We have our flights booked for June 5th-13th! We have our reservation in at the BJoe house. Troy's parents are flying in on the 3rd.
Now we just need to get ready, but I need your help. If you have any useful travel tips you would like to share then we are all ears. I am especially interested to know about communication to the US. Did you use a cell phone, skype, etc? I really want to stay in contact with my kiddos the best that I can while we are gone. Please share!!!!
Also, we are offering to take pictures and care packages to Ethiopia with us. We want to pay it forward to those of you waiting to bring home your babies. We had so many wonderful people take picture and video. It meant so much to get those updates as often as possible. Feel free to email me at carterkellie@sbcglobal.net
If you want pics we need Name, house #, ID # and a picture.
We are looking forward to delivery all these special items!
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5 years ago
12 comments:
I've got plenty of travel tips.
1. Quality luggage. With the rough treatment that bags get, especially on international trips where the bags are unusually heavy, things like a broken wheel can make a trip that much more difficult.
2. Pack light where you can. You don't need a change or 2 of clothes for every day. Find out if your hotel offers laundry service. Also, shoes are the biggest wastes of space when packing. If you can get by with just the shoes you fly in, do it. If not, only 1 extra pair per person.
3. If you don't NEED it, don't take it.
4. Use skype. Your cell phone probably won't work anyway.
5. Push yourself the first night to go to bed at the time normal for those that live there. This will be tough but will ease jet lag for the rest of the trip.
So excited for you guys! A whole new countdown begins!
Definitely pack as light as you can. We had laundry service at our guest house and it was so cheap!
Take plastic baggies...may sound weird but we used a ton of them...for dirty diapers, for baby clothes that Hannah spit up on while we were out, etc.
See if your doctor will prescribe Cipro for you just in case you get sick. We all took it and only one of us got sick.
I'll be thinking...I'm sure I have more. :)
I am so excited for you! I sure hope we get our referral in time so you can go visit our girl! :)
Our Gladney driver provided us with a cell phone. All we had to do was purchase minutes, which was very affordable. I called home every day and sent emails to friends often. I over packed only to find that everything I needed was available in country, including an amazing massage!
I would suggest that you get to the airport early for your departure flight to request a bassinet seat.
Have a safe trip; you are going to love Ethiopia!
From a non-adoption-related frequent traveler: Imodium. It will be your best friend. Every time Robert and I travel, I find myself forgetting to bring mine and having to go to a pharmacy and try to explain what I need. I also bring my own pillowcase, that way the smells I smell when going to sleep are ones I am used to, at least for the first few nights.
Genet at the Bejoe will give you a cell phone that you can put minutes on. We chose not to call home, but we could've with that phone.
We way overpacked on snacks--the food really is good (esp close to the Bejoe), so we really didn't need any snacks. Genet will give you bottled water and she always has cokes in the refrigerator that you can buy as well.
A lot of the clothes that we wore (including the baby's) we left for the orphanages. This way we had a light load on the way back.
You will love it! It won't be long now!
Hi! I stayed at the Bejoe last year in June and had a wonderful experience. The Bejoe girls, Marta, Bleine & Abay are wonderful. They will cook you breakfast, help with anything you need for the baby, wash your clothes no charge, as well as offer wonderful E thiopian company! Make sure you take advantage of Marta's massage skills! Amazing!
I also asked for cipro before my trip but ended up not needing it. One thing I did was take a tablespoon of pepto before every meal(i just kept it in my purse) and never had an upset stomach. Remember to be careful with the water, it's best not even to brush your teeth with the tap water. Your going to have a wonderful trip, remember to contact with the locals as much as possible-those encounters will stay with you for a lifetime and you'll be able to share them with your child in the future!
safe travels
Bring lots of travel diaherria meds, lots of snacks and a great attitude. We traveled in march and loved the people. Time frames are very slow. Expect to be late but be ready. The one time we were running behind was the one time our ride was early. Be ready for lots of stares. Everyone is incredibly helpful. We used a cell phone while in country and had our fily call us. You can buy a calling card for the fam in the states. Internet is in and out the whole time and depending on where you are staying in the city, you will probably experience rolling blackouts. We had blackouts almost everyday in country. One day for 6 hours. But most of all be prepared to fall in love all over again. The moment you have your babe is like nothing else. Even if it doesn't go like you planned. Good luck and safe travels
How's the planning going? Have you started packing yet?!? :) That's something that I always have to struggle to resist when I'm excited about travel! :) Hope everything is still going smoothly!
We were in Ethiopia last May to bring our daughter home...
1.We bought calling cards in Ethiopia and used our driver's cell phone. it worked out perfectly.
2.We brought a ton of diapers and were unable to use them because our daughter was much smaller than her weight would suggest... We ended up trading diapers with other travelers in our group. I may suggest bringing two different sizes just encase.
3.Charlotte had a stomach virus which caused her to poo a lot... She shot out many outfits and blankets. I would pack more outfits than you think you'd ever need and if you don't use them all you could leave them at the orphanage.
4.Bring a lot of baby wipes - You'll need them for diaper changes but they are also so useful to clean up minor messes, wipe dirt off of your shoes, clean your hands if water is not available, etc...
5.Hand sanitizer to use after every diaper change.
6.We brought candles to make our room feel more home like and they were also super useful when the power went out. Bring a flashlight too!
7.Plastic diaper bags or small trash can bags for diapers and soiled clothing.
8.A refillable water bottle.
9.Bottles with disposable liners.
10.A journal - you'll be so tired by the end of the day that it will be the last thing that you'll want to do but looking back now at what we wrote is priceless.
11.Leave with no expectations and complete faith... You're bringing your baby home! Congratulations!
We also stayed @ the Bejoe and used one of their phones. Worked really well. We bought a calling card for my husband before we left for ET ( hestayed at home w/ our other son) and he called us using that. It is much cheaper to have people in the US call you rather than you call them. Plus they have internet @ the Bejoe so that is nice.
You are going to LOVE it!
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