Traveling Abroad? Here's What You Need to Know

Keywords: checklists, international, travel

By Meryl D. Pearlstein

1. Since 9/11 children traveling with their parents or with other adults must possess a passport or birth certificate just like any adult

2. Review the CDC Web site (www.cdc.gov) to learn about any vaccinations or medications necessary for the part of the world you’ll be visiting. Note, in particular, any differences in dosage or medication by age group. If you’re traveling to an area where malaria, Typhoid, or bugs are common, search out pediatric and adult specialists in inoculations enough in advance of your trip to allow for the recommended dosage and timing to take effect.

3. Determine whether it is safe to drink the water in the area you will be visiting. Although purification may eliminate any worries at your resort or hotel, outside areas and ice cubes may pose a risk. Also, silverware washed in dirty water can be equally harmful.

4. Try to pack as light as possible. With escalating fuel costs, airlines are increasingly charging for suitcases that are overweight or for a second suitcase. Lay out all your clothes and then leave half behind. Pack powdered detergent to rinse out quick-dry fabric items instead. If you plan to purchase a lot of gifts, pack clothing that you can discard on the way and replace with new trinkets without altering the weight of your bags.

5. Use soft duffels when you can - invest in a series of colored stuff bags that you can color code and label to organize items easily. A great system might be one bag for underwear, one for pants, one for socks, one for medicines, and one for electronics. Bring along extra stuff sacks or a garbage bag to keep dirty laundry separate from clean clothes.

6. Pack duplicates of items that you may not be able to purchase abroad. These would include contact lenses, eyeglasses, special eye drops, medicines, and food items for your kids (peanut butter, crackers). Also bring extras of children’s favorites that may not be readily accessible if lost such as pacifiers, stuffed toys, books (foreign language books may not do the trick!)

7. Remember that a camera malfunction could mean a vacation disaster. Always bring lots and lots of batteries as well as a disposable camera or two…. Just in case.

8. Involve your kids - if they’re old enough - in the planning of the trip. Give them maps they can mark up with notes as well as a notebook for recording their thoughts and drawing pictures of what they see.

Traveling with her two sons and husband has given Meryl Pearlstein a chance to “live” all over the world, something she’s always longed to do. Meryl has been a writer from her earliest days on her junior high school newspaper,then working in marketing and advertising, and later as a travel publicist and travel writer. Meryl also drags her clan to restaurants throughout Manhattan where she critiques the ever-changing NYC food scene for Gayot.com. A Bostonian who remains true to the Red Sox despite her NYC residence, Meryl also writes for Fodor’s Guide to New York, and has written for www.ClubMom.com, the Boston Herald, Global Traveler, Fortune Small Business online, GQ, and New York Magazine.