Packing For Our Trip to Israel

My husband and I are taking our first international trip that is scheduled for later this year, and we are going to Israel! I've been so excited as I prepare for it. Reading other travel blogs, gauging what we have versus what we need. I'd happily fast forward through most of this year just to get to that point! 

 

Traveling is so much work though! So much goes into preparing yourself for it. For someone who has only ever taken about week long vacations with the family, I'm certainly learning a lot. Trips overseas are a whole new experience for me. I can pack a bag. I can handle flights. Domestically speaking, that is. However, I've been learning a lot about packing for trips that involve more than a week in a foreign country. Here are the top 3 things that I think everyone should know. Hopefully, there will be more posts on traveling to follow. 

Tips and tricks I've been learning.

Tip 1 - Don't do check-in luggage if you can avoid it! Luggage gets lost, delayed or damaged. My in-laws can attest that. And we all know the response from the airlines. "We are not responsible." One thing I have seen time and again is that travelers are sticking to carry on. Cheaper fees, less risk. So that is the way we have decided to go as well. I bought this one for my husband's birthday and plan to get myself one later on. Both of these are TSA regulation for carry on's. The smaller one qualifies as a personal bag, while the larger one is considered standard carry on.

Tip 2 - Sensible shoes are a must. Walking over rough terrain and the uneven cobblestones are common over there. So having a good pair of shoes (and inserts for long days) is the proper path to take. I decided to get Puma shoes. I had a pair years ago. They lasted forever, felt amazing and went with anything.

Tip 3 - Condense where you can. Here is something I hadn't ever needed to do before. Since my husband and I are planning to be gone for just under 2 weeks, we have certain things we need to bring that could take up a lot of space. If you are familiar with my blog, you know by now that I have a broken back. Over the counter medicine is my go-to for the hardest days. I don't go blindly - 9 mile treks every day are about average for this particular trip. I'm probably going to cry myself into exhausted sleep at least once. Deep in my heart I know, it will be completely worth it. I typically need to rotate through Ibuprofen, Aleve, and Extra Strength Tylenol. I also use Excedrin Tension Headache for the migraines I get. But we buy the big bottles of these. I don't want to waste precious space on lugging them around. What to do? I saw this amazing idea of taking a plastic box with dividers instead.

I tried looking at a couple stores near me, but couldn't find one similar enough that had more sorting capacity. That is when I decided to check out Amazon. Talk about options! After going through several of these alternatives, we decided that the Pillsteer Travel Pill Organizer was the best.

It has 8 large compartments, comes with labels and it is waterproof! While I don't foresee taking it for a dip in Israel, there could be other times in the future where this feature can be appreciated. With this, I can easily carry enough pills for the both of our needs, that will last the whole trip. I don't want to have to stop off somewhere and look for meds. I will be prepared! 

                                                              My personal pharmacy!

It fits in my hand.

 Side note! 

This is one of the best $13.99, I have ever spent! Especially because of their customer service and dedication to excellence. This ships from an Amazon warehouse. My package was 'lost' temporarily. On the day it was scheduled to arrive, the Pillsteer company reached out to make sure I was satisfied with my order. Sadly, I didn't have my order yet. They told me to reach out to Amazon since there was no delivery updates to go on, but keep in touch if there were any problems. Amazon gave me a little of a run-around at first. I ended up waiting a few more days than was expected. Right before requesting a refund, however, the package finally arrived! I'm glad it did. I had been in contact with the customer service rep again. She told me to request a refund and they would gladly send my money back. After I told her I got it, she asked what I thought of it and said they would send me a free gift! So now I have two for the price of one.