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ACRF/Pre Fest suggestions


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#1 KevinKorell

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Posted 09 July 2013 - 11:58 AM

All of us are seasoned travelers to a certain degree, but in the excitement of the trip coming up, here are a few suggestions to consider before we begin travel:
  • I've started to collect $5 and $10 bills for use as gratuities on the long distance trains. It means spending $20 bills this week when I don't have to, thus accumulating a lot of smaller denomination bills in their place. Also some $1 bills are helpful for breakfast & café car tips. Also the café car attendants prefer as many smaller bills as possible, so it helps them out too.
  • If doing laundry during the Fest, make sure your chosen hotel has a washer & dryer, and that you'll have a couple of hours to do the washing and drying processes. The hotel can tell you ahead of time how much their machines cost to use, and whether they take $1 bills or quarters. It's also a good idea to purchase a small box of detergent from a local laundromat near home, as I've encountered hotels that have sold out of it.
  • If there won't be an adult at home when you go on the trip, it's a good idea to arrange for suspension of newspaper deliveries, and holding of US Mail at the post office until the day you return.
  • Add the phone numbers of all the hotels you are staying in during the Fest to your phone's directory. This way you can call ahead of time for a shuttle, confirm your reservation, or inform them if you are going to be very late. If planning on taking a cab, a little homework to determine the names & phone numbers of the local cab companies does not hurt either, in case you need their services to get to and from train stations. All of this information can be deleted from your phone once you move on to the next city.
  • Participants received a contact listing via e-mail with all fellow participants' phone numbers. A minor update is coming before the weekend. In softcopy or hardcopy form, it may not be needed if you enter the phone numbers into your own phone's directory on at least a temporary basis.
  • If you take prescription medicine on a daily or as-needed basis, double check that you have packed it. It is a nuisance to refill a prescription in a different city, even when you are using the same chain drug store you use at home. Ensure that pills are in marked prescription bottles that match the respective drug. With the increased possibility of luggage inspections, you don't want the inconvenience of being a drug trafficking suspect. I always take the number of nights away from home, and add one just in case I'm delayed in getting home, and only bring that number of each pill along. The rest can be left home in either plastic bags or in the bottle for the next recent prescription.


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ


#2 KevinKorell

KevinKorell

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Posted 19 July 2013 - 12:06 AM

Mr. Big Shot with the suggestions should add one more bullet:
  • Don't forget to bring your cell phone charger


Kevin Korell


OTOL Board Leader


Lakewood, NJ





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