FTC Volunteer Resources

Face the Challenge Travel Tips

Listed below is important information that you should know in order to help you plan for your upcoming FTC trip. We hope this information will help you have a more enjoyable experience while you travel.

CLOTHING

Dress will be generally casual with comfortable, durable walking shoes and/or sandals for uneven pavement.

Please bring along at least one suit jacket and tie for men and a dressy-casual outfit for women for any banquets with the host staffs.

Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not as appropriate for women. In warmer climates, skirts or slacks with lightweight tops are best.

Pack layers of clothing that may be added or removed as the temperature changes in airplanes and at the surgical sites. (No centralized heating in some buildings e.g. in China.)

Bring rain gear including a small umbrella, a lightweight waterproof jacket, and waterproof shoes.

Cap for sun protection, if applicable.

If desired, bring a small, labeled container of powder laundry detergent for handwashing garments. Or, if preferred, some of the hotels provide laundry service for a nominal cost. Please tip the workers (e.g. $1.00 to $2.00/load).

Bring a small cord to be used as a clothesline.

Note: Be forewarned, not all hotels provide hot water on a regular basis for showers or bathing. A light-weight robe and slippers may help after you bathe.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Please bring two sets of your own surgical scrubs, a lab coat, a name tag, plus items specific to your specialty, e.g. stethoscopes, BP cuffs, scissors, pen lights, intubation supplies, surgical instruments, caps, etc.

Please consult with the FTC team coordinator to determine available resources and needs.

JEWELRY/VALUABLES

Such valuables as jewelry, except for wedding bands, are best left at home. Gold chains are best tucked in shirts while when out on the streets. A money belt or pouch is a must. Use fanny/back packs with caution, since they can be cut off.

If you opt to keep your jewelry and other valuables in the hotel safe, know that even this place isn't always secure. Remember to retrieve your items before you depart. Don't pack any valuables in your luggage.

LUGGAGE/PACKING

FTC teams en route to their surgical site destinations are heavily-laden with surgical supplies. We appreciate your cooperation in not overpacking your own personal belongings.

Allow time to pack thoughtfully, perhaps filling your luggage only 3/4 full, allowing for souvenirs.

Consider cross-packing with another companion, just in case your luggage doesn't arrive when you do.

Pack with travel size bottles, clear ziploc small and medium bags.

Secure all containers tightly.

FTC's best experience with types of luggage both for supplies and team members has been with medium-sized, soft, wheeled, pull luggage with balanced proportions. We use vaulted containers for the equipment and instruments.

Label both the inside and the outside of your luggage, then tie on a bright ribbon or cloth or tape on bright tape for easy identification.

Use luggage locks and bring extra keys.

Remember, international air carriers usually limit each passenger to two pieces of checked baggage and one carry-on. If FTC is given extra baggage allowance, it is at the mercy of the carrier. Otherwise, it is costly to pay for the extra pieces.

OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

Don't pack these items in your luggage. Carry them with you.

They include: your passport, visa, airline tickets, itinerary info., other IDs, medical/life insurance cards, credit card, traveler's checks.

Most of these countries don't yet use phone cards (for public phones).

Have photocopies of some of these documents and keep them separate from the originals.

Have emergency phone numbers of next of kin, your credit card companies, and other pertinent contacts.

ON BOARD THE PLANE

Wear loose, comfortable clothing that can be layered. Take frequent walks while on the plane.

Have a change of clothes plus toiletries packed in your carry on, just in case your luggage is delayed or lost.

Health/comfort items include:

• Moisturizing nasal spray and possible surgical mask (limit the risk of acquired respiratory infections in flight)
• Moisturizing eye drops, lip balm, and skin lotion
• Toothbrush, paste, mint
• Other toiletries or cosmetics
• Handi-wipes, liquid soap, kleenex
• Ear plugs, eye mask, inflatable neck pillow, sleep aid/melatonin
• Mild diuretic, if prone to retain water
• Aspirin (one recommended/24 hours to minimize risk for blood clots)
• Sunglasses, prescription glasses, eye care solutions
• Bottled water, snacks, gum (Gum and spitting not usually socially acceptable by Asians; illegal in Singapore)
• Decrease your alcohol intake while flying because such consumption tends to dehydrate travelers
• Travel alarm clock, watch, small flashlight
• Bring magazines, a book, notebook, journal, sketchpad, deck of cards, cassette/CD player, pens, etc.

PERSONAL TRAVEL MEDICATIONS TO CONSIDER

FTC brings its own "emergency bag" for First Aid, stomach ailments, and some more serious conditions, but we still recommend you pack your own items as they relate to your needs, too.

Allow adequate time to get all recommended immunizations prior to departure. Carry an immunization record.

Bring your prescription medications, plus copies of your prescriptions.

• Tobramycin eye drops, prn, conjunctivitis
• Ciprofloxacin, prn, diarrhea (take immediately with first symptoms)
• Sulfa meds for those prone to having bladder infections
• Prescription medication if prone to having sinus/respriatory infections or alllergies
• Skin care items such as antifungal cream, anti-itch cream, antibiotic ointment,astringent, and sunscreen with SPF of 15+.
• Insect repellant (w/DEET ingredient-- important to repel malaria carrying mosquitoes-they're PM biters).
• Pain medications
• Antacids/Peptobismol (to coat digestive tract against diarrhea causing organisms)
• Anti-diarrheal, laxative (e.g fiber wafers)

CURRENCY

In most instances, don't bother to exchange money prior to leaving home.

Please bring crisp, good condition U.S. paper currency in the denominations of $1.00 for tips and $20.00, $50.00 or $100.00 for larger transactions.

You may exchange money at airports, banks, and hotels through an FTC team representative.

Merchants and hotels in most of the developing countries where FTC teams go honor most major credit cards now.

CAMERAS

If desired, bring camera/video camera, extra film, flash bulbs, camera batteries, case.

Note: Communists don't allow photographs or video footage at airports or security checkpoints.

CELLULAR PHONES, LAP TOP COMPUTERS

If you have international calling capabilities on your cellular phone, you are welcome to bring your own phone and battery charger.

The charger usually has both 220v and 110v capacities, but be sure it does before you plug your charger into the wall outlet. You likely will need a modular telephone adaptor and/or a Patch Cord Kit; there are currently 35 different phone sockets worldwide. The alligator clips with the Patch Cord Kit hook on to the wires and offer an RJ-11 jack. Simply connect the RJ-11 coupler, test with the Digital Phone Line Tester (included), and plug your phone line in. For a discussion about digital vs. analog phones, please go to the following source.

Source: http://www.magellans.com/

Direct current (DC) electricity, like in your car, is available on the planes in business and First Class sections. To hook your computer up to the little four-pin socket on an aircraft, you need an EmPower Socket Connector. You also need a standard socket adaptor (the type that goes into an automobile cigarette lighter) to fit between the computer and the EmPower unit. Source: Same as for the wall outlets, above.

The city have local SIM cards available if you intend to be making local calls.

The hotels generally provide internet access. You may bring your own lap top computer and hook it in to the hotel's access.

ELECTRICITY

Check the Volts
Make sure you check the voltages on any appliances you plan to bring abroad. You may need a voltage transformer as well as an adaptor plug to operate the appliance overseas.

Dual-Voltage Appliances
Whenever possible, purchase dual voltage appliances. That way, all you need is an adaptor plug when traveling abroad.

Electrical Adaptors
If you are a frequent international traveler or even just taking that once in a lifetime tour, purchase a set of the most frequently used electrical adaptor plugs

Source: http://www.magellans.com/

Bring an appropriate adapter/converter for hair dryers, travel irons, and electric shavers. But even then, these appliances still tend to overheat. Use the lowest settings only for short periods of time. It is best to use the hotel's hair dryers, if available, or purchase appliances with what are actually used there.

Make sure you understand very clearly how to hook-up FTC monitors/equipment before you use them (used with converters, transformers, surge protectors, etc.)

For further explanation of electrical adaptor plugs, socket shapes, polarized/non-polarized plugs, transformers, convertors, frequency (AC, hertz, voltage), etc. please go to: http://www.magellans.com/

Excerpts from: "Rethinking the Carry-On"

By Michael Martinez
The Denver Post, December 9, 2001

The FAA is limiting the number of items air travelers can carry on the plane. Most travelers, however, are rush packers who pack the night before departure, squeezing in items in overstuffed bags (45-linear inch limit for carry-ons, length + width + height). One travel expert, Doug Dyment, recommends, "Think less, not more." See www.oratory.com/travel.

First, have a packing list. "The biggest mistake is that people don't use a packing list, said Dyment. See his website for a sample list. The best clothes for traveling are wrinkle-resistant, washable, quick-drying & color-coordinated for mixing & matching. Avoid items that have only one use.

When actually packing, Dyment recommends "bundle wrapping", which prevents creases & takes up less space in your carry-ons. Essentially, wrap your clothes around a soft core object.

Another method is suggested by Paulette Hoffman on her website, Packing with Paulette. She suggests placing heavier objects, such as shoes & hair dryers at the bottom of the suitcase, then use a divider (plastic or cardboard wrapped by shelf paper) to separate these objects from clothes. Next, pants & other long garments are folded over stacks of shirts & tops. Carry toiletries in a shoulder bag.

Such a method can accommodate 3 prs. of slacks, 3 skirts, 8 tops, a light sweater, a blazer, & 3 prs. of shoes, all in a 22" carry-on.

Traveling with fewer clothes requires some washing. Dyment advises taking packets of Woolite detergent for socks & underwear on longer trips. *Please note: FTC provides disposable adult-sized underwear both for males & females, in case of lost luggage or a medical need, in the blue Team First Aid Bag. Also, the hotel where the team will stay provides laundry for a nominal fee.

Packing Tips:

• Choose 2 neutral colors for your travel wardrobe.
• Avoid cotton in general, jeans in particular: They're heavy & slow to dry.
• Pants with zip-off legs can cover "no shorts" dress codes.
• Silk long underwear is light, warm & washable, & it can double as pajamas.
• CoolMax & Capilene are also good fabric choices.
• A scarf goes a long way toward dressing up an outfit, & it serves as a head covering where required.
• Socks & underwear are harder to replace overseas than outerwear.
• Consider walking shoes such as Rockport & Mephisto, rather than tennis shoes. You'll fit in better.
• Put your shoes in plastic bags or inside socks to keep them from soiling clothes. Stuff them with socks to save space & to maintain their shape.
• Leave out anything you're not going to wear at least 3 times.

Excerpts from: "Come (& Go) Clean"

By Michelle Meyer
National Geographic Traveler, March 2002, p. 28

Doctors & frequent travelers gave tips on avoiding germs in-flight & on the road year-round:

Carry antibacterial wipes. You may want to apply these moist tissues to especially unsanitary-looking door handles, armrests, table counters, or folding trays.

Wash your hands & then use paper towels to turn off the faucet, flush, & open the door to public bathrooms, says Joan Sullivan Garrett, head of MedAire, Inc. You can also bring Purell, or another soapless, self-drying hand sanitizer, in areas where toilet paper & towels aren't easily accessible, suggests Dr. Maria Mileno, director of travel medicine at Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI.

Take a 500-mg. vitamin C pill daily. Start with the day you begin your trip, says Pamela Peeke, MD, MPH. "You need the extra immune boost for all the nasty germs you inhale in-flight."

Skip honeycomb masks, a thin mask similar to what surgeons wear. "They don't block out the viral particles that cause respiratory infections, " says Dr. Stephen Ross, Chief of Staff at Santa Monica Hospital-UCLA Medical Center. Instead, use Ocean Mist or another saline nasal spray to moisten nostrils. This decreases the risk of infection on planes, where humidity drops below 10%.

Bring your own wrap on the plane. "Studies show blankets provided by the airlines are germy," says Peeke. "They're not changed regularly." You may want to bring your own neck pillow to use in-flight, too.

Get a flu vaccine shot. This is sensible, especially during winter travel (or summer travel in the southern hemisphere.)

GHR 3/06