Do Pack:
- At least 2 full "uniforms". Ours is black trousers, white button-down shirt, black shoes, black coat. Walking, driving, presenting, eating, and (last night) hopping affords many chances for dirt to accumulate before washing day. And don't be shy about asking your next hosts to use the laundry.
- A good-looking, but not flashy rain shell and zip-in/out fleece. Layered and multi-functional for arriving at formal functions and trekking along.
- Electric plug adapter and stepdown (or step-up) voltage converter. These are two separate items. The adapter allows the home plug to fit the foreign socket. The converter changes the power level so electric items don't blow up or, conversely, brown out.
- Extra memory cards (or a netbook) and rechargeable camera batteries.
- A travel alarm to wake yourself so your new hosts don't have to bang on your door. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the call of "wakey, wakey" from the mother of three kids at my last host - directed at them, I'm sure, exactly three minutes before my own alarm sounded.
- A small, folding map and a highlighter. I can't tell you how many times we've criss-crossed an area. Honestly, without marking the roads, I can't.
- Shoes that only match one outfit. No one cares if you're wearing the same shoes as yesterday if they've only met you today.
- Too many toiletries. There are convenience stores in case you run out of your toothpaste that's likely produced by a multi-national corporation using the same recipe.
- The same gift you think you'll give to every host family. Rotarians may all be part of the same club, but they're not the same people. Thank you, Amy, for the pink flashy bouncing balls. Totally cool - and definitely not something I thought of packing.
