The Dominican Republic and Why I Buy Travel Insurance

So, most of the posts about the DR will be under my regular travel blog since the trip is largely for fun.  Between work travel, opening a travel credit card (hello 45,000 miles!) and using said card for every expense under the sun since opening it, I had enough miles for a trip to the Dominican Republic.  While I'm there, I will be visiting the only sponsored child I have in that country, so there will be a few mentions about the DR on this blog. :-)

Fortunately, I will not need any additional medications!

On the off chance I get sick IN another country, I always buy travel insurance.  While there are policies that cover just medical costs if you get sick (and potentially medical evacuation if you need or want to return home for treatment), I pay slightly more for a full coverage package.  Having flown enough to know that you can be delayed for weather (major problem in the winter), computer glitches, etc. I know that a single night, last-minute at a hotel near the airport can easily run $100, which is more than a full policy will cost.  Add in the benefit of the policy covering change or cancellation fees for illness or a death in the family and for me it just makes sense.  I've never spent more than $80 on a policy that could easily save me a $100 to tens of thousands for a serious overseas illness or injury.  I personally use the meta-site insuremytrip.com to compare policies for a given trip and to ensure I have the coverage I need.

Holy Hepatitis A Shot!

So, this post is a bit dated because I had my Hepatitis A shot awhile ago, but let's just say that it was a memorable event.  The first thing that registered was how freakishly LARGE the thing was.  It looked like something you'd inject into a horse, not a human!  After double-checking that they were sure this was the right injection, they gave it to me.

As it turns out, having THAT MUCH pumped into your arm doesn't feel so hot.  Not surprisingly, pain at the injection site is extremely common with this shot.  Many people also get headaches and I was one of the "lucky" ones there to experience that as well.  Nothing long lasting though and I felt better by the next day.

Despite the CDC warnings, I admit that I debated how many of these vaccines I really needed.  When I read that if I did get Hepatitis A, I could be sick enough to miss a month of work . . . well, a shot didn't seem like that big of a deal!

Since I had the HepA shot at my regular doctor, I am still slated to go in for Typhoid and Malaria prescriptions.  The malaria isn't for Guatemala though.  I'll be in a malarial area for such a short time that taking pills 2 days before and 7 days after for ONE day doesn't seem worth it.  The malaria pills are actually for the Dominican Republic!  I will be in a malaria zone for 3 days on that trip, which I've decided is too long.  All three are such nasty illnesses that protecting myself seems like a high priority.

The "Loot" So Far

So, the "loot" had started to take over the office.  There were miscellaneous items everywhere and I was actually beginning to forget what I had purchased for each child . . . so, time for some bags!  I am including small items for all of the siblings at home still, so there were a LOT of bags!

First up are all of the goodies for Jose and Cesar.  I will be visiting their family first (not pictured are books I'm taking also).  Since the family lives in an area too rural for shopping, I'm going to pick up a few extra clothing items to bring still.

 The next family I'll be visiting is Juan's.  Since Juan's siblings are both grown, I included the items for Keisy and her sister here as well.

And last, but not least, my largest family!  Edy and Katherine have many siblings I have received letters from over the years (written on behalf of my kids) and so there is plenty of loot for them too.  Everyone is getting flip flops, plus all sorts of fun items.  The two girls I sponsor are each receiving a handmade crocheted purse.  Still debating if/what to crochet for the boys - maybe just a hat or socks?

2013 Preparations - Vaccinations & Blood Donation

With this being my first visit to an area requiring special vaccinations, I wasn't quite sure where to start.  The State Dept site pointed me in the right direction with a link to the CDC:

CDC Travel Site

First off, you'll want to be up-to-date on routine vaccines, which I am.  Secondly, the vaccines recommended for the majority of travelers are:

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid

 As it turns out, your regular doctor can probably manage HepA, but not likely typhoid.  I was then on a quest to find where to go.  If you live in the Portland, Oregon metro area, the cheapest place to get the HepA shots (assuming your insurance won't cover it) is through Multnomah County.  They don't cover anything else though, so for $15 more you can do it all at the Portland Industrial & Travel Clinic (PITC).  They beat the next cheapest place (Walgreens) by $85.  Walgreens did tell me that most insurance covers some of the expense as a preventative care scenario, so if you have insurance, confirm coverage ahead of time because PITC does not bill insurance.

On the off chance that you might need a medical procedure in Guatemala, you may want to consider HepB as well.  I already had them as a routine vaccinations, so I don't need those.  Water purification tablets are also advisable.  Depending on the area you'll be visiting, malaria drugs may be helpful as well.  There is only one day of my trip that I will be in a risky area, so I am still debating whether it's worth it.  I may just take extreme mosquito precautions in regards to clothing, sprays, etc. on that one day.

There are diseases in Guatemala spread by mosquitoes with no vaccines, so be sure to take extra precautions in regards to clothing and mosquito repellants even if you aren't in a malarial area!  Also note: If you donate blood, travel to malarial areas restricts you from donating for a year.

2013 Preparations - Safety and the State Department

You may not know this, but Guatemala isn't entirely what one would call safe.  It has a very high murder rate per capita and I can't even visit three of my kids because they live in what is called a "red zone."

Here is a link to an article about a life in the red zones - areas so unsafe that the police won't even enter because they're outnumbered.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12385301

Here is another link that describes these communities below.  As Mexico (directly North) and Columbia (a bit South) both wage war on the drug cartels in their countries, the drug cartels are squeezing into the middle - in part into Guatemala.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asentamiento

Because of the rather violent state of things in Guatemala, I have registered (and I recommend others register) with the State Department.  This ensures they know to look for me should any major violence break out or a hurricane or other natural disaster occurs.  Fortunately, all of these things are unlikely since I'm traveling outside of hurricane season and I have planned well to try to avoid the situations most likely to end in violence.  The below link will allow you to see the current travel info about Guatemala, look up any other countries of interest, and register for Safe Traveler if interested:

United States State Department - Guatemala

Having established the relative lack of safety in the country, I will stick with visits organized by the group I sponsor with (Children International) and other organized tours.  More info to come later on my tours!

2013 Preparations - Currency & Cheapest Place to Buy

Having never visited an impoverished country, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Would the exchange rate be crazy like Japan (although converting roughly 1,000 yen to $10 becomes mentally easy fairly quick) or fairly close?  What would the currency look like?

Well, here is the answer - the exchange rate is roughly 7 to 8 Quetzales to USD.  I was also happy to see it is like currency nearly everywhere I've been other than here - bright and colorful!  See the pictures below:

 I found the backs to be the most interesting as they show various pictures of life - children being taught, government in action, and even people harvesting by hand.

After hunting around, I found the best rates with Wells Fargo's service.  If you order over $1,000 total, there is no fee.  Otherwise, it is $15 online or $5 in their branches.  Be sure to call ahead for unusual currencies though!  While they had plenty of yen for my Japan trip, they had to order in Quetzales and it took some time for them to arrive (a bit over a week).

I found WF to be cheapest for my trip to Europe a few years back as well, so that's my travel tip for this topic.  Check because some countries it is cheapest to buy in country - that was true of some places in Japan and not others.  I saw better and worse rates than what I got at WF. 

Tips (summarized):

• Order at least 2 weeks in advance if you're buying currency before your trip
• Wells Fargo seems to have the best exchange rates for buying foreign currency (2015 UPDATE - ForeignCurrency.com had better rates this trip)
• In many countries, travelers checks have become difficult to cash.  Look for tips about this online before you buy them.
• Bank of America has many banks (unfortunately not in Guatemala) where there is no fee to withdraw cash.  This was very helpful for me when I went to Europe.
• I personally use an internet-based account now.  They will refund ATM fees to you automatically stateside, but by request for all foreign transactions.  By using this account, I avoid a bank fee from Capital One & get reimbursed for what the foreign bank charges me.  This is how I intend to get additional cash since carrying large amounts of cash in a dangerous country, like Guatemala, is not advised.
• Capital One also does not charge a foreign transaction fee and I've found their exchange rates to be fairly reasonable.  I carry their card when I travel for emergency purposes due to this.  Most cards have a 1-3% transaction fee on top of a slightly inflated exchange rate, so be sure to find out about yours before traveling.
• Notify the bank for any cards you carry with you so you don't find yourself without access to your funds while on vacation.  Finding yourself in a foreign country with a fraud hold on your account(s) would not be fun!

2013 - Finally Heading to Guatemala for my First Sponsor Visit!

Well, I'm finally doing it.  I sponsored two children in Columbia that I meant to visit; however, both left the program without me ever meeting them.  I am fortunate now to be traveling to Guatemala to visit 6 of my sponsored kids in November!

In preparation, I looked up weather and it appears that November is a decent time to go - after rainy season ends, but before it starts really cooling off in the evenings in the highlands.  We'll see how the actual weather is!  I also wanted to time the visit so the kids don't miss school.

I also combed around to find out what areas were "safe" in Guatemala City and found a highly rated and super affordable bed and breakfast called Dai Nonni.

I purchased flip flops on sale for both of my Guatemalan girls and all of the sisters in the families.  I'm debating what else to fill a suitcase with before I go vs. what I should buy there.  I'm pretty excited to meet the kids and participate in activities with them, although I am wondering how shy Edy will do on an outing with Keisy along!

Here are the most recent pics of my 6 Guatemalan kids:

Day One - Jose and Cesar

Day Two - Juan

Day Three - Edy, Katherin & Keisy