Danna

Remembered to sign our passports, made for a quick trip to the Embassy (where they told us to sign them) it only took 4 passport checks before a bank clerk noticed we were in Amsterdam on invalid passports. Won't make that mistake again!

Marilyn

...get extra pages put into my passport. There weren't enough for my Cambodian visa and I was not allowed on the plane in Bangkok. Had to go back to the American Embassy, get more pages, return to the airport, and catch a later flight. What a hassle!

Sarah

...feed the cat. But that's OK, I was getting tired of her anyway.

b

I returned about 2 weeks ago from a 7 day trip. My biggest regret was that I didn't take 1 day to read up on French history before I left. This would have helped me follow the importance and relevance of the material in the museums and portrait galleries

Christy

I would recommend taking a guide book/history book before you go, perhaps as reading on the flight. That way you know (as the previous post said) why its important that this statue was here, etc...

Also, remember that not every country is open 24 hours a day... growing up in Miami, I was used to being able to go out and eat anywhere, any time... when flying into England, we went to go out to eat at 8pm, when we were rested from our flight...only to discover that noone served food after 8!

Also, please remember that not everyone is an American, and they have different mores, values, and culture.... celebrate the differences rather than bemoan them, else why travel in the first place???

Julie

I wish I had really tested out my walking shoes before going. Paris is a fantastic city to walk in and my feet were aching so much from shoes I thought were comfortable for walking that I really suffered. Am planning another trip and am in the process of finding some good walking shoes now and taking my dog for long walks wearing them before I go. There's been a lot of advise in this website offered on shoes, and I've printed it out and am trying several brands recommended. Can't emphasize how important good walking shoes are for any trip!

Have a great trip.

Lisa

Passport: if it expires within 6 months of your trip, get it renewed. Many countries will not let you in unless you have 6 months headroom on your passport.

Anthony

Susie,

A lot of great advice has been sent you.

My wife and I have occasional dental problems. If you also have them it might be good to have a check-up in the States just to make sure crowns are secure, cavities are filled, etc.

Secondly, you might ask your hotel concierge who he/she might recommend shoud you have dental problems.

Last, bring along your dentist's phone number. Sometimes he can advise what to do if a problem or maybe even consult with your French dentist.

As one who has had dentistry in France and iIeland while on vacation I know that these suggestions could come in handy to a first time traveler.

Bonnne chance!

Anthony

LJ

This may seem morbid, but I am a pastor and quite used to dealing with death so...bear with me and listen up!!! Real anxiety is caused by failing to deal with this one.

If you have elderly/ailing parents, decide before you go whether you wish to be notified in advance in the event that they die.Make the decision and talk it over with a sibling or close friend and either advise that you do not wish to be notified or leave FULL instructions on how you can be reached.

My fervent prayer is that you never need this advice, but having dealt with the guilt caused by failing to think through this issue in advance, I hope you will take heed.

vita

Bring a pen! I never go anywhere without one, but somehow it happened. Everytime I'd take a moment to write something down on my trip (a nice restaurant, a pleasant memorie, whatever), I realized that I forgot to buy one. I finally remembered in Florence so now I have a nice pen with a picture of David on it as a souvenir.

JMM

ALWAYS bring a spare pair of glasses. On a trip to England, I lost the only pair I had with me. It did not ruin the trip as I can see without them but I had to squint a lot.

debbie

Keep your ticket stubs and meal bills - they make great entries for scrapbooking, and also give you guideline as to what things cost when you were there.

Ouch!

Everyone go back and read Anthony's post again! If you have ever had a tooth absess, you will not even think of going unprepared. It will make a grown man cry. Even natural childbirth pales in comparison. I've had two (not overseas) but both began on a Friday night. Dentist will try to get you to Monday with pain killers which do not work. (And I have a very high pain tolerance.) Mine finally met me at the office to relieve the pressure. It's like touching a hot burner and not being able to let go. It will start out as sensitivity to hot (not cold) say drink unlike a cavity and quickly progresses. At first you think you have time to wait, but if it is a true absess, within hours you dying. Sorry for the scare, but it is real. Trust me, I've had two. P.S. A dental check-up before leaving would let you know if you are in a danger zone. If so, fix it then.

calm

......flush.

shoes

Julie
Why are you letting your dog break in your shoes for you?
Aren't his feet a different size than yours?

Renee

You can now hold your mail via the internet: https://dunsapp.usps.gov/HoldMail.jsp

peggi

I agree with quite a lot of the previous postings, such as breaking in your walking shoes,bringing sweetener if you use it, buying postcards, reading as much as you can in advance, etc. ALSO, I would highly recommend a private tour guide...we got one off this site...it was the best money we could have spent! Not that you need him every day, but, boy, does he make things easier when you have "an agenda". We were with him from 8:30am - 6:30 pm and did more in that time than we would have accomplished in 3 days on our own...even given that I have been to Paris several times before and speak a little French.

ncgrrl

Learned this one the hard way. Empty the ice bucket in the freezer. I usually have a lot of ice in the bucket and there was a multi-day power outage while I was away and the ice melted and overflowed into the freezer. That wasn't fun to clean up after vacation.

mm

- a small flashlight
- pre-printed address labels for postcards
- a collapsible cup
- dental floss

mm

re: b

Would it have taken you a whole day to read "We surrender"?

MM