November 5, 1998
1. Bring a small notebook along on your trip to keep a daily diary. It's helpful to put in names, room numbers, prices, travel times from place to place, just anything that might help you to remember details.
2. Bring small soaps and shampoos (packets are best) along. Not all the places you stay will provide these items.
3. Store hours - In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the stores often close between 12 noon until 2 or 3 pm. They often open up again until 6 pm. Cafes and restaurants are usually open during the stores' closed hours.
4. You will find little to no ice. Learn to like your Cokes warm.
5. There is usually no air conditioning in guesthouses but there is heat.
6. Beds in a double room are usually 2 twin beds placed together with separate down comforters.
7. Most guesthouses have personal shower heads (the ones with the long hose) whether you have a shower stall or a bathtub.
8. If you need and elevator (lift), check this out in advance. Stairs in these older places can be really tough.
9. Be sure that you can handle your own bag. Take and extra tote bag to bring home extras. I like the "Totes" bag that folds into a small zippered pouch.
10. Sometimes blow dryers are furnished but mostly not. A converter does not work well with a 110 blow dryer or curling iron in a bathroom socket. These are usually meant for electric razors.
11. Get yourself an easy to manage haircut before you go. It makes life simpler.
12. Bring a small umbrella.
13. In late September and October, we found the light-weight polartec jackets to be just right. Bring a cardigan so that you can layer. I wore a tricot camisole everyday, silk will work too.
14. Books and Film - Take along English paperback books. They are expensive in Europe and hard to find. Sometimes you can find them in train stations. You can leave them behind at the Tourist Information Office for other travelers and sometimes find them there too. Also, bring all your camera film with you in your suitcase. It'll save you money and time.
15. Money - There are a lot of ATMs at the banks and elsewhere. You will receive cash in the currency you need.
16. My Berlitz translator/calculator is very handy. It will fit in your purse. You can program it for currency in advance and quickly figure your purchases and expenses.
17. We found very few places to send email. Sometimes you can send email at the Tourist Information or a cyber cafe. The Internet is coming though. It seems they may use cable rather than modem. We did see adds on Austrian TV for this.
18. TV - Don't be surprised if your TV has no English channels. You'll learn some of the language watching it. It's really kind of fun. Watch the Weather channels. You'll learn more of the language and often see sky cameras. Some areas have CNN and NBC. You just never know.
19. WHITE NOISE - For those of you who need "white noise" to sleep, that is, a motor or fan noise, this information might help you. We forgot our small plastic fan from home. In Germany, we purchased a "AKO" heater at a home/appliance store. It is made of lightweight plastic. You can set it for fan only for just the noise/fan, or you can use it as a heater and dry your rinsed out laundry (and even dry your hair in a pinch).
20. You've heard this one before - "Take half as many clothes and twice as much money."