. Eat a lot of food when you got there, cause Thai food is really yummy.
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[Lassi]

my advice is for you to take me with you! I really want to go to Thailand!

Oh well. As for travel, I am by no means a seasoned travler (I've been to Europe and Central American and that's it!), but here goes:
-do your research and know/prepare for any health risks and see a travel nurse/doctor before you go if you need any shots or malaria pills. Protect yourself from mosquito bites too.
-bring a little loition and chapstick for the plane trip! I always get dry, chapped hands and lips on long flights. Also drink (bottled) water on the plane to keep hydrated.
-don't bring anything you won't use, especially if backpacking. Your back will thank you for it.
-Use common sense about safety and petty crime. I thought I did, but then some jerk stole my freaking camera from right under my nose in Belize! It was a 35 year old camera! Grrr.
-I like to bring a couple of those light, little pocketbook paperbacks to read when I travel. There always seems to be a lot of waiting around involved, so it's good to have reading material.
-bring a journal/sketchbook and have a fabulous time!

[SeraAngel]

I too haven't travelled all that much but one thing I do recommend is to bring your own over the counter medicine.

I all of a sudden developed allergies when I went to Costa Rica but since I was in a small town it was hard to find a pharmacy and once I got there, it was damn expensive.

I highly recommend that you carry a little first aid kit with you such as bandaids, bug repellant, bug bite lotion like after bite, tylenol/advil, something for indigestion (pepto bismol etc....)

If you plan on visiting more rural areas I recommend buying non scented soaps/shampoos and deodorant, they attract bugs less....

Bring snacks that won't spoil such as granola bars/snack pack of crackers and such to bring around with you in case you get the munchies.

Make photocopies of your passport and leave them with your family and friends in case you lose it.

Don't bring your really nice jewellery, if you are just bumming it and you wear that kind of stuff, it could make you a target for theft.

Jot down all your important phone numbers (embacy, family numbers, credit card company) and make a couple of copies to keep in various places in case anything happens like you lose your wallet or passport etc...

Don't keep all your money in one place, pick up one of those hidden wallet/waist pouch thingies. Put all your important stuff and the bulk of your cash in the hidden one and pocket cash in a little change purse. When you need to fill up your change purse go somewhere private and take it from your stash.
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[pixielily]

how exciting!!! i love, love, love to travel! you're going to have a ball!

first of all, i'd recommend doing LOTS of research. besides travel guidebooks (bookstores, library), you can get a ton of information online. a good place to start is fodor's website: http://www.fodors.com/search2/top2.cfm?search=Bangkok&destination_id=&CFID=15812226&CFTOKEN=22762392 from there you can go to the forums, do a search for "bangkok," and see what other travelers have said. if you have a question that isn't answered in the forums, you can register, and post the question yourself. there's also a lot of specific information about passports, getting through customs, etc...just browse around, and utilize the search feature. make a folder especially for your trip, and bookmark all the information you'll want to refer back to.

another thing you should really consider is carry-on only travel. i was, long ago, a terrible over-packer. i eventually discovered the freedom of traveling light, and am now a dedicated carry-on only gal. (we're spending 10 days in london in september; i'm taking only what will fit into one 19" carry-on bag.) you can get packing tips here: http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti82.html (this site is about european travel, but the "rules" for packing light, and the tips & tricks, still apply), and here: http://onebag.com/home.html.

a quick google search brought this: http://thailandforvisitors.com/central/bangkok/general/weather.html.

the main thing: do your research, plan well, then relax. expect that things won't always go according to plan, and accept whatever happens. have fun!

:)
pixie
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[DillyDally]

I'm so excited for you! And very jealous too!

I like to save my ticket stubs and that sort of thing when I travel. So, I started carrying a small roll of tape so I could tape bus tickets, museum tickets, postcards, and pressed flowers in my travel journal. I love looking back through my journal, it brings back so many memories.

Also, drinks are free on international flights!

Happy travels.

dd

[sun bear]

do yourself a favor and buy some immodium AD pills. Even if you don't need them, I guarantee someone travelling with you will, and you'll be happy to save someone's trip :)

I know one time I went to ireland and got the stomach flu and was so grateful for someone who had some pepto, but Immodium or the generic can be a life saver. Basically bring stuff with you that you don't want to pay a million dollars for, like extra film and batteries, if you don't use it you can bring it back/give it to someone but if you're stuck without, sometimes you have to make the decision if it's worth 100 bucks for new batteries/film, when it would have cost you 20 bucks back home. So I always bring Immodium and someone has always needed it. It's also good to have in the house since, you never know if your'e going to need it and that's not really time time to need to rush to the pharmacy, so even if no one uses it, you'll be happy it's around.

oh and pads/tampons, even if you're sure you don't need them, they're very expensive abroad, i once spent 8 dollars on a box of pantyliners I wouldn't have paid 89 cents for at home, and b/c they were 'breathable' that translated to the fact that they didn't work. I was so angry that I paid 8 bucks that I TOOK THEM HOME! what was I thinking? :)
my travel tip is to always keep a package of emergency pads in my suitcase, that way i know i never forget them if i'm travelling and they're in the checked luggage so it's no big deal. Plus I suppose if you ran out at home, you would know where to go in an emergency, but then again you'd have to remember to replenish your emergency stash!

jt
jt

[arabella]

so excited for you!!! I love Thailand!!! (I've gone 3 times in the past 3 years, which tells you how much I like it) I love Bangkok. It's a big crazy city but if I can handle it, anyone can.

don't worry flying into Bangkok is easy!!! So many tourists fly in every year, they've got the system down pat.

on the plane, they will give you a customs form to fill out. it's easy. and in English. in the airport, everything is in English. you just walk through the airport following the signs, till you get to immigration. they stamp your passport. then you get your luggage (if you've checked any) and then you go to exit. you hand them your customs form, and then you exit. then you will be practically assailed by many unofficial taxis. ignore them and go to the real taxi booth. They speak English. tell them your destination, pay, and they will write your destination in Thai and then your taxi driver will come get you.

you do not have to change money before you leave. You can change it at the airport when you arrive, or you can use ATM machines. if you bring cash, make sure it's in good condition.

I'd say do get a guidebook, it makes things a little bit easier. I also like the thorn tree message boards at lonelyplanet.com. They have a whole branch just for thailand.

you can get pretty much everything you need in Bangkok. tissue packets, immodium, etc.

One last comment - I think August in Bangkok is pretty rainy, no? might want to check on that for packing purposes.

the food is fabulous. you are going to have a great time!!

[Teahugger]

[sun bear]

in regards to hep A and B shots, both times I went to get them (Got them at different times) they were covered by my insurance and I didn't have to pay a cent. Talk to your doctor there may be a travel clinic or a nurses station that administers them and charges your medical insurance. Hep A is transmitted via Air/food. Hep B is by exchange of bodily fluids. Also I didn't mean to imply that there will be no immodium in Thailand, just that you should bring it when you travel, because if you need it, trust me, you don't want to have to go out to get it. Same for pads/tampons etc. I took a two week safari and only brought a backpack and was darn glad i had some immodium once a bunch of us got sick...I saved the day :)

It's light, don't worry :)

(and no I don't work for the makers of immodium) :)

jt

[Teahugger]

I had to revive this thread... I guess it's too late for the original poster, but in case anyone else reads this thread before a trip.

Re: packing, get good padlocks for your bags! It doesn't really have an effect against "real" theft, but it prevents your bags from opening in transit. When I went back from Singapore via Bangkok, my bags had three zippers. I only had one good lock, which was a combination one (because I was afraid I'd lose the key). The other zipper pulls were held together by a cheap padlock that came with the bag, and two pieces of wire (yeah, I was too cheap to buy another padlock...).

When I picked up by bags in Stockholm, only the combination lock was still there, and one of the zippers was half-open. Luckily nothing was missing from the bags, but as I've never lost a lock from a bag before I suspect that someone "assisted" a little. The wire that I had secured one of the zippers with was wrapped pretty tightly, so it wouldn't just fall off, and neither would a brand new padlock I guess. For the last leg of the journey (a domestic flight) I wrapped an elastic band loosely around the zipper pulls, and they didn't fall off.