Packing for your European convention trip

No one size fits all when it comes to packing lists.  Every trip is different and every person is unique in what they feel they need while traveling.  There are numerous online travel lists you can find online.  Do a search on "packing lists" and download a few and see what each suggests and develop your own.  Of equal importance should be a "To-Do" list of things you absolutely need to do before you leave town.  Some of it comes naturally like stopping mail delivery, having neighbors water the lawn or stopping newspapers.  However, what some never do is plan for potential problems that will likely never occur but if they did it could ruin an otherwise great trip.  Things like making copies of your passport (just the picture page) , drivers license and credit cards and then pack it somewhere else besides your wallet or purse.  In the unlikely event you loose an important document you can more easily have the card canceled or the passport replaced.  One way is to scan these documents and then email it to yourself and possibly one of your family members.  Your vital documents then become available electronically should you need them.

Mentioned on an earlier blog is to have contacted the issuer of your credit card via their 800 number before you travel.  Let them know the dates you'll be traveling abroad and out of your normal routine.  Best go one step further and bring an extra card that you pack somewhere else besides your wallet.  I am not concerned with pick pockets but people do loose wallets or leave cards in restaurants.
Try and begin "packing" as much as 10 days before your trip.  You do so by starting a 'list" and then by the time you begin the actual packing it is a much easier process and you are less likely to forget something vital like a phone charger or swim suit.
As hard as I try and as long as I have traveled, I am still given to over-packing.  Try and think about multiple uses of outfits.  Can you manage with just one all purpose sports coat that dresses up with a tie and slacks and can also be used to dress down with a golf shirt and jeans? Anyway, you get the idea and you can always get clothes laundered along the way.
Something I also do is begin to stage items in some corner of the room beginning a week out in the actual suitcase I plan to use.  I find it to be a less impulsive way to pack and therefore more deliberate and  efficient.


Anyway, a packing list or some system is a must even if its just informal post it notes everywhere.

Dealing with Jet Lag

Jet lag is something that can be managed with minimum difficulty by just observing a few simple rules.

Ignore them and you’ll still recover but it may take a bit longer and you may feel out of sorts for a few days and not necessarily draw the connection between sleep deprivation and appetites at strange times of the day.

We all know that jet lag is caused by quickly moving through several time zones and not allowing your natural body clock to adjust. Were you to take a cruise to Europe this summer, you’d hardly notice that every day you were losing an hour of the day until at the end of the voyage you’d have recouped the seven hours and be hungry and sleepy at the same time as the locals. However, moving across 7 time zones in as many hours can be a bit of a shock to your system. Here are some tricks to help you manage the adjustment:
It begins on the plane by drinking lots of water (or non-alcoholic fluids).  Alcohol is fine in moderation but the recycled air on planes is dry and you can easily become mildly dehydrated on a long flight especially if you drink lots of coffee and beer.  Best to go easy till you land. 

On the day you arrive you’ll be tempted to take a nap as soon as you’ve checked in to the hotel. I used to fight it and try to stay up till after dinner and then go to sleep. I’m no longer militant about not taking a nap upon arrival as long as its kept to a nap (one hour or less). The danger is that once you lay down you might not want to get up and then find yourself coming down to dinner after a 6 hour “nap”. Good luck getting to sleep later that night. The first night is always the easiest to get a good night’s sleep since you’ve been sitting prone in economy class most of the way over the Atlantic.

Here are some helpful tips: Bring a sleeping mask. In July in northern Europe it doesn’t get dark outside till about 11 pm and dawn begins around 4 am. If you don’t have a sleeping mask be sure to draw the black-out curtains in your hotel room making sure there is no light peeking in or it will seem like a beacon at 4 am in the morning. You might try using sleeping pills to help make the adjustment but I have always found that for me it just delays the adjustment. The night you don’t take the pill is the night you wake up at 1 am and lie there all night with your thoughts. I have learned not fight it if I just cannot get back to sleep. What I do is bring lots of reading material and just read till its time to get up or I fall asleep again. The new tablet readers all have a “night” option that reverses the letters on the page. With this option selected on your Kindle or Ipad your partner will never know you’re awake and reading. All our convention hotel room come with free wi-fi so if you’re inclined, you can use your insomnia to catch up on email or Facebook. Anyway….. let Jet Lag be something you enjoy while all around you watch the clock and worry about how they’ll manage on less sleep in the coming day.

The good news is that at your age you’ve come to realize sleep is overrated and not something you need like your teenager kids back home. You’ll function fine on limited sleep. Catch up when you get home if you must.

Good Air Fares to Europe

Lots of questions to consider about when to book air travel to the July 3-6 Civitan convention in Tallinn, Estonia. The gloomy news about problems in Greece and the Euro zone can be VERY GOOD news for North American travelers. Here's why; The dollar has strengthened significantly in the past several months now trading at 1.29 US to the Euro (a stronger dollar goes further). The Tallinn 4 star convention hotels are now about $94 per night with no additional taxes and you get 2 hot buffet breakfasts daily included with your room.
The international price of a barrel of oil has been down steadily for the past 2 months now at 96.45 per/bbl. Since fuel costs are a significant factor in air fares, declining crude means cheaper air fares.

Regarding airfares:
We are already seeing some reasonable deals on fares to Tallinn and other European gateway cities. Here are some found on www.Kayak.com. I use Atlanta as the example departure city but Birmingham only seems to add about $70 to the overall fare.
Using the "My dates are flexible" option allows you consider fares up to 3 days before or after your ideal dates.

Round trips options as of last night:
Atlanta to Tallinn July 1- July 9 $1145 including all taxes
Atlanta to Stockholm July 1- July 11 $1234 " "
Atlanta to Helsinki July 2- July 10 $1152 " "
Atlanta to Riga, Latvia July 1- July 10 $1145 "
Atlanta to Paris July 2 - July 11 $1133 " "

Now for multiple stop options: Once you have looked at several round trip options above using the "my dates are flexible" you can then begin to mix and match the best fares from above using the "multiple cities" option. Examples:
Atlanta to Paris on July 2 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 10 $1320
Atlanta to Helsinki on June 30 and back to Atlanta from Riga on July 11 $1364
For multiple cities you will need to then determine how you will get between the cities in Europe. For example fly into Helsinki and overnight or proceed to the port (about $8 bus fare from the airport) and take the 2 hour ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn and then after the convention take the 4 hour ($20) motor coach to downtown Riga next to the old town. See earlier blogs about using the Helsinki ferry (Dec 30) and the bus to Riga old town (Feb 21).

What about leaving my car in Atlanta (or whatever your gateway city)? No problem. Go to http://www.parksleepfly.com/ and select one of several airport motels in your departure city that allows you to leave your car for free for up to 2 weeks with just a one night stay at either end of your trip. They also shuttle you to and from the airport at no extra cost.

Get started NOW planning your flights to the convention. Problems in Greece have been successfully managed for 3 thousand years.     

BAGGAGE, Checked, carry on and what to pack.

For international travel there is no standardized rule about size, weight and cost of a checked bag.  All rules are specific to the airline with some common guidelines.  Its best to check with your airline to see what their bag policy is before you complete your packing.   When you depart North America for Europe, you will be checking your bags through to your final destination even if you are connecting to a smaller inter-European airline that has a different and more restrictive bag weight policy.  However if you are making a side trip before or after the convention within Europe you need to be aware of that airline's checked and carry on bag policy.  Delta, for example, does not charge for the first bag on international flights which is surprising since they charge $25 for a one way domestic flight.  From the US, the bag may weigh up to 50 lbs without incurring an overweight or excess baggage charge.  Most European carriers allow 20 Kg (44 pounds) and charge 25 Euro per checked bag.  Please note that the extra few pounds Delta allows might later incur a charge say on SAS or Baltic Air.  I say "might" because you may get away with a few extra pounds but be prepared to either pay the extra fee or pull heavy items out of your suitcase to stick in a carry on back pack or purse.  I have a small colapsable cloth bag (like a big launry bag with a zipper) that I carry in my suitcase.  If I start to run over on weight, I have used this as a second checked bag paying the 25 Euros rather than the penalty for excess baggage which can be 5 or more Euros per kilo.  Your second bag then can also be up to 20 Kilos.  This might be helpful if you are inclined to bring home lots of souvenirs.

Most airlines allows customers to bring one carry on bag and one personal items such as a purse, backpack or laptop bag. 

Be mindful of some of the discount European carriers who may have a cheap fare but charge more for luggage and have a lower weight allowance.  (e.g Ryan Air)
Make sure your luggage is tagged.  I have never lost a bag permanently but a few times over a lifetime of travel I have had to wait a day or two to have a bag delivered.

I prefer a hard sided suitcase that can take shocks and not damage anything inside.  Soft sided bags are fine but just be sure and wrap fragile items in clothes.  Except your meds, most anything can be easily secured in Tallinn.  The main convention hotel is adjacent to the city's biggest indoor mall complete with drug and department stores. 
Most of the sessions at the convention are summer casual.  Slacks and sports shirts for men will be standard. The installation banquet is business casual with coat and tie for those being installed so there's no need to pack an assortment of suits.  Men, you can easily plan to pack a blazer or sport coat and wear it on the plane and dress it up as needed during the convention.

Try to resist over packing.  Laundry services are readily available and housekeeping can bring an iron to your room.

The European division is also asking convention visitors to bring one or more articles of lightly used clothing for the Raake Civitan Club"s clothes closet for the poor. This might be a way to lighten your load and make room for souvenirs for your trip home.

Getting and using money in Europe

For any international travel, money or its equivalent (credit cards) are important issues to sort out before your trip.  You might have sufficient money to pay your way but is it in the right currency, and is your credit card accepted in the local ATMs and what about travelers checks?  All good questions so lets address them:

Start with pocket money:  For a week long trip to Europe I would bring at least a few hundred US dollars in bills no bigger than $20s.  I don't recommend that this be what you change to use exclusively for your pocket money but rather to keep as back up.  Then use an accepted (more on that later) credit/debit card to get local cash in an ATM.  I prefer to use ATMs since you get a much better rate of exchange than you would at a money changer.  Estonia is a member of the 17 nation European Union and therefore uses the Euro.  Unless you go to non EU nations like |Great Britain, Norway or Eastern European countries like Poland, Latvia or even Russia, the Euro will be all you will need. 
You will need to use your PIN code with your card for any purchases.  This means in restaurants, shops as well as at ATM's you will need to use your pin whether you use it as credit or debit.  American Express is the exception. 

You can get Euros at your local bank in the US before you leave but really don't need to.  ATMs are readily available everywhere and especially at arrival terminals at every airport that you would fly into from the US.  So when you arrive find an ATM, get a few hundred Euros and you'll be set.  If you need more there are ATMs everywhere.  If you change too much you can always use up your excess Euros to pay a part of your hotel bill in cash on your last day and the balance with a credit card. Some banks charge you a fee for using ATM's outside their network but from our experience its cheaper than buying Euros at a US bank before you leave.  Our local Birmingham banks don't sell much foreign currency and don't keep any on hand so it becomes a big deal.  They need to order the Euros to be brought in which takes a few days.  They then charge a fee of $25 no matter how much we change and the exchange rate is usually not very good.  I recommend you wait and get Euros at an ATM at your arrival airport.

Most Visa/ MC and the Amex credit cards are accepted everywhere but there are some caveats worth noting... THIS is very IMPORTANT ... Before you leave the country, call the toll free number on the back of your card and let them know that you will be traveling to Europe and the dates.  Otherwise they may assume your card has been hacked or stolen and being misused in Eastern Europe and block it.  I have never had a problem when I have called to let the card issuer know my plans.  However, I have had it blocked when I didn't call ahead.  Its really no big deal and its for your security.  Also look for either the word "Plus" or "Cirrus" on the back of your Visa or MC card.  These are more readily accepted as international cards and some may argue you don't need to get prior authorization to use them abroad.  I have one card with PLUS on it and one without either designation.  I generally use the one card tied to a local Birmingham bank without either of these designations on the back and have only had a problem when I don't let them know I'm going abroad.
You can pay with Euros wherever you go or you can charge to your credit card.  The exchange rates using the cards are as good as any business gets with no unreasonable mark up.  You can get an idea of the currency daily in local newspapers or at any number of online exchange sites.  I like www.xe.com where you plug in your purchase in either US$ or Euros and it will calculate it for you.  The rate today is $1.32  to 1 Euro.  When shopping or getting a coffee figure to add about 30% to the posted price in Euros to get the dollar equivalent. 
Some tips:  Find out if your bank has a partner in Europe and stick with their ATMs to save on fees.  Some bank cards don't charge a foreign currency transaction fee.  You might have such a card already.
Travelers checks:  I haven't used them in over a decade.  They still work but have limitations.  You pay I believe 1% to get travelers checks and then many merchants won't take them or if they do, you pay a premium (i.e. worse exchange rate).  The big advantage is that you can get your money back if they are lost or stolen.  I still think using ATMs for cash and credit cards for everything else is best. 
Best be smart and keep an extra card in a carry on or with someone else you are traveling with in case you loose it or if your card for some reason doesn't work.

10 weeks to go

Is it time to book your flight yet?  I think round trip air fares to Europe in early July will still come down in the next 4 weeks and be cheaper than today.  This is my guess albeit one born of experience.   Here's why; in mid to late May as the airlines assess their inventory of unsold seats for trips in July, they do so recognizing this will not be a banner year for travel to Europe given concerns about the economies of both the US and Europe.  The exception will be for Olympics related travel mainly to London in late July.  The airlines assessment will be factoring in the higher cost of fuel which is still somewhat of an overhang affecting everything against the lost revenue of flying with empty seats.  My sense is that they find a balance by discounting from these levels enough to try and fill all the flights heading over the Atlantic. 
I'll repeat some of what I've covered in previous blogs regarding flight bookings:
Use an aggregater like Kayak.com (or even Priceline.com to make an offer).  Pick some round trips to assorted European gateway cities that you might have wanted to visit (or just to change planes) and be sure and check the box "My dates are flexible."  Stockholm and Helsinki are good ones with cheap round trip connections to Tallinn on local carriers.  Once you've found the best fares to and from the cities of your choice then match them up by picking the best fare coming in (for example to Munich) and then best fare coming home (e.g. from Amsterdam).  Each of these cities also offers very reasonable one way fares to Tallinn on several airlines.   You can even get real creative and pick some "out of favor" cities that have been stigmatized of late in the news due to their political and financial problems such as Athens and Barcelona.  Tourists are still welcome there and hotel and airline rates are better than they were prior to their problems.
This is an ideal time to play around with your bucket list and see what strikes your fancy.  Here is another option to consider;  Round trip to Dublin, Ireland which also has a direct non stop flights to Tallinn or one way to Dublin and then come home from Helsinki spending a few days in each city coming and going.  Anyway...best to start playing around with the many options online or contact a travel agent.  If you don't have an agent, we recommend Wayne Mullis Travel who is coming to the convention and will book your round trip to the convention for only $25 amoe@wmtvl.webmail.com or 800-225-4815

European electrical voltage and plug adapters

For most phones and laptops you do not need to worry about the European standard 220 Volts since manufactures of travel appliances (razors, hair dryers, cell phones, etc) have designed the chargers and power adapters to handle a range of power from 100 Volts to 240 Volts (for North America, 110 Volt is standard) and convert it to whatevever output your appliance requires to run or charge it.
You will however, need to have a PLUG ADAPTER in order for your US plug or charger to fit in the wall in any standard socket in Europe.  These adapter plugs are readily available online for a few dollars or at Radio Shack, Best Buy and even Walmart sometimes in a kit with more plugs than you need.  I recommend EBay where I recently bought 20 plug adapters for $10 and passed them out to the board and staff.  The plug adapter is a must have item if you plan to have a phone, tablet or laptop charged while in Europe.  The picture above shows the configuratiuon of the European standard wall plug with the flip side showing the standard US wall plug.
All rooms at the convention hotel in Tallinn have hair dryers in the room and irons available.