Any tips for travel?

E

El Rojo Loco

Member
My station is sending me and an anchor/reporter to Haiti for 9 days to document two local groups of doctors who have been going there for years. This will be my first trip of this magnitude and I'm wondering if the community has any tips or advice, anything to keep in mind. We'll be in Thiotte for 3-4 days and Port Au Prince for the same. Shooting on a Panasonic HPX-170 P2 camera. I plan on bringing some reflectors and a light weight tripod, 36 9V batteries, 8 camera batteries, 8 P2 cards (8 gig each), a 500 gig portable HD, laptop, audio cables of various lengths, zip lock bags for safe keeping, 2 lav mics, lens cleaner, and compressed air. That's about it for gear. Too much? Not enough?
Again, any and all advice is much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
 
If I recall, you will need to write down the serial numbers of every piece of equipment you are bringing, so you can prove you didn't purchase it there, and have to pay to bring it back.

It's been a really long time since I did any international travel with my gear though (was in thailand for the tsunami).

oh, and I know nothing about Hati, will you need power adapters?
 
Make sure all your shots are up to date. look to getting vaccinated against Typhus and Cholera. Also, you might want to work on your situational security while in Port a Prince. Apparently they are gunning down americans in the streets down there.
 
Buck Satan said:
Apparently they are gunning down americans in the streets down there.
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Awesome!
All my shots are indeed up to date. Electricty is all good, we have US generators provided to us. Good tip on the serial numbers, thanks.
What's with the compressed air? Can't even put it with my luggage? I hear it's pretty dusty down there so it'd be nice to have.
 
Start your malaria pills now.

It's not a shot and they need to be started BEFORE you go.

A friend of mine came back from the quake in Haiti after a couple of weeks there. He felt like he was at death's door...and he was. Three weeks of hell.

Of all the things mentioned, I didn't see malaria listed. You're making a mistake to ignore that hazard since this is prime season for mosquitos there.
 
El Rojo Loco said:
What's with the compressed air? Can't even put it with my luggage? I hear it's pretty dusty down there so it'd be nice to have.
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http://www.amazon.com/Giottos-AA1900-Large-Rocket-Blaster/dp/B00017LSPI
31SEeX5dcLL._SS500_.jpg
 
ian515 said:
If I recall, you will need to write down the serial numbers of every piece of equipment you are bringing, so you can prove you didn't purchase it there, and have to pay to bring it back.
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Make sure you take your list to US Customs before you leave this country and get a Customs Declaration stamped showing your gear. Then you will have no problems when you return home. Make extra copies of everything!!!
 
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Malaria pill started on Friday. I'm all straight with the Travel Nurse, she got me all straighted out last week. Good call on the air pump and customs. Thanks guys!
 
I see you mentioned the Travel Nurse but make sure you get your tetanus and Hep A shots. The Hep A is a two parter: one now and the booster in six months. The upside is you'll eat with less worries in some dodgy restaurants. For the past ten years, I've been able to do so. Thanks, Halliburton!
 
I second the garbage bags. Also bring some gaff tape, if you want to save space I have rolled some up around a bic pen, or put some strips on the legs of your sticks.

Bring some trail mix or power bars too. I think in uncertain places it is good to control your own (limited) food supply.

I know I've read on here that someone used mag light flash lights as part of a remote live kit. Could be another tool.

Also, plenty of dry socks.

One more tip, I found out as a person who grew up rarely going out to eat, my body doesn't like to live off food that I'm not used to.

In 2008 I was on the road a lot covering the presidential race & midwest floods, I was amazed that a bowl of cereal (regular breakfast) did more help to my body than a pill bottle when I started coming down with a cold. After that point I would always try to hit up a grocery store to get make some of my own food while on the road as opposed to always going out to eat 3 times a day.

Lastly bring a personal camera, if this is a major trip, you'll like to remember it. And get yourself in some of those photos too.
 
Well, maybe one that doesn't look like a cartoon bomb with out tail fins. :)

When I've gone to malarial counties I've taken Doxycyvline because the regular malaria drugs would not play well with Coumadin. I haven't had any of the nasty side effects others seem to have with the malaria medications, and I haven't gotten malaria yet...

That's obviously not proof that the pills work. I don't know if I've ever been bitten by a mosquito with malaria or not.
 
take pleanty of pepto bismol tablets! pack your odds and ends in clear zip lock bags so tsa can inspect them without messing everything up. granola bars! an eye wash kit.
 
Get a canteen and iodine tablets so you always have disinfected drinking water with you. Also, bring 2-3 rolls of toilet paper, take out the cardboard and squash them down. You will be glad to have them, particularly if you don't pay attention to the iodine tabs.
 
Some sort of back ups, an extra hard drive, a consumer HD camera, cables, etc. Just in case.

How are you getting stories back?
 
Michaelrosenblum said:
Get a canteen and iodine tablets so you always have disinfected drinking water with you. Also, bring 2-3 rolls of toilet paper, take out the cardboard and squash them down. You will be glad to have them, particularly if you don't pay attention to the iodine tabs.
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Baby Wipes>>>Squashed Toilet Paper.
 
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