When you pack for the trip, please have this check list in front of you not to forget anything:
- Passport
- Credit card and/or ATM card
- Inform your bank that you will be traveling abroad, thus avoid them to block your account!
- Pouch or money belt for security
- Photocopies of passport and cc: one set to leave home, one set to keep somewhere hidden in your suitcase
- At a secret spot, a piece of paper with the cc number and the phone number of your bank to call in case cc is stolen (1-800… does not work from Europe!)
- Some cash (Euros, ca. 200-300) (get it now!)
- Rain gear (umbrella, good walking shoes, jacket, a light sweater) – absolutely required!
- Wrist watch
- Some extra reading material
- your textbook – a total must! Order it online, or buy it locally, in good time! The UA Bookstore has copies.
- For electronic equipment, an adaptor is necessary since Europeans have a different outlet system (Italy and Switzerland tend to have slightly smaller openings in their outlets, so I have had problems in the past!)
- Good backpack
- Travel journal (for your required writing)
- If you need to call home, get skype, or a global phone (expensive), or a calling card (which you must activate here in the US). But there are many options in Europe to get cheap calling cards (for each country individually, not for Europe together)
- When you travel, wear light but not too exposed clothing (women, in Italy, e.g., you cannot enter churches without shoulders, arms, and thighs covered – no shorts or t-shirts allowed)
- Always have a pen and a pencil on you, and a piece of paper!
- Empty water bottle (in Europe water is almost always charged to your bill in restaurants) – you can fill the bottle with water after you have passed the checkpoint at the airport, and later in the hotels. Water is safe everywhere in Europe, so need to buy bottled water, if you have your own bottle.
- Some basic medicine: band-aid, Tylenol, antibiotics (anything you might need via a prescription you cannot get in Europe)
- Make sure that your walking shoes are soft enough or broken in to avoid blisters (have extra band-aids with you!)
- Camera (memory card, batteries, etc.)
- Laundry detergent (we won’t have real access to any laundromats)
- Bring clothes that fit not too tightly (jeans not the best, they don’t dry easily when washed), be prepared for cold and warm weather! Women, you must cover yourself in a decent way, otherwise many Catholic churches or synagogues will deny you access.
- Keep in mind, there is the expectation for a tip of ca. 2 euros per day for the bus driver (if working for us)
- In your carry-on bags, no sharp objects, no liquids more than 3 oz.
- Zip-lock bags (for many different uses)
- only one suitcase (up to 50 pounds allowed), plus one carry-on (backpack)
- rain jacket, hat, always a scarf for when weather gets cold and windy
- upon initial departure from the US, make absolutely sure that your baggage is checked through to the final destination; on your boarding pass or the jacket must be a baggage claim sticker.
- every country in Europe uses its own (postcard) stamps, so do not buy too many in one country.
- do not use a lock on your suitcase! In customs they might break it open anyway, or you might lose your key. Simply do not pack any valuables in the suitcase!
- not necessary to bring shampoo or conditioner, all hotels provide you with those free of charge