Traveling soon???? What to pack!!!!

Travel: Packing Document:

Hello Ladies! So you have waited and waited and um well waited until you couldn't wait anymore! You have ridden the adoption
rollercoaster to heights that are unexplainable and to lows that are just as equally unexplainable. You have called your girlfriend
and typed to all of your forum friends until your fingers are numb and "FONT" is now your middle name. Now you have received
"THE CALL", that you have heard about from so many people. You have cried uncontrollably, you have jumped up and down and
now have an appoinment with the chiropractor and the bottom line is that You have been given the green light to pack and make arrangements.
All the packing drills up to this point has been for this moment, the very action of "Packing" for a trip to Taiwan to meet your child.
DON'T Panic!!!!!! But DO pack those comfy shoes and make sure there are chips for the camera... oh and don't forget......
This document is about to become your packing buddy! That's right.. just go down the list. Here we will list the DO TAKES
vs. The DON'T TAKES! So pull up a cushion and watch the drama unfold as we see what really should go and what should stay...

DO TAKES! (let's start with clothing) Taiwan is a VERY HOT country, in which the summer heat can reach a sweltering
100plus with ease. What does this mean for you Northerners that have never lived in Frightful Florida??? (It is not at all pretty
when it comes to heat) This means that you are about to experience a hot like no other..lol. Not only is it going to be hot but
you are representing your country and in another culture, so what is correct clothing? Well, while we were there we did not see
many native woment wearing anything less than a nice capri. Most women were in capris, slacks/jeans or dresses. Men were mostly
in jeans or slacks mainly with the occassional shorts. I personally suggest long flowing skirts for women. I found them to be
much lighter and a lot more confortable while in the heat. Look at it as an investment in personal airconditioning..lol. So, with
that said, pack what you think you will be comfortable in. If it is during the winter, you might want to concentrate a little more
on pants and a light jacket.
Shoes for you and hubby. I would concentrate on comfort. I took my chocos and David took a couple pair of shoes. If you get
around, you will do some walking,so be comfortable. ON a recent poll in a Taiwan group of shoes to wear, Chocos was number
2 with Crocks being the leader! When we traveled our agency told us to keep in mind that the memorials and the temples may
require certain dress and sure enough, Chiang Kai Chek did. They wanted closed toe shoes, no sandles so keep that in mind
too if you are planning on site seeing.
Some hotels offer laundry, but with you just getting to know your little one for the first time I would suggest not making more
headache for yourself and rely on the clothes you bring.

YOU AND HUBBY!
A nice church type outfit to pick up your little on in and possibly for attending AIT meeting.
A mixture of casual and nice clothing.
2 pair comfortable shoes each just in case one pair doesn't work for you or you wish to switch for a day.
bathing suits if your hotel has a pool
Pajamas
A hat if you are sensative to heat.
Of course plenty of underclothes, more than normal because of the possible sweating you will do while in Taiwan.
Sun glasses
tooth brush
tooth paste


Your child's clothing is a whole nother story! I am sure your orphanage person will give you pretty good ideas of how big
or small your child is, but I would suggest that you bring 2 sizes of clothing just in case and at least 2 pair of shoes!
The shoes was the big problem with our pick up. We brought 4s he was in a 5 1/2. Can you say Big foot? If you are
picking up a child over 2 I would strongly suggest you wait to buy clothing until a week or two before leaving so
that you are getting accurate sizes. Or you can "forget" the shoes all together and buy some Ellie roos and
squeaker shoes!!!!!!

BABY or CHILD!

2 different size shorts, pants dresses.
2 different sized shoes (possibly sandals since it is hot)
You can pick up diapers in Taiwan at department stores but if you wish then bring one package of diapers.
Hat or bonnet for hot sun.
Onesies and pajamas for sleeping or romping in your room
(when packing your diaper bag for travel, make sure you have a few changes of clothes including a soft (no zipper) sleeper.
Our little one got a chaffed chest from the zipper and soiled a few outfits while traveling. It is a long ride home folks.)

THE MEDICINE CABINET
Ok.. not exaclty, but you will need to bring some medicines. The medicines we use can be found pretty easily in Taiwan, BUT
they are a little less strength than ours even if it says it is the same strength and I would strongly suggest that you don't
rely on finding it in Taiwan simply because you are picking up your child and do not want to have to travel across a
country needlessly during an emergency if you can avoid it... take the time to get to know your child... So here is a list that
we found helpful. We have info for you if you need an english speaking doctor while in Taipei and your orphanage will
be reachable I am sure if you need one in their hometown. Your child may be on country insurance still so if they get sick
just take them in and show them the Insurance card provided. Regardless, Doctors are very reasonably priced

Allergy medicine for you and baby/child such as benedryl (helps on plane ride too to keep baby's ears relaxed)
Allergy cream
Eye drops if you are a contact wearer both sterile and re wetting
Tylenol or other
Cough syrup
Orajel or Teething tablets by Hilands (teething tablets are wonderful)
An antibiotic for stomach ailments or small infections for you and hubby
Prescription medications (if you take these in a carry on, they must be less than 4 oz and in a ziplock bag)
Pepeto bismal or Tums
Gas medication
Imodium
Contact kit for contact wearers
Eye glasses
Noczema for sun burns
Baby powder
Butt cream for baby
Sun screen for all
baby/child tylenol
Baby toiletries for first bath with mom and dad (burt's bees shampoo bar and soap was wonderful for travel)
Thermometer for you and a child/baby thermometer with non vasaline base if it is a bottom one.
Nit/lice remover only if your child is in an orphanage sittuation.
Bandaids
Neosporin

IT"S FOR THE BABY/CHILD
* DO NOT BRING: I would not suggest you bring bottles unless you are told for sure what ones they are using. The ones we brought were all
wrong and he would not touch them. SO, just go and match them up with the ones in the department store and you should be
fine. Buy a few for home.
* DO NOT BRING BINKIES: Their binkies are WAY different from American ones and hard to match up in form and shape. If your child's binkie looks foreign to you, find them while in the country and buy at least 5.
*DO NOT BRING: Formula, buy that in country and buy one extra to take home.. I would suggest buying one of those formula dispensers for
in the diaper bag while traveling around Taiwan. HOWEVER, premeasuring the powder in bottles is fairly easy for traveling
or take the whole container on the plain with you (FILL WITH BOTTLED< productid="2590956">


MONEY!!!!
DO BRING: Money Belt. Be careful though when carrying your passports in them. They tend to get wrinkly if the money belt is next to the skin. You have to carry your passports at all times so this is just something you will have to figure out!
*Call your banks and credit card companies BEFORE you travel and let them know you are going out of the country, and when. They can (and do) freeze accts they tag as having suspicious activity.. which means you could get stuck in Taiwan with no ability to get cash UNTIL you reach them by phone.
*TWO DIFFERENT BANK or credit cards (WE took a prepaid thank God that saved our lives at Taipei 101, we could use our
bank cards for all ATMS but the ones in Taipei 101 and in Tain Mu. The prepaid however worked great!!!! no green dot)
*EXCHANGE money on the U.S. side when possibleI personally would exchange at the U.S. International airport! You will have a chance if are in the LA airport right after you cross into the international area after the ticket booths. The one we used was to the left on the way to customs! It didn't seem that bad. You can also do exchange in the airport in Taiwan BUT your taxi will more than likely be waiting and they rushed us unbelievably! They can only park for so long and they want to load immediately! You can also get NTWDollars out of the ATM's there and they are in Chinese and English. I would suggest however bringing 2 different kinds of bank or credit cards! We brought our bank card and we also (thank God) brought a special prepaid card that I had set up with 600$ on it just in case. Which all of the ATMS except "bank of China took" which Bank of China was what was in Tain Mu and also in the Taipei 101. So, I whipped out the prepaid at the Taipei 101 and it worked!!!! So, moral of the story, easier to exchange and from what I hear cheaper to exchange in the U.S. airport!
*AIT APPOINTMENT!!
Also, for AIT, pay all in USD or NTW. The credit card machine isn't always working and it WILL HOLD your visa up!


*YOU DON'T need an electrical adapter for Taiwan. Your things will work fine in their sockets.
Also SOME CELL PHONES WORK IN TAIWAN SO CALL AND FIND OUT IF YOURS DOES! VERIZON DOES WORK!!!!!!!!
*But this is a whole nother file...
*A phone card left at home for calling you back, Will get back to you with the one that we used that used barely anyminutes.
*A phone card for the trip for you to use.
*Lap top if you wish to keep in touch with back at home and you can skype call if you have it with you.

FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SNACKS!!!!!! Pack snacks for YOU!!!!! Maybe even some real food.
Some parents have gotten to Taiwan and just didn't eat! Dorritos do not even taste like dorritos, burgers don't taste like burgers
and the Snozzberries don't taste like Snozzberries (this line donated by Willie Wonka) Let's face it........ you are
not in Kansas anymore honey and your little doggy is eating all your comfort food!!!!!! That's right. Even though there are
restaurants parading around in "KFC" clothing and Pizza Huts, they do taste a little different. I mean when was the last time
you went up to Micky D's and asked for a shrimp burger on a rice bun? And paid 150 NTW dollars for said burger????????
UM.. maybe never! In Taiwan, there are like 2 or 3 grades of beef, one is called Australian beef, another is "I am not sure
beef, does in MEOW?, and the last is American beef! They use a any of the three over there so please ask what beef it is before
ordering. If you like chinese food, that is great. You should be able to eat, BUT it is not like our Chinese food. Our food is
known as CANTONESE food to the Taiwanese. The Taiwanese eat CHINESE food. It is quite good, but nothing says
"Passport please" like sitting in a foreign country while they point at ONE chicken dish, ONE beef dish, and ONE fish
dish out of 20 items and you are expected to point and eat! Don't get me wrong it was good but we could have used some good
OLE American junk food. Especially since Jer was not cooperating with us and we spent a lot of time in the room.. well that and
I was sick. Also, if you are really bad at chop sticks BRING FORKS!!!!!!! No really, even orphanages do not have forks even though
they sometimes serve you a lunch when you visit to pick up your child! Trust me.. I disregarded the food and I still regretted this
decision, even though we ate ok but not great since we were stuck in the room. And I was so excited when I found 'TACO"
dorritos at the 7-11 (they are everywhere along with starbucks) and they were horrible!!!!!! I also was not good at chop sticks
and did not bring forks or spoons and well, I had a crash course while eating, holding a new baby I don't know during nap time!!!!
Let's just say that I am a pro at chopsticks now after such an interesting experience!!!
Really, Mcdonalds is not bad, KFC has corn soup instead of fries or wedges and sides we know. Pizza hut was a real treat
and you MUST, MUST, MUST visit that YUMMY famous DUMPLING place in Taipei. Also, have some MILK TEA or PEARL
TEA... it is a must while in Taiwan!!!!! IF you are a picky eater though... Load your luggage up with food to take to TAiwan.
Also, while there try the beef Jerky at the airport.. it is WONDERFUL! and You cannot bring it into the states because it
is beef!!! YOu will have to declare it and you won't get it in and it WILL Cause you a delay!!!!

OTHER STUFF!!!!!!
*Please make sure you have copies of all your INS paperwork, Tax returns, and dossier in a safe place at home or with a relative/
friend just in case it is lost or left. One family left it in taxi on a trip and it was awful trying to get the info together.

*Also make copies of your passport and lisence and keep them with you just in case and leave copies of those behind too!

***Please see File "Contentspediatrictravelkit" for a kit of medicines and such that can be mimiced or bought for your trip.

Ok.. so we are packed and we didn't even need the kitchen sink....! The bathroom sink will do just fine!!!!!!