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-Have extra room in your luggage for the way home. Traveling to the place your child was born is a great opportunity to buy cultural items for your home and gifts for your child as he or she grows. On our trips we’ve purchased clothing, music, books, toys, jewelry, carvings, decorations and other great items. I recommend rolling up a large duffel bag and fitting it into one of your suitcases OR bringing a suitcase full of donations (if appropriate) to where you are going. Then you can leave the donations, and fill the empty suitcase with souvenirs.

-Start preparing for your trip early. Although Josh rolls his eyes and teases me when I start getting things ready way in advance, I can promise that when you get down to the last week or two before you leave you are going to be busy and probably emotional, and really glad if you have gotten the bulk of packing and planning done ahead of time. I have packed early for all of our adoption trips, and have always been glad I have done so in the craziness of all that needs to get done before we really leave.

I start making packing lists and to do lists a good month or two before we go, and check things off as they are accomplished. I found that there were a lot of little things, like calling the credit card company and telling them we would be traveling to Africa so they didn’t mark our charges as fraud, writing notes to our kids’ teachers to tell them we were out of town and who the kids were staying with and who to call in an emergency, making phone number lists for the baby sitters, etc. that were easy to get done a week or two or three before we left.

Getting these things done early leaves you plenty of time in the last day or two to do all of the last minute things, like saying good-bye to your other kids, taking the dog to the kennel, charging camera battiers, cleaning the house, grocery shopping (if someone will be staying at your house), putting gas in the car, etc. etc. etc.

When you reach a lull in your adoption, where the waiting is making you crazy and it feels like it is never going to really happen, starting to plan for your trip can both help get your excited and get you prepared (and keep you busy so the waiting doesn't make you totally nuts). :)

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