EXPECT JET LAG!!!

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October 8^th ~ I received my unofficial itinerary for the trip today!!

While I haven’t booked my ticked from Maui to Portland yet because they leave from Mainland locations (so, if anyone has some FREQUENT FLIER miles they would like to donate for my extension from Maui to Portland LET ME KNOW!!) here is my itinerary:

                                                                                                                                               

Maui – Portland = 5 hours travel time

Portland – Amsterdam = 10.5 hours travel time

Amsterdam – Nairobi = 8 hours travel time

Total in-flight time being 23.5 hours !!! WOWZER………………..that doesn’t include my layover times and the night I will be spending in Portland before leaving that morning.  AND…then the same travel time back!! It’s all good though, I know my travel will mean so much to these people!!

TIPS from my manual:

• Sleeping pills in your carryon!! A neck pillow, ear plugs & eye shield! The more you sleep on the plane the quicker the trip will go and the better you will feel when you land. 
• Pack activities in your carryon! The length of these trips cannot be over emphasized. Be prepared to combat boredom!!
• Remove your shoes before take-off! Feet swell in the air!
• Wear comfortable clothes on the plane for sleeping, knowing that you will be wearing these same clothes, sometimes for TWO to THREE days!!
• Expect jet lag! General rule of thumb is that for every one hour you move from your home time zone, it takes about one day for your body to adjust.  So traveling 8 time zones, you may feel under the weather and fatigued for 8 days.  TO minimize jet lag, SLEEP lots on the flight over. Adjust your sleeping patterns and try to go to sleep at the time zone we will be arriving in. 

NAIROBI, Kenya is 13 hours ahead of me…So when I come back home I leave Feb 26^th from Kenya and travel 30 hours to arrive back to Porland on Feb 26^th!! CRAZY but FUN!!!

Upon arrival:

When we all arrive we have to purchase an ‘entrance visa’ (basically we pay another entrance fee to get in).  Fill out forms/documents yadda yadda.  Once we pass through customs and immigration, gotten my entry visa, paid my entry tax and gotten my passport stamped, I will need to get my luggage! HOLY moly, all this after about 30 hours of travel time!! When going through immigration with our luggage we are encouraged to feign being a tourist rather than a medical team member with our luggage.  If immigration personnel believe that we have valuable medications and supplies in our luggage, they are more likely to search and “confiscate” these items.  Purpose being to resell them on the black market. In my manual there are many “TIPS” given and one for the travel part is to “ALWAYS be honest with immigration officials when questioned, remain calm and polite, follow their requests and if no options seem available, surrender any supplies that are in question to avoid further problems.  ß sounds scarey when I think about it!!

                                                                                                                                                    

But after all that…we will exit the airport and be greeted by our host who will have ground transportation ready and our adventure begins!!