General If you are a US citizen you will not need a visa, but you will need a passport. Please e-mail the leaders with your passport number as soon as possible. Most major credit cards are accepted most everywhere (remember
that we will be staying in some small towns that may not accept
credit cards). Travelers checks are accepted for a fee at banks
but are a major hassle (DO NOT BRING TRAVELERS CHECKS UNLESS
ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY). ATM's should be ubiquitous and give an
excellent exchange rate-- the user selects a certain amount of
local currencey (5000, 10000, 25000 PTE) and the corresponing
amount of U The exchange rate in Portugal is 229 escudos per US dollar (April 1, 2001). The exchange rate in Spain is 190 pesetas per US dollar (April 1, 2001). We will be in Portugal for the first 4 days and then two days at the end of the trip. Exchange sufficient money for the first four days (See below also). Electrical appliances run on 220 V, 50 Hz.
Medical Bring with you all medicines that you think you might need including all prescriptions. Assume that you cannot obtain any medicines abroad (i.e. not available or not available when you need it). Be sure to check with your medical insurance for coverage in the destination country. Be sure to check with your life insurance company for coverage in the destination country. Check with your doctor regarding any shots that you may require. If in SLC check County Services. According to the State Department no shots are required (http://travel.state.gov/spain.html; http://travel.state.gov/portugal.html). You might want to check the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov).
Transportation and Lodging We are planning to travel by bus- probably a 50 passenger bus. The advantage of the bus is that we can all travel together and a professional will do the driving. The disadvantage of the bus is that it does not have the mobility of a van or taxi. As a result we will frequently drop of the group at one location and pick them up at another desigated location. As in the the past we will use the least expensive and safe lodgings. Commonly we will have no choice. To economize we will ask participants to share rooms (doubles, tripples, quadruples). The leaders will make the rooming assignments based on the number and types of rooms available. If there are issues with your room assignment, see below.
Phone Calls & Laundry The best way for making phone calls back to the US is by buying and using a phone card. Be sure to obtain an international call card. MCI and other carriers with local access numbers also works. Laundry facilities may be limited or non-existent. Send out service in a hotel, if it exists may take more than one day. Bring laundry detergent and do your laundry in your room! Because the climate is humid, drying may take a couple of days.
Climate Travel guides for Portugal indicate daytime highs of 70 and nighttime lows of 60 degrees in Lisbon at this time of the year. We expect Spain to be up to 10 degrees warmer. The amount of precipitation during our trip is expected to be up to 0.5 inches (compare that to 14 inches per year in Salt Lake City).
What if problems arise? If you have significant questions please talk to the leaders at any time. If there are rooming or incompatability issues with anyone or anything, please speak with Dr. Chavez or Dr. Peteren. We will make whatever adjustments that can be made or are warranted.
Contact information In case of emergency we need to know whom we should contact. Please fill out the field trip "Travel-related Information Form" and return it to the field trip leader(s).
Useful URL's
How to Take Notes-- A Primer It is a good idea to take notes or keep a log of all your activities. These notes can serve you in a personal and professional sense. Commonly you will need to make a report of your activities to your boss, so it would be a good idea to have an accurate record. Some things (if relevant) you might want to record are:
Disclaimer You will be traveling as a student tourist everywhere you go. Bring a student I.D. as commonly this can save you money. The leaders are not medical doctors or lawyers, obtain your own advice on these matters. Your are responsible for your own well being. Observe all safety instructions. You must be in top physical and mental condition. The trip will be rigorous on both fronts. The trip is no picnic and you will be expected to participate. Revised: 5/1/2001 |
SD are tranferred
from your account at home. You will need a card with a PIN number.
In a large city you may find an "money changer" and
these also give a good rate. Because banks charge a fee for changing
money, the exchange rate can be quite poor for exchanging small
amounts. It is highly unlikely that USD can be used directly,
and if possible the quoted exchange rate will be very poor.