Travel Tips

Hi Cousins,

   For those of you that are traveling from the US I wanted to send you some travel tips I have been gathering these past few weeks.  My daughter Nicole is in  Europe right now and has been very helpful sending me lots of good ideas.

1.  Make sure you bring your electric outlet converters you can pick them up as a set at Best Buy or Frys

2.  Don't bring high heel shoes or at least pointed heels, bring comfortable walking shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking.

3.  Bring gum for the airplane it helps with the elevation.

4.  If you have a portable GPS (Garmin) and you plan to drive in Ireland, you can purchase an SD card with Ireland road maps for $45 and it just slips into the Garmin.

      Last time I was there I rented a Garmin for 15 eu per day ($21)  It's worth checking out.

5.   Nicole said if you can't carry your luggage then you probably are bringing to much.  Remember the cars are small and the trunks are really small.

6.   Bring a little laundry detergent to wash underwear in the sink. Washing machines are not easily accessible and drying is expensive.
7.   Buy Shampoo and Conditioner when you get to Ireland and get enough to share among the family
8.  Come with Euros and don't wait to do it at the airport. Their exchange rates are awful.

9.  Go to your bank and let them know you will be out of the  country for X amount of weeks/days 

10.  Check out cashpassport.com. It is similar to a debt card that you put money on it and can use it like a credit card but when

      you come home you can cash it out with US dollars and don't have to worry about exchanging Euros. Please keep in mind though that not every

      store can process credit cards so be sure  to carry Euro on you. 

11.  Make sure to bring your drivers license to rent a car. They will need more than a passport
12.  Bring a quality rain jacket.
13.  If there are snacks that you enjoy often that are easy to travel with bring them. the flight is long the drives are long and there are no   

       Supermarkets to get what you are looking for.  Nicole really enjoyed the fruit leather bars at Trader Joe's and dried cranberries and organic almonds.

14.  Make a copy of all your credit cards, your license and Passport and keep it in a safe place or leave a copy at home with a trusted friend or relative.

15.  If you have an iphone or blackberry make sure you talk to your phone provider to see how to turn off the roaming as you will still get charged,

       even if your not using it. (lots of horror stories of $1,000's phone bills)