We are occasionally updating this section as we continue to travel.
Health Planning:
Before we traveled abroad, it was important to us to be properly vaccinated to prevent any serious diseases. Many of the countries we are visiting have different communicable diseases than we do here in the United States. We were lucky enough to see both our primary care physician and travel specialists who advised us which medications and vaccines were necessary for our travel plans.
One of the best resources we found was the Center for Disease Control website. It provides a wealth of infomration about maintaining one's health while traveling to different parts of the world.
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| Poor James suffered through the vaccinations. |
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| While Erin, on the other hand, was actually excited about getting her vaccinations. (Sad, but true). |
Gear and Packing:
We spent a great deal of time researching the best gear for our trip and tried to find the best deals for our necessary items. We limited ourselves to only ONE backpack each (as well as a small "day pack" for our daily adventures). Determining what to pack and how to fit it all in our backpacks was an interesting task.
Here are some of our packed items we'd prefer not to live without:
Travel Microfiber towels
Theft-resistant wallet
Travel clothing (quick-drying items that can be layered and are UV protectant are our favorites!)
Silk sleep sacks
Portable clothes lines (one each - used repeatedly throughout Europe, including in a converted prison)
Packing cubes
Space-saver plastic bags (used nearly every day, as some locations are freezing cold and require a down jacket, while others are surprisingly warm)
Flashlight/alarm clock
Plug Adaptor/Converter - along with a mini-powerstrip that has three outlets.
Pac-Safe Backpack lock (protects your backpack from being stolen)
Earplugs (used for hostels to loud trains - and kids on flights and trains)
Travel Medications (to prevent malaria and other common ailments)Digital Camera
Flip Camera
iPod
Netbooks (one each - Erin uses hers for work and the blog, and James uses his so Erin can use hers)Kindle (James has absoutely lived on his Kindle throughout our EuRail traveling)