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1. Whenever you travel abroad, it's a good idea to register with the U.S. Embassy in the country you'll be visiting. This is particularly important during wartime or any other time when Americans might be at increased risk. For China, you may register online by clicking this link: REGISTER NOW! 2. Call credit card companies to let them know you will be in China. 3. Pay your bills! 4. Have all of your affairs in order: insurance documents, power of attorney, currant will, and guardianship arrangements. Organize all of your adoption paperwork needed in China. 5. Don't forget your cash, airline tickets, and passports! 6. Make sure you pack your camera and film in your carry-on bag. Checked luggage is put through a much stronger source of xray equipment that may fog your film. 7. Get traveller's checks at your bank. 8. Call and have a hold put on your mail and/or newspapers. 9. Turn your water heater down to lowest setting. 10. Leave a house key, a complete itinerary, and copies of ALL your most important documents and identification cards with a family member or neighbor. 11. Take an extra set of passport pictures with you. 12. Take enough prescription meds to get you through the trip and then some. 13. Unplug electronic items in your house and set timers for lights to avoid burglaries. 14. Check your health insurance and your homeowner's insurance to make sure you are covered in case of lost or stolen items while on your trip. 15. A passport allows the beholder to travel in foreign countries. All US Passports must be valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date you return home from China. A visa is an approval made on a passport denoting that the bearer has requested permission to enter a specific foreign country for a determined amount of time. You can no longer apply for a Chinese visa on your own. You must have a sponsor. Ask your agency for recommendations. 16. Get vaccinations from your local health department. They are not required but are recommended. Tetanus, Hepatitis A & B, Flu Shot. Check the Center for Disease Control online. 17. Make sure you have an antibiotic for the adults and for the children just in case. Cipro is excellent if you get a stomach bug over there. Don't take immodium as it will keep the critter inside you prolonging your illness. Zithromax is a good general antibiotic and can be ordered by your pediatrician in powdered form. The pharmacist and/or pediatrician will give you instructions for mixing. |
1. Talk about your fear. The flight attendants can be very helpful by checking in with you throughout the flight. 2. If you're stressed, your body burns off blood sugar, so try and eat nutritious meals the day you leave. Avoid sugars and refined carbohydrates as much as possible. 3. Take a headphone set with music that you enjoy. This may help relax you. 4. Ask you doctor about a prescription for Xanax. This works directly on your central nervous system, calming your fears quite well. It might make you a little sleepy. Try it at home before you leave to see what you can handle. Speak to your doctor if you feel it is too strong or not strong enough. There are a few choices of strengths available. 5. Arrive at the airport in plenty of time: rushing will increase your anxiety! 6. Bring some drinks and snacks along. Passengers can wait as long as an hour for flight attendants to serve drinks. 7. TURBULENCE: "First you need to know that turbulence is a problem for people only because people think turbulence is a problem for the airplane. Actually the airplane couldn't be happier than when in turbulence. It just doesn't bother airplanes, only us who think it bothers airplanes." Turbulence is natural in the skies. If you're caught in turbulence, says Captain Tom: "Practice matching every down with an up." We usually don't notice the "ups" because we're afraid of the "downs", (Our instinctual fear of falling.) But the "falls" are balanced by upward motion, too. 8. THUNDERSTORMS can frighten kids even on land. Your child may be reassured to know that the aircraft radar can determine the size and intensity of storms, and pilots generally avoid thunderstorms. Flying through a storm isn't dangerous; a lightening strike won't hurt the airplane, or penetrate inside. You're safe from lightening inside the plane (whether it's flying or on the ground.) |
1. Carrying your film in your checked bags used to be a safer bet, but with stronger bomb detection devices, your film is now more likely to get fried. 2. High-speed film is the most susceptible to damage, but all your film is at risk. 3. You can try and ask for a manual inspection in the United States, Canada and some foreign airports to avoid the x-rays if you place your film in your carry-on bag. 4. Use a lead-lined bag to carry your fil in to avoid damage. They usually come in two sizes: small and large. I used the small one and it was fine. 5. You are not free to take pictures anywhere you like in China. Do not attempt to take photos in certain museums, archaeological sites, nor many temples. When in doubt, ask your guides. These rules are generally enforced. Should you neglect to heed the rules, authorities could confiscate your exposed film and impose heavy fines on the spot. 6. Do not take pictures inside airports, especially near the customs area. Do not take pictures inside of a temple. You may do so outside, though. Look for signs that are posted in public places restricting photos. Try to ask people if you can take their picture first. Many times they will not mind, however some will say no. |
1. Several weeks before you travel, begin drinking as much water as you can. 2. Get a good night's sleep before you leave. 3. Avoid caffeine, carbonated and alcoholic beverages before you travel and throughout the duration of the flight. 4. When you land, try and maintain your regular schedule and go to bed at your normal time. 5. Take a short nap when arriving at your destination, then stay active the rest of the day. 6. Take it easy on the day you arrive so that you can take advantage of your trip at a leisurely pace and establish a routine in sync with the local time. 7. Get out during the day and soak up the sunlight. Walk around for a while and drink a lot of bottled water. 8. Note that jet lag is easier to get over once in China than it is when you get home. You will have jet lag much worse upon arriving home and it can last for several days. Be prepared by asking a family member or close friend to go to the grocery store for you before you arrive home. Maybe someone can make food and bring it over the first couple of days. Make sure YOU SLEEP WHENEVER THE BABY SLEEPS, (in China, too)! |
1. Expect to have your luggage, as well as yourself, searched. 2. Remove and place in your carry-on luggage all large jewelry, watches, belt buckles, pens, glasses, coins, credit cards and other items that might trigger a metal detector. 3. Have your passport, photo ID and ticket where you can easily access it at any given time. 4. Make sure you have a luggage tag with the name that is on your ticket and passport. 5. Travel with a self-addressed and stamped large envelope in case security takes something away from you that they no longer allow on flights. Ask them to mail it to you and they will. 6. Remove any laptop computer, cell phone, or similar electronic device from your carry-on luggage before passing through security. They want to individually inspect these items. 7. Limit your carry-on to two pieces. Make sure they are the allowed size and weight before getting to the airport. Airline personnel are very strict about this. 8. On international flights, you are allowed 2 checked bags, weighing 50 pounds or less, each piece, 1 carry-on per person, no larger than 14"x9"x22", and 1 personal item per person such as a purse or briefcase. 9. On domestic flights in China, you are allowed 1 checked bag, weighing 44 pounds or less, 1 carry-on per person, no larger than 14"x9"x22", and 1 personal item per person, such as a purse or briefcase. 10. NEVER leave your bags unattended! Anyone could drop something inside an unwatched bag to get it on the plane! They ask you that at the desk for a reason! LOL 11. Place a sticker with your contact information inside in case your luggage gets lost and the tag has been removed. 12. Make a list of all contents in your possession, including all suitcases and carry-ons. 13. Whenever you are in China and getting on a flight, you must fill out these little white cards before you get in the Customs lines. Also, have your passport ready to show and your airline ticket while in the airports. |
1. Drink a lot of water! 2. Apply lip balm many times during the flight. 3. Bring moisturizer for your face and body. The plane dries out your skin! Be sure it is unscented or very lightly scented so as not to disturb the other passengers. 3. Take clothes you can change into that will help you get comfortable. 4. Bring along a good book and some magazines. 5. Bring a deck of cards or other games that suit your travel partners. 6. Move around! Frequently bend and stretch your legs in your seat and walk around the plane (many people do it). This will help to avoid muscle aches, back aches, cramping and is recommended for avoiding deep vein thrombosis (clots). The prevent deep vein thrombosis, the National Institute of Health recommends that one "minimize immobility of the legs (ambulate frequently during long plane trips, car trips, etc)." Click on the following link for more information.Deep Vein Thrombosis |
1. Make sure everyone in the family gets a good night's sleep on the evening before you leave for vacation. 2. Keep a color picture of your child's face in your purse or wallet in case he or she gets lost in a crowded airport or shopping area. 3. Have children drink a lot of water, too. Avoid sodas and too much sugar. 4. Take pajamas with you on the plane so your child will sleep more easily. 5. In Your Hotels: exposed outlets should be covered with safety plugs. Pack a few in your bag just to be safe! Also, be careful not to let your children go out on any balconies. Watch for sharp corners on furniture and check to make sure the door chain is short enough that your child cannot slip through. Be mindful of the cords on the window coverings. Tie them up so they are out of your child's reach. Make sure blow dryer is not able to be pulled into bathtub. 6. Stuff to Amuse Kids on a Long Trip |
1. If you have business cards take a lot of them. When you offer or receive a business card, do so holding the card with both hands especially if the other party is someone deserving of particular respect. And then, most importantly, when you receive a card, study it. Seriously! Take a moment and look it over. The Western habit of just tossing it in your wallet or pocket is not polite. 2. You will be stared at and approached many times in China. Be friendly and kind. Many Chinese love to take a moment of your time to say hello and practice their English. They also love to know how much money things cost in America, including our babies! Don't be alarmed by the number of people who gather around you when you stop to talk to one or two. It is just amazing at how quickly you may be surrounded by 50 or so people. Don't be alrmed. Just smile and make your way out of the crowd. 3. If you happen to be up and out walking around the neighborhood, you may very well see old men with bird cages smoking cigarettes. Others, men and women, practice Tai Chi and Tai Gek (with swords). A few balance their chi (spirtual energy) by walking backwards and bellowing at the top of their lungs to release the bad air. Young romantics hold hands. Fathers patiently teach their children the exquisite brushstrokes of Chinese calligraphy. A practitioner of Chinese medicine sits beside an empty cot. Others sleep or read or meditate. All of this at 7:00 a.m.! 4. China is very polluted. The problem is coal and coal dust. Coal is the primary fuel in China. Of the world's 10 most polluted cities, eight of them are in China. On many days, you cannot see the sky as there is a constant gray smog in hte air. If you have asthma, take your meds with you. I have mild to moderate asthma and I was allright, but I wasn't outside a whole lot. 5. You will all most assuredly experience at least one "squat-potty" on your trip. Always carry toilet paper in your day bag becasue chinese toilets don't have any. The squat toilets are a cultural experience to say the least! You won't believe how quickly you become good at it! Your legs will hurt like the dickens for a while though. They really don't need any further explanation! In the hotels we stay in there are regular bathrooms with toilet paper and evrything you would find inan American hotel. 6. There are very few restrictions on where foreigners are allowed to be within a city, so you may feel free to walk almost anywhere. Moreover, you can proceed with the assurance that Chinese cities are among the safest in the world. Before you set out, however, take a card bearing the hotel's name and address in Chinese in case you get lost. 7. The currency in China is the Renminbi, meaning the People's Money, and is abbreviated as RMB. The basic unit is Yuan. 8 Yuans are equal to approximately $1.00 US. 8. Chinese New Year is January 22 - 25, 2004. It is the year of the Monkey. This is the biggest festival celebrated by the Chinese people. Most businesses and government offices close down for at least one week during this holiday. |
1. Request a seat in the bulkhead area with a bassinet.The only downfall is that you have to take the baby out if the captain turns on the "Fasten Seat Belts" sign. 2. Make sure you have diapers, wipes, and little plastic bags to dispose of poopie diapers. 3. Have a couple of bottles, and a pacifier so the babies can suck to pop their ears when taking off and landing. 4. Stacking cups and board books are great. 5. Take cheerios, and more cheerios! Throw some fruit loops in the mix for color and fun! 6. Ask the flight attendant for the baby meal. They will give you jars of baby food. 7. If you land on the west coast of the U.S., and live on the east coast, get a hotel room for the night. It'll make the second leg of your journey much more enjoyable for all involved after a good night's sleep. |
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