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The Book of BET: Preparation

Last Revised: September 15, 2009
Since I don’t run 24/7, wall-to-wall, “let me entertain you” tours, you will find it helpful to pick up a GUIDEBOOK or two. Browse through the travel section of Bookstop, Barnes & Noble, or any other good bookstore. I recommend either the Baedeker's or the Green Michelin guidebooks for encyclopedic coverage for both cities and countries. Birnbaum's gives great coverage for countries and culture. The Insight City Guides are a wonderful pre and post tour read--you really get a feel for the places. There are other guides that are good. The Let's Go . . . series put out by the Harvard students (and the UC Berkeley equivalent) is great for the young and adventurous. The Blue Guides and Cadigan have their followers. Use Frommer’s and Fodor’s to introduce you to the cities and for packing suggestions. Most everything else that they cover is already done for you on the tour. You don't need restaurant and hotel recommendations since I will have already chosen them.

Beware of the recommendations that you read in the local newspapers and the slick magazines. Sometimes these articles are long on entertainment and short on accurate information. Skip your Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Ned's recommendation for that great little restaurant they found in Paris ten years ago. It has either changed, gone out of business, or is closed on the one day that you could go, and you'll have wasted half a day trying to find it.

I encourage you to GET IN SHAPE before the tour. About one month before the tour, up your physical activity a notch or two. You are going to walk more than usual, since most of the sites that we will visit involve walking. European cities were not designed for the car--Europeans walk far more than we do. Also, you will be dealing with luggage, stress, jet lag and other travel indignities. You'll be happier if you can take the stresses in stride.

Know what is on the ITINERARY. I need you to be active on the Internet as I will keep the preliminary itinerary on my web page as we go along. Read through it and make suggestions. My tours are small enough that I can often accommodate individual requests. Approximately two weeks before the tour, I will finalize the itinerary. This is an important document that outlines exactly what our tour does and does not include. Print a copy and make notes on it to bring with you on the tour.

Please make sure you are signed on for the right tour. I offer varied experiences from structured “guest expert” tours to less structured tours. Make sure the tour you sign up for is the type of experience you want. If all you want is to “do your own thing,” I can accommodate you on some of the tours--up to a point. On the other hand, if you need to be entertained on a 24-hour basis, you might want to cancel now rather than be disappointed later. In all cases I expect maturity from my fellow travelers and a willingness to play the game.

You need to be active on the INTERNET since this is the easiest way for me to reach you most of the time. Chances are you are going to need to arrange for your own airline ticket since internet fares are usually much better than what I can get for you. I recommend a service called Kayak, since they list most of the ticket sources. There are alternatives, of course, including good local travel agencies. They charge for their services, but it is usually only a nominal fee. Along with any number of BETVets, Sara Lewis, my Administrative Assistant, and I both monitor the ticketing situation. Stay connected and you can probably find a fair fare.

You are going to need a valid PASSPORT. If you already have one, find it and make sure it is valid at least three months beyond the end of your tour. If you don't have one, start the process now. Passports are now valid for ten years. so there is no rational reason to put off the process. Go to the post office and pick up the forms. Follow the directions (birth certificate, photos, etc.) Turn the completed form back in to the post office and they will send it on to Houston or the nearest center. The process can take two months, so don't procrastinate. There have been problems in the past of people missing a tour because their passport did not arrive in time.

When you have your passport, you might want to make a photocopy of the front page with your picture on it (along with credit card numbers and birth certificate). Take this copy with you on the tour, but keep it separate from your passport. Then, if the passport is stolen on the tour, you'll have an easier time replacing it.

You will not need a Visa when traveling in Europe. However some of our other destinations require them. If in doubt, check with me.

WEATHER Before turning to luggage and packing, you need to know the weather. When asked, "What is the weather like?" my cop out answer is, "Well, it varies." It will be colder than San Antonio (usually) in the winter, but not as cold as the East Coast US. It will be about a month behind San Antonio in the spring. Usually the temperatures are cooler in the summer. Most of the guidebooks listed earlier will give you a more precise picture, but weather, after all, is not constant. For up to date weather information, check with a newspaper, or go online to any number of sites (CNN, Weather .com, Washington Post, etc.) Usually I will give you a URL for the weather of our destination approximately two weeks before our departure.

LUGGAGE Your choice of luggage is a very important decision for the success of the tour for you AND your fellow travelers. Bags that work for car and airline travel within the states do not work in Europe. Porters are non-existent. Even on tours where I can provide baggage handling, there are still times that you have to pick up your bag and move it, by yourself. No matter what you choose, you are limited to one bag that you check and one that you carry on the plane. That doesn't mean a checked bag, a carry on, an enormous purse, make-up kit and a camera bag. Two bags that you can carry. Period. End of discussion. (Okay, you can sneak a duffle bag in your luggage going over in case the shopping bug hits.)

I have learned the above lesson from some 50+ tours. Until recently, American luggage manufacturers just did not keep pace with travel realities. Early in BET history, I required a backpack (I still recommend one if your joints are still functioning). Luckily, the baby boomers have aged, the manufacturers have adjusted, and functioning, attractive luggage is now available.

Frankly, there is only one type of luggage that I can recommend for most anyone at this point: vertical, wheeled luggage, preferably soft-sided. I have used an Eagle Creek bag for years now, and recommend it. Bigger is better is the American way, but resist the urge. Go beyond 44cm wide (about 17 inches) and 68cm tall (26 inches) and you are asking for trouble. The wheels do make it convenient, but occasionally you have to pick it up and carry it. If you have pushed the limit, you might find yourself in a whole lot of pain.

IN SUMMARY: I spend a significant part of my life traveling. This means I spend an inordinate amount of time in airports, hotels, train stations, on trains, and walking in European cities. I watch other travelers, observing what works, what doesn't. The recommended bags work. They will see you through any situation on any one of my tours. And, whatever you choose, remember that you are limited to a checked bag and a carryon.

PACKING The following list is a synthesis of several guidebooks, and has been revised with recommendations from previous groups. Common sense dictates that you travel as light as possible. Aim for 20-30 lbs. (female) 30-40 lbs. (male) as an absolute maximum for everything. (You will "gain weight" as you go along, picking up little souvenirs and gifts. Start off light.) Try to bring items that see double duty.

CLOTHING Bring clothes that are durable and easy to wash and dry. Avoid items that are 100% cotton; a 60-40 blend is almost as comfortable and much easier to wash. (Yes, you are going to have to deal with laundry. Don't even dream about taking enough separate outfits for a two-week tour.) Smaller numbers in the list below imply doing a hand washing on a nightly basis. Larger numbers assume finding a laundromat at some point mid-way through the tour. Color coordinate so you can mix and match. You'll need at least one "nice" outfit for concerts and classy restaurants. This does not need to be a separate outfit. Dark slacks or skirt, shirt or blouse and a sweater or blazer will work. Add a tie if you are male. If your tour lasts only a week, add a few more clothes and take out the laundry supplies. Bring what you need, need what you bring.

MAINTENANCE

The following items have proved very useful on past trips for some obvious and not so obvious reasons:

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS AND CARDS (Carried on your body at all times)

For the items above use a neck safe, money belt, hidden pocket, or document pouch. Keep your passport, airline and train tickets or passes on your body at all times. Keep credit cards and money in separate places so if you lose one, you won't be without the other. Don't flash large amounts of cash. Carry only what you need for the day with you. Keep the rest of your stash in the hotel safe or on your body.

If you insist on carrying a purse, Eagle Creek offers a small canvas bag that has a shoulder strap and a belt loop. It carries as much as many purses, but doesn't scream "money!" And it can be secured to your body. The easiest purse solution for travel clutter (not valuables) is the day pack that is part of the recommended luggage. It attaches to the main bag for transit and can be carried separately after we get into our hotel.

LEAVE AT HOME.

HAND LAUNDRY SUGGESTIONS

I hear you: “I’m not going all the way to Europe just to do laundry.” And, by the same token, I never dreamed that I would be offering “how to” suggestions on the subject. However, clean clothing is desirable and laundromats are few and far between. Of course the hotel will do your laundry, but at a price many of us find excessive. Hand laundry in the basin is the solution.

First thing, choose clothing that will dry. 60/40% blends are about as comfortable as cotton and will dry overnight. Levis take forever to dry, but mercifully they never look that dirty so you usually don't have to deal with them on a short tour. Leave all-cotton socks at home. There are some good blends sold in sporting goods stores that will dry quickly, and, more importantly, keep your feet dry when you are wearing them. Tilley’s makes travel underwear that is as comfortable as cotton but will dry overnight.

Bring a small amount of detergent from home in a secure package along with Shout or some other stain remover. Travel stores sell packets of detergent, but at a premium. You might also want to invest in a universal stopper, sold in supermarkets, just in case the drain plug in your room is missing or doesn't work.

Don't put off doing the laundry until you've built up a major project. Doing a few things every night is much easier than dealing with your entire wardrobe in the middle of the tour.

Put a small amount of detergent in the basin and fill with warm water. Put the clothes in (of course after separating) and allow to soak for a while. Slosh around, checking to see if stains are coming out. When you've achieved an acceptable level of cleanliness (no, it will not be as good as your washer at home), drain and squeeze out as much suds as possible. Now here is the key part--rinse, rinse, and rinse again. Otherwise, you will be wearing cardboard. And you might break out in a rash in a very uncomfortable area.

To dry, wring out as much water by hand, and then roll the wet clothes in a towel and twist. Hang to dry where convenient. If it is spring or summer, you might be able to open the window. I get good results just hanging things in the closet (with door open, of course.) The next morning, most everything should be dry. If not, and we are leaving that day, put the damp clothes in a zip lock bag and finish the drying when we get to the next destination.

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