Tag / vaccines

by Kelly Mattei

Traveling Out of the US?

Traveling out of the US?

In less than two weeks, my cousin and I are traveling to Panama City, Panama. We are excited. She has never been to Central America, and while I have visited Central America, I have never been to Panama. If you’re wondering how we picked Panama, I will tell you: it’s not the hot spot of the moment. I am that weird traveler who doesn’t like to go to the latest “hot spots.” Plus, I’ve never seen the Panama Canal, one of the man-made wonders of the world! So soon, we are off to Panama.

In preparation, I have done everything I can think of to prepare for our trip. I checked visa requirements and vaccine requirements/recommendations. And then, there were other things to think about: the water situation, the insect/disease situation, etc. Trust me when I say I have done my homework. If you are planning to travel to another country in Central or South America, it’s a good idea to do your own investigating prior to travel. Check vaccine recommendations here. Also, get some international travel insurance that will help you in case of medical emergency or natural disaster. I use Allianz. See their info here. Oooh…and remember to make sure your passport still has six months of validity beyond your travel dates! It’s not always required, but it is a good rule of thumb.

Aside from that, here’s what I decided to take with me:

-OFF! Deep Woods Insect Repellent Towelettes. Malaria is alive and well in Panama. However, since we are staying in the city and the Canal Zone, we do not need to get Malaria shots. There are other mosquito-borne illnesses to consider: dengue disease and chikungunya. I don’t want either of those, so I will be slathering myself with DEET while we are there. Don’t come at me about using DEET. I’m using DEET. Purchase the four pack of 12 here. Or look at other OFF towelette options here.

-Luggage/handbag locks. It’s always a good idea to have locks on luggage/handbags when traveling. I purchased a set of four small ones that I can attach to a backpack, a handbag, or even luggage. Mostly, I’m concerned about a backpack and about my personal medications in my room. If there isn’t a safe in the room, I will lock my meds in a suitcase. The ones I bought are here. Or see lots of choices here.

–LifeStraw. I am taking some extra Original LifeStraws (shop here), and I’m taking a LifeStraw Go Series Water Filter Bottle (purchase here) for each of us. Water is different everywhere, and even though I know the water in Panama City is potable, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Fortunately, we won’t have to be constantly worried about using ice or brushing our teeth, but we can carry our own filtered water with us everywhere we go, thanks to LifeStraw.

-Hand Sanitizer. Both my cousin and I have had COVID several times, and we have both had it fairly recently. Could we get it again? I’m sure we could. However, we will have hand sanitizer with us at all times to limit our exposure to germs. No one wants to get sick on vacation. I bought Purell hand sanitizers that will attach to our handbags/backpacks. Purchase here.

-Permethrin Insect Repellent for clothes. You can’t be too careful in places where mosquitoes are likely to carry disease. Everything I read said to treat clothing with Permethrin insect repellent, so I purchased Sawyer Products Premium from Amazon for just $17.99 here. It lasts on clothes for six months or through six washes, whichever comes first. One 24-oz bottles treats five outfits (shirts/pants/socks), so I got two.

-RFID blocking card wallet. Credit card theft seems to be a problem everywhere these days. People are using RFID scanners in crowds at football games, on public transportation, and more, to steal account information. I ordered a wallet that contains RFID-blocking materials to take with me on my trip, but I will continue to use it even after I return home. There are lots of them offered on Amazon. See them here.

-Anti-theft Backpack Purse for Women. When I’m walking or shopping, I like to be hands-free, but lots of backpacks open on top or on the outside flap, making them easily accessible to passersby. I needed one that opens on the inside flap, the part that’s against my back, making it more difficult for someone to access. I purchased an inexpensive one on Amazon. See it here.

-Power Adaptors. Since Panama has the same power outlets we have in the US, it’s not an issue for us on this trip, but it can be an issue in other countries. Do your homework. Find out if the country you’re traveling to has the same. If not, purchase an adaptor before you travel. You’ll thank me. When I was a flight attendant, I had a coworker who burned off her bangs in Costa Rica.

-Comfortable shoes for walking. For daytime sightseeing, I just need to be comfortable and blister-free. I normally wear my On Cloud 5s, and I love them. In fact, I just got a new pair to take with me. You can get these lightweight sneakers here.

All these products can be found at Amazon, and yes, I earn commissions for any purchases through my links. However, I’m not recommending something I don’t really believe could be useful!

Happy shopping!

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by Kelly Mattei

I Ordered The Summer Reading Book

It’s almost August, so I finally broke down and ordered the book my daughter, who is a rising high school sophomore, has been assigned for her required summer reading. I didn’t assign it. Her school did, and I’m not gonna lie…I resent it.

First, summer is my time. I’m not complaining. I love our daughter’s school, but summer is my time. I don’t want to receive school emails. I don’t want reminders. I don’t want to see her schedule or her school supplies list. I don’t want any of it, because frankly, I don’t even want to think about school. This is summer. It should be free time… and I’d appreciate it if I could keep it that way.

Alas, I can’t. Every year, we have to do health forms. I took her for her physical early this year, in June, so I wouldn’t have to keep seeing the emails from school, requesting the information. I got her physical done, got the forms signed by the doctor, and sent them in early! Done! I eliminated those weekly “reminder” emails about the health forms. Don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful our school requires them. I’m grateful that they want all her health info, in case they can’t reach me when something happens. But I want to do it all while school is in session. I don’t want to ruin the peace of summer with health forms.

Recently, apparently, there was an email about high school students at our daughter’s school picking up their iPads before school starts. A mom came by my house today, and while she was here, she asked if my daughter is picking up her iPad tomorrow. I hadn’t seen the email, because it is summer, and I don’t check my email very regularly in summer….so ummm…no, she won’t be picking up her iPad tomorrow. It’s July 28th. School doesn’t start till August 21. She would likely misplace the damn thing before school starts if she picked it up now. Aside from that….I don’t want to think about the school iPad yet! Truth be told, I wish she didn’t even have a school iPad.

It’s times like this I wish the whole world could be more like the 1980s. When I was in high school, we had cheerleading practice all summer, but we didn’t talk about school stuff till school was about to start. Summer was for lounging by the pool; eating French fries in the clubhouse; going to the beach, where we walked to Dairy Queen every afternoon; family vacations; watching soap operas (Dr Noah Drake, anyone?); and just hanging with friends. And we never had summer reading!

It is a pain in my butt every…single…year. I know some people have kids who love to read. They love any book they can get their hands on, and I admire that. But mine isn’t that kid. She would rather be running around a field hockey or lacrosse field, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, eating French fries at the club…or other stuff I did in the 1980s. I ordered the book today, though, and it will arrive by the weekend, and she will read it when she reads it. And I will resent it.

I just want her to be a kid while she can be a kid! These kids have so much more pressure on them than we had as teens. As early as seventh grade, parents at her school, in meetings, were asking about curriculum paths for their kids to get into the “right colleges.” Honestly, I don’t give a crap where mine goes. She will go somewhere. But I don’t want her worrying about that, because guess what? She is in 10th grade. She doesn’t know squat. And do you know why she doesn’t know squat? Because she is a kid, and she shouldn’t be having to make life decisions at 15. She should be thinking about teenager stuff and enjoying the lazy days of summer.

Plus, I think kids learn a lot in summer, in a different way. I think they learn about scheduling. If they travel, they learn more about the world in which they live…even if they just travel to a neighboring town. They learn that the world is a big place. They meet new people and hang out with people with whom they don’t go to school. They grow. They play. They learn how to do things on their own. When our daughter was a toddler, any time we traveled…even just for a weekend…I noticed she was different when we got home. She had learned something that made her a little different. Has she ever been changed like that by a book? Maybe, but this was every time we went somewhere…she came home different. Being exposed to different places and people is a different kind of education.

So, am I going to badger her about her required summer reading? Nope. I’m not even going to “remind” her. She will get it done on her own terms, but mostly, I hope she enjoys the last few weeks of summer. I hope she hangs out at the pool with friends, goes to concerts, hangs out some with me, listens to music, eats as many French fries as she wants, floats around on a giant inflatable pink flamingo, and doesn’t even think about school.

Maybe I’m the slacker mom, but I know she is going to be OK. I know she would be OK without summer reading, and she will be OK with it too.

But most of all…I hope she enjoys the last few weeks of summer…like kids are supposed to do.

***If you’re wondering, the required summer reading book is called A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah. I’m ordering one for myself too, just so I can see what makes it special.***

woman lying on pink flamingo bouy on body of water

Photo by LRM Exterior on Pexels.com