 |
| David Cao - Violinist |
The WYSO tour to
Argentina is just 4 days away! I’m so excited but at the same time, I’m also
worried about what to bring for the tour. I have a relatively large bag to put
all my clothes and essentials in, but there is a weight limitation for all
checked luggage bags. For our American Airlines flights, 50 pounds (or 23
kilograms) is the maximum weight a checked bag can be—or there will be
additional unnecessary fees for overweight baggage. The 50 pound luggage bag
limit seems impossible to reach based on just clothes, but out of experience,
it’s easy to go over when you pack all the essentials for a trip. So I have to
be selective about what I bring and what I don’t.
Clothes are, of course, crucial and
take up the majority of the luggage space. Packing an adequate amount of
fashionable clothes may prove challenging since we are covering a difficult
temperature range in Argentina. The temperature in Argentina right now can
sometimes allow us to wear short sleeved shirts and short pants for Wisconsin
summer weather, and at other times require us to wear a sweatshirt, long pants,
or even a medium-weight jacket for the winter chills during the evening. And
what about shoes? I wouldn’t want to wear the same pair of shoes around the
city every day—but shoes also take up quite a bit of space. Based on the WYSO
Staff advice, I’ll probably just bring about a week’s worth of clothes and find
many combinations between the shirt-pants choices. 2-3 pairs of shoes is
probably enough for me, but that’s just my personal preference.
As for the essential
electronics/accessories, it’s definitely useful to have a cell phone with you
that works internationally in case of any emergency during the tour. With that,
you need to charge your phone, but the power outlets in Argentina are different
than in the U.S…they are 220V and V-shaped. For that problem, I am bringing along
a plug adapter to share with my roommate. All the portable electronic devices
should be easy to charge, since the charger typically covers a large voltage
range—from 100 to 240 volts. In addition, I was told by WYSO that some of the
hotel rooms in Argentina don’t have hair dryers. My dad found on Amazon that
you can purchase a travel-size hair dryer and plug adapter for less than $25. This
hairdryer is dual voltage, so there will be no need for a big, heavy power
adapter. Just turn the voltage knob to 250 before using it in Argentina. Just
to be on the safe side…for this hair dryer, only use the low setting in case
the high setting burns out the hair dryer at 220V. The link for both the hair
dryer and plug adapter can be found below. If you purchase the hair dryer and
adapter from Amazon, be sure to go through the Amazon link on the WYSO webpage.
Plug Adaptor:
Currency
exchange and making purchases will also be difficult on the tour. Argentina
uses the Argentine Peso, which runs about 8.14 Pesos to 1 US Dollar. Although
there are many places in Argentina to exchange money, the rates may not be as
good—even at the airport. Try not to exchange money on the streets of Argentina
to avoid counterfeit money. I’d say try to exchange all your cash at a local
bank or an authorized exchange place in Argentina; they’ll give you the closest
exchange to the market value. Bring along an ATM card just in case you run out
or can’t find a currency exchange place. You can also make purchases easier in
Argentina by bringing a debit card with you.
And for everyone writing on the blog
during the tour, we need a way to write, transfer, and submit blog posts. I
know most people are not bringing a laptop and just using their phones to write
the blog entries. Bringing an iPad or tablet can also make it easier for you to
type and attach pictures. It will definitely help if you download a Microsoft
Word equivalent app on your phone or tablet to make typing, editing and
transferring blog files easier during the tour.
~David
Cao
