Travel Tips

I’m not a world traveler yet. But I started travelling more or less on my own when I was 16. From road trips across the USA to mission trips to the developing world to a couple months abroad I’ve acquired a few travel tips.

WHAT DO I PACK?!?!?!

For a 4 day trip to New York City: Only pack carry-on

For a mission trip of 1-2 weeks: Only pack carry-on

For a trip which requires living abroad for a couple months: Only pack carry-on

And for God’s sake if you’re planning a back packing trip through Europe: ONLY PACK CARRY ON!

But there are a few rules, first you have to look up TSA guidelines for what you can take. Buy a small suitcase (or backpack depending on your needs) that fits the requirements. I have a rolling suitcase that doubles as a back pack, but it’s not ideal for backpacking.

Second, you really also have to look up the guidelines for every airline you’re taking. In my experience all US airlines match TSA and other places in the world are less restrictive.

Third, do NOT stuff that bag with crap. I only took carry-on to China and I can tell you right now when I was dragging it all through the airport, through the subway station, and down a couple miles of dirt roads in Beijing to my hostel, I wished I had less stuff!

SAY WHAT!?!

I read in a travel guide that this guy never took anything with him that he hadn’t first tested out by carrying it all with him around his own town. I’ve never done this, but I sure would if I was back packing.

And I know what you’re think “oh but I’m not back packing through Europe, I’m going straight to a hotel.” Straight to a hotel is never quite that simple. You have to get all of that stuff through the airport, into a taxi or car or subway and lug it. Don’t count on other people to carry your stuff. They won’t be happy.

There’s a couple reasons to do this. First your luggage won’t get lost in transit. The odds are probably against you if you have complicated connecting flights. I’m about to take two series of 5 connecting flights through a couple of countries. Secondly, if you aren’t weighed down by luggage you can do more things, keep track of your stuff, and you probably won’t be a likely victim of theft. And lastly, no fees!

A few more tips:

–You really only need a week’s worth of clothes. If you won’t wear it more than once, it’s probably not worth it. Anything more than a week, just figure out how to do some laundry.

–Once you’ve cut out unnecessary clothing items, roll your clothes tightly and tuck them into your bag or suitcase. This is supposing that your clothes will be your biggest items. On the way back I often will wrap gifts and souvenirs with clothes around them. But you always want to make sure you have extra room in your bag for those items. Worst comes to worst buy a bag abroad and check it on the way home. This is an especially good idea if you’re going to China or South America. I can’t make a voice for countries in Europe.

–You don’t need all those liquids. Small amounts will do fine. If you’re going for a week, travel sized is all you need. Buy those little bottles that are refillable if you’re really concerned about your hair or whatever. If you’re going longer than that, buy what the locals do. Wear that Wang Lee Hom Twisty Lady hair gel! If you’re some place where it’s a real concern, like the bush, you probably won’t have access to a shower anyway. Which brings me to my point about wet ones. They’re good for everything from wiping down on a long plane ride, to cleaning your dorm, to being out in the boonies for a few weeks. Don’t sweat it. Just live how the people around you do. It builds character at the very least. And most places are developed enough to sell a quality brand of soap.

–If you can buy it there, DITCH IT HERE. First, save on crazy converters. If you need a hair dryer, buy one there. If this is a trip to the third world, go without. You’ll survive. And if you’re going to China… They make everything there, so it’s cheaper to just buy it in China.

Here’s how I roll:

Pack all alike items together. Little baggies of things helps if your stuff is being searched. After hours of going through security in Bolivia, Panama, and Miami, you’ll absolutely be glad.  Some places will open your bag and search everything. In Miami my Stephen’s guitar case was opened, searched and someone else’s random yellow bag got mixed in. If you have tiny things they could get lost and be hard to access on a layover or a night in a hotel.

The previous tip is essential for liquids for carry on in the US. They must go in a quart sized baggie.

I usually only bring two pairs of shoes. If space is incredibly limited wear big items on your person (coats, shoes, etc)… I did this when I had to pack my own sheets, blankets, winter clothing, and toilet paper for 2 weeks in Colombia and only took small backpack. But most of the time I wear the flip flops. Slip on shoes are easy for airports.

The carry on item which will go in the over head bin should not have to be accessed until the final destination. Your personal item can be a large purse or a backpack. I just recently took a tote bag as my personal item to Bolivia.

Experienced travelers do this. Check a bag on the way home if you buy too many souvenirs. Or give away your stuff. A friends of mine just left most of her clothes as a donation in Bolivia. I tossed out a pair of worn out shoes and most of my liquids… almost every time I travel.

This time I will be packing a bit more than the last time I went to China. This time I need some business attire, I’ll be at the university a bit longer, and I”ll be taking ballet classes. I’m determined to fit all my ballet clothes, high heels, favorite clothes, and my laptop into my bags. If it doesn’t all fit, something will go.

The only true essentials are your passport and your paper work. (I pack these in a tiny purse that goes over my shoulder. My Stephen put his in a ziplock in an accessible pocket of his bag, which also worked ok.)

Finally, make it all easy to carry at one time. Who knows how far you may have to carry it. Also, taking nyquil helps beat jetlag

#11- With a Heart for the Nations

A while back I was looking around my church wondering where all the kids my age were. The 18 to 20 somethings, the less than 30s, the no children, unmarried, people… I recently heard a statistic, only 4% of those people go to church regularly. So I don’t know EXACTLY where the other 96% are but I see was adding up with what I saw in the church building. This makes me thankful for a great number of things which I hope to expound upon in my later posts: the Christian faith myself and my parents were brought up in, the flourishing small group of young adults at Crossroads, and the ministries I see reaching out to young people.

I know for a fact a heckuvalot of these 18 to 20 somethings are on campus in downtown Lexington. There’s like 38k undergrads… something like that. That’s where the people my age are. And there are a lot of really awesome people who are stepping out on campus and loving the heck out of students. One of those people is named Corrie. She has been on my heart tonight and in my prayers.

Corrie is one of the first people I met freshman year. She came to talk to CSF (another really great place full of loving people on campus) about serving international students. My heart was already in a place to receive it and I have no doubt it was because she had been praying and so had I. Corrie is with InterVarsity and she works with International students (and Americans!) and lives on support from the body of Christ (which is really awesome to hear her talk about!). Corrie prays powerful prayers, her heart is humble and seeks God fully. She is constantly inviting students into her home, picking international students from the airport, praying for those around her, and simply serving them. Merely watching her serve will bless you. I am so incredibly thankful for her and the way she gives of herself to serve and love students and glorify God.

Practically speaking Corrie does a number of things, like teach ESL, various Bible studies, she works in tandem with campus ministries and the Office of International Affairs, she builds programs from the bottom up, she shows her heart to those who glance and inspires them to give more of themselves to God, and opens her heart up to the nations and the Lord… God is doing truly incredible things through her and lives on campus are being changed for Jesus.

Tonight I am praising God for how he is at work on campus, especially through Corrie. I ask that you would also pray a prayer of blessing for Corrie and the Kingdom work she is doing, and how ever else the Lord guides you to pray. =)

#10- For Her.

I’m about to finish studying for my last final of the semester. Praise God again for the semester that I’ve had and everything I have experienced. Today I’ve been reflecting on the blessing of going to school. Not just school, but college as well. My great-grandpa was an amazing man and he lived to be nearly one hundred and he never completed school past the 6th grade. But his daughter, my grandma finished highschool, and her son finished college and now they have blessed me with that opportunity as well.

We take education for granted, and I simply do not want to do that. Everyday that I don’t want to go to school I pray for the children who can’t. This isn’t to say I’m a great person. This is to say I struggle with being selfish, and with taking what I’ve been blessed with for granted. But I am a very very blessed woman. To have the luxury of learning. My academics have been truly blessed. I had an amazing education through highschool, being homeschooled, and now I’m in college. And these are things that put me in the top percentage of most affluent people on the planet. Which is something I am constantly overwhelmed by… In the pit of my stomach I feel I have been given something far beyond what I have earned or deserved.

That’s a lot of responsibility. I would never want to take that lightly. I know there are young girls around the world who will never step foot in a school and never learn how to read. I have absolultly no idea why I am allowed to read and write and study tonight while women like the mothers of my compassion children sew clothes and do temporary labor. But what I do know is that I have a huge responsibility to them and to God.

So tonight I study for her. Someday I want to change her world.

#9–Shower.

Tonight at work a woman came in with a Justin Bieber backpack, shorts, and some funky shoes and tangled hair. I guess she comes in a couple times a week, I’d never seen her before, or never noticed. She apparently comes in to use our sink in the bathroom to bathe. My heart goes out to her because if she’s bathing in the bathroom at a Starbucks she must be pretty dwindled on options. It appeared she had a friend with her tonight as well.

Now I don’t know her story or who she is. Obviously she didn’t order anything. She also didn’t make eye-contact. And that was it, she was in and out, she walked by us. It was simple as that.

I’ve just gotten home from work and cleaned off all the grit and grime from my day… I’m thankful for a shower. I’ve never been somewhere where I did not have a shower or did not have access to a shower. And I’ve been a lot of places where I’ve seen homes that did not… but I have never had to experience that… and I’m grateful.

I think just how new clothes can give you a self-esteem boost, the inability to be really clean would be disheartening, it would wear on you, it would be hard to have self-esteem. It would be hard to have self-respect.

Restoring self-respect to people in physical poverty is a goal of the Kingdom. And tonight I really want to dwell on that thought. I hope I see her again and can talk to her. I want to know who she is.

#8-Kairos

Kairos. Kairos is this really cool word I learned a number of months ago. It’s Greek and it means a moment in time when time stand still. It’s like when everything clicks. It’s like an incredible life event. It’s something you can point back to. A moment in which you heard from God.

Well a while back I began to pray about church. I’d been between churches for a while. Both wonderful places. My family had been attending a newer church and I went with them many Sundays and for the rest of the time I’d been attending Crossroads. I love both churches, but I felt I’d hit a crossroads with my involvement in student ministry and life and just… everything.

Finally I began to dwell on the conviction I had felt in beginning Student Ministry at Crossroads and felt the Lord leading me to continue in that. From that point I’ve done my best to involve myself and my heart more deeply at this place. And from the the opportunities that have arisen for both Stephen and I. The people I have had the blessing to befriend, and be challenged by, and laugh with build me up in such unbelievable ways. I have a feeling of being part of something, something more deeply connected and healthy than possibly ever before.

Tonight I am thankful for the Kairos moment that has lead to opportunity, community, and enrichment.

The stories God weaves are deeply beautiful. His intentions for us are clear as well, we were meant to be part of the Church. To really pray for one another, to challenge each other, to transcend the boundaries of space and time and culture because we all KNOW HIM. And I love that.

1 Corinthians 12 gives us a really great preparation for more Kairos moments. The passage talks about how we are all the same in Christ but we play a different function. I think it’s really important to dwell on how God has gifted us individually and corporately. What do we have? What can we use? Where can we use it? How do we best steward it and how are we lacking? And what are we learning?

This exercise in gratitude is about all of that for me– so that I can clearly reflect on how God is at work in my life, praise him for it, and consider how I can use that to further his kingdom.

#7-Just to Make You Smile

I didn’t get a chance to write my gratitude challenge last night. As you’ve noticed, a few of my posts have been late. I acknowledged it facebookishly last night, so I’ll have last night’s post this morning, and Sunday’s post sometime later today.
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Yesterday was a crazy day at Starbucks. Customers can be mean and make you want to scream or strangle them. There were 3 people who came through my Drive-thru who made my night.

The first is a regular customer. Honestly, I was in an awful awful mood when she came through and as soon she smiled I smiled. I believe smiles are absolutely contagious. You just have to WANT to brighten that persons day.

The next person who came was Stephen with our friend Christian. And it means a lot that Stephen would come see me and make me smile (and… yknow get something from Starbucks). And it put enough smile on my face for the next person who made my night.

Someone came through and remembered me from Chick-fil-A. Normally I remember my regular customers. Some people I serve at Starbucks now that I served sweet tea to for 3+ years. Now they get Pumpkin Spice Lattes. This guy I have no recollection of, but he said he had 4 kids and came through a lot… didn’t help me. Maybe I’d remember his kids. But he told me he remembered me because my smile was so vibrant. It made me feel like the little things I do matter.

I’m incredibly thankful to people who remind me to smile. Like strangers from Chick-fil-A in Starbucks and Stephen. Sometimes I feel God sends me someone to make me smile… just because he likes to see us smile. And I’m grateful for that.

The application for this is simple. I get to give this gift away just by smiling. =)

#5&#6: Days of Grace

Yesterday through this morning I was a tyrant. I will admit my stress over projects for school had taken over. Especially regarding my Communist Ballet paper…. I felt I was so immersed in it I couldn’t clearly write my topic. Slowly sleep deprivation and resentment towards my inability to write clouded me even further.

God has continued to give me grace when I am stressed. I’m truly thankful to people who can love me at my worst. When I am stressed, and when I doubt myself, and when I make bad choices because of that.

Recently I have been feeling my brokenness and the brokenness of this world. Sometimes there’s not a perfect way to do something. My perfectionism says there must be. But I know my ways will always be less than perfect.

But if I am vulnerable about my shortcomings then I see grace. It’s not that grace extended is dependent on us. But it is as if we are crouched on the ground with our head facing down. A shadow appears over us. And we know that should we look into the eyes of another being we will lose face. All the pain inside may coming tumbling over in the form of tears… We can ignore the figure above us. We can turn to anger. Or we can let the tears roll and allow ourselves to be touched with Grace.