Apart
from clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc. the items listed below
are good things not to forget. Of course, you can purchase anything you might
have left out.What to bring?
Apart
from clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo etc. the items listed below
are good things not to forget. Of course, you can purchase anything you might
have left out.
Travel lightly, a backpack or a small carry-on on wheels and a daypack should do the trick. Aim at bringing clothes for 7-8 days, we’ll do laundry in Portugal.
Some sort of a small daypack or regular handbag is necessary for carrying passport, airfare, money, ID card, water bottle, camera etc. A money belt might come in handy. There are many different types. Have fun looking for whichever kinds may suit you the best! We may be able to secure valuables (passports, tickets, money etc.) at the hotels (either in rooms or at the front desk), otherwise common sense packing is possible.
Bring good walking shoes! Two pairs of shoes should do; make sure you walk comfortably in them. This is a healthy trip: we’ll do plenty of walking around towns and sights.
Buy your rolls of films etc. for your camera here in the U.S. - cheaper here.
Bring a notebook for your project notes at museums, your journal etc.
A sweater or light jacket for cooler evenings is a good idea. Otherwise, jeans, shorts, sandals, T-shirt type clothing is fine. Perhaps, a slightly dressy outfit for an evening concert is worth it. The Spaniards and Portugese dress nicely when they go out at night. A swimming outfit is a good thing as well. These are only suggestions; it is completely up to you.
Remember to bring prescriptions, medicines, extra glasses, contacts etc.
If I have omitted anything - or if you have other good suggestions – share them with us!
On money.
If we only think of food – lunches and dinners - I do not think any of us will be able to survive on anything less than $20 a day! X 14 = $280 ? $300. Add a sandwich here, a beverage there, a meal here, an ice cream here and there etc. etc. etc. and in addition to this daily entrance fees to museums and sights and we easily hit $500. Not counting delicious souvenirs.
Important reminder: the sights and museums are an essential component of this class and participation is required! Make sure you budget entrance fees! These differ; budgeting $50-60 should cover all the entrance fees! Hopefully less will be the case!
Of course, one can scrape by on a minimum, weighing the pennies (the Euro-cents). That is perfectly honorable and certainly better than not being there but it isn’t all that fun. So, if at all possible, now that you have come this far - do what you can to secure a sufficient amount of spending money - and take the consequences later. If you have plenty, you need not spend it.
ATM cards works fine. (Mine have done so on many occasions.) Travelers Checks are also a possibility. Obviously, carrying a lot of cash around may be risky.
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