The Best Step in the Prep: Travel Tips and Friendly Advice

With only about a week to go in the U.S. I've reached my favorite step in the process of travel preparation; the time when friends and loved ones feel duty bound to impart a little piece of wisdom on me before I fly away to embrace my independence abroad.  Thus far the tips I've received have ranged from practical to ridiculous (you can categorize them as you see fit as whoever is reading this has most likely been a bestow-er of said advice and I'd hate to offend anyone), but every single one is worth consideration and definitely entertaining to read:

       1) The first and earliest advice I got on my birthday in April, when my pal Lo gave me a useful book called Gutsy Women filled with travel tips for the intrepid female explorer. About 138 pages long, complete with a packing check list, Gutsy Women offers advise on how to act in a myriad of situations abroad most of which I never would have thought of let alone prepared for.  Here are a few of my favorite selections from the book:
               "Expect the worst period of your life"
               "Walk with a purpose"
               "Use your judgment at political rallies, save your hard core activism for the U.S."
               " Don't be naive about the intentions of foreign men"
               "Keep the flower from the room service cart in your room"

      2) My favorite and most memorable piece of advice was from my friend Jeanne, who gave me a wonderful hug, then looked at me tenderly saying "Just don't come back knocked up." Which she then followed up with "Well if the baby can have an accent then its okay".

      3) "Pack peanut butter"

      4) "Don't forget, you can do laundry there. When in doubt leave it out."

      5) "Don't drink Jameson and cranberry juice"

      6)  "Could you try to lick Blarney Castle?"    
                        
      7) "Crawl to the edge of the Cliffs of Moher - don't try walking"

      8) "Just don't bring like...anything!"

      9) "When in doubt, do stuff."

That's about all I can remember right now but I'm almost positive I'll have even more to add as the week goes on.