Hello Students and Friends-

As we get ready for our trip, just a few reminders and things to think about before we meet at the CLT airport on Tuesday, January 3rd, at 10am by the Delta Airlines Departures counter.  I will have several things to go over once we are all assembled and before we go through security.  Trust me, we will need EVERY bit of that time before our take-off!

1. Find your passport and keep it in your sight until Tuesday.  This is the most important document you need.  Make sure you bring it with you to the airport, of course!
2. Bring US $ and/or Euros to the airport.  If you haven’t already checked with your banks  AND credit card companies to tell them you are going overseas, you need to do that.  Banks are closed tomorrow, so you may have to call them on Tuesday morning on your way to the airport so that you can use your debit/credit cards overseas.  They will just need to know where you are so they don’t deny the use of your bank card.
3. Download the Delta app on your phone. You can get a digital boarding pass that way and track any checked bags.  It’s awesome!
4. Bring any medications (in their original bottles) with you and make sure you have more than enough for the trip.  Bring any cold/decongestants or other general use things you often use (ibuprofen, Benadryl, Alleve, etc.)
5. Pack WARM and COMFORTABLE shoes.  To borrow a line from the Fresh Prince…”You go to school to learn, not for a fashion show!”  And learning we will be doing!
6. Bring a laptop or tablet or something with which you can write nightly assignments.  If you are comfortable doing that on your phone, great, but that may not be good enough.  We will have wifi at night in our hotels.
7. Bring a European adapter for your electronics!
8. Bring a daybag/backpack/purse with empty water bottle for use during our days on the road and out and about.
9. Sleep well in the next 2 nights, we will be running on empty on day one, but it is best for our jetlag to suffer through it in Brussels for a day.
10. Leave room in your suitcase to bring back stuff…like CHOCOLATES…or art or comic books or whatever.  Don’t overpack.  You really only need socks and underwear for 9 days and jeans/pants/shirts can be recycled…sort of.
11. Get your first blog post done before Monday at midnight!

I am sure I will think of more but that’s a start! See you Tuesday!