Lessons Learned - International Travel

Before I forget, I wanted to make note of a few lessons learned from my first international trip in a long while. Thailand, overall, was an amazing experience, but it wasn't without it's issues.

In any case, some friendly reminders:

- Know the difference between "Domestic" and "International" and the interchange, once you get into your destination. My final destination was Chiang Mai, so I had to change airlines (from International to Domestic) when I arrived in Bangkok. Bags, passport check, etc. needed to be done. I gave myself plenty of time to do this, and I knew there were some logistics involved, but next time I'll be better prepared.

- Fill out your Immigration Forms on the Airline, regardless of what the stewardess tells you. Bummer, my stewardness said I didn't need one, which caused me an extra hour delay going through the Passport Control line, filling a card out, and starting all over. Yuck! :)

- Carry a pen with you. Duh! Can you believe I didn't have a pen on me? I guess iPhones don't do everything.

- Don't pack any "warm" clothes. It was the mildest time of year in Thailand, and while it was "cold" for like 5 minutes in the early, early morning or late evening, there was no need for jeans, sweaters, jackets, etc. at all. As far as shoes go, you could get away with sandals and running/walking shoes with no problem.

- Do pack Mosquito and bug repellent and some form of anti-biotic or bug bite medicine. My teacher brought some Jatamansi Essential Oil, and I brought mass amounts of Neosporin, I think they saved my life, because I was in bug bite heaven. :)

- Take Vitamin B supplements to avoid the bugs. A few of the others in my group avoided the bug bites altogether by take mass dosages of Vitamin B. Seems the bugs don't like B's.

- Spend 2-3 days just on your own. I took just 1 more day for myself, which wasn't nearly enough to see the City and the rest that the town had to offer. I should've stayed for at least 2-3 days, so I could relax, take my time, and settle in. Next time.

- Get money from a main bank, since the service charges will be much less. I lucked out and found a major bank ATM to get money. They changed me $5 surcharge, and my bank ended up charging me like $10 in addition, but this was for about $700 US. Other ATMs charge a lot more, so be careful and don't choose a generic ATM.

- At the Bazaar or market, bargain, it's part of the culture. Don't get caught up into how much you're saving, because it'll end up just being a few dollars, but bargain, it's fun. Try this.

- Eye something, let's say a nice handmade hat (for your kids)
- Look at it, not too much emotion, and say "How much?"
- They'll come back right away with a ridiculously high price ... 350 Baht (which is like $12)
- "Wow, so high, nevermind" ... and start walking away.
- They'll come back and say, you offer me and I'll give you a special price
- Now, go back and forth until you get what you want for one hat. I could probably haggle down to 200 Baht in a matter of minutes. Then ask, what about if I buy three of them?
- Go back and forth until you get an even better deal in quantity.
- I got 3 hats (started at 350 Baht each) for 550 for three. That's like $7 each.
- Hey, it's fun and you know they got a good deal anyway because the locals are paying like 50 Baht for one hat. :) But, that's cool, my kids loved those hats and the stories connected with them.