lindsay traveling

I fell in love with Oaxaca the first time I visited, so it was an easy choice for 5 weeks of language school. Now, one week in, I know I made the right decision! I've settled into an awesome routine... Breakfast and coffee in my cute apartment (usually while scrambling to finish my homework), then a 30 minute walk to school. 9:00-1:00, class with a genuinely skilled educator and a handful of new friends. 1:00-3:00, wander around until I find a (relatively) indulgent restaurant for a leisurely lunch. 3:00-4:00, "intercambio," conversational language exchange with a super interesting woman from Oaxaca. 4:00-6:00, cooking class (in Spanish) with a friendly and talented woman who even lets us eat the yummy food afterward! After that, too full for dinner and too brain-fried for much more Spanish, I've either been going out with classmates and/or locals, or going straight home to rest my brain. I'm having a great time, and hopefully I'm even learning

How do you prepare for a big trip?  I've made about fifteen different lists, mental and otherwise, and would love to share what I've learned!  Let's get all this logistical stuff out of the way quickly and painlessly so we can all get on to the real fun!! T-6 Months 1. Make sure your passport is current. Your passport probably needs to be valid for a few months after you return home.  Look up the rules for your destinations, and renew your passport if necessary.  Some travelers even choose to request a second passport so they're not without one when mailing in the other for a visa.  Speaking of visas, if you are renewing your passport, now's a great time to stock up on passport photos, as many visas will require them. 2. Investigate visas. Different countries have very different visa requirements.  Sometimes you don't need one, or can buy one easily at the airport.  Other times you need to mail your passport in months in advance.  If you're