Lisa Hass' Top 10 International Travel Tips
7/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Rowing, Olympics
By Lisa Hass with Barbara Cossman
While there are many Olympic hopefuls from the University of Michigan, including a handful who already have their passports packed and ready to go, there's one Wolverine whose trip to Beijing was guaranteed last year. Back in December 2007, U-M athletic trainer Lisa Hass got the call officially inviting her to be a part of the 2008 Olympics medical staff.
A 17-year veteran at Michigan, Hass will be volunteering her services with the USA rowing and triathlon teams but will function primarily with the rowers. And yes, "volunteer" is the correct word. Though all her expenses will be covered, Hass won't be compensated for the long hours she's ready to put in for the Red, White and Blue. "I figure I'm too old to join the military," she says, "so this I how I'm serving my country!"
"The first place I'll be going is the Shunyi Region, which is where the rowing venue is," Lisa explained. "It's probably an hour by bus from the village so several teams are staying out there in hotels. I'll be at the athlete's village after rowing is over. So we'll be out there for about a week of training starting July 27 or 28, and the first competition day is Aug. 9."
When asked for more detail on the rowing venue, Lisa wasn't exactly sure how to qualify it. "It's not a river. It's a man-made, 2,000-plus meter ... it's like a giant pool, a man-made pond, I guess. There's a section for whitewater kayaking too, and in addition to rowing there will be flat-water canoe/kayak competition there."
A seasoned travel veteran, Hass has worked with the Michigan women's gymnastics and rowing teams for years and has spent the last six focusing her off-season time with USA Rowing in the hopes of earning a position on the U.S. Olympic team's medical support staff. Mission accomplished.
So with that in mind, Lisa has offered up some sound travel advice for those first-time voyagers venturing off the mainland.
1. Pack snacks in case you don't like the food.
It's difficult to anticipate what the food situation will be, so bring some snacks, something that has calories in it. I like to take nuts, Clif bars, heavy protein kind of stuff so if you have to replace a meal it's something substantial and semi-healthy. You never know, you may be just fine and bring all your snacks home.
On most of the rowing trips we eat at the same restaurant and eat the same food almost every day. It just doesn't change that much. When we were in London for the 2006 World Rowing Championships, we stayed at the Heathrow Holiday Inn, and there wasn't anything that resembled a neighborhood around there, so if you wanted to pick up a sandwich somewhere else, you really couldn't. There were a couple pubs nearby, but the food situation was few and far between. The restaurant in the hotel was actually really good. They had this great spread, but it was the same every day. It was like, "Oh my gosh, turkey and stuffing again"
Back in '03 we were in Milan, Italy, and we thought we were going to have great food at this hotel. Well, not so much. It was bread, salad, not even good pasta, some kind of mystery meat. I remember the guy handing out "Lambs, lambs, lambs."
2. Prepare for diarrhea.
I've actually been pretty lucky in this area, but bring your Imodium. It's important to have your meds, but you also have to be careful to avoid food and drink that might not agree with you. Stay away from food that might not be washed well, like fresh fruit that you can't peel. Eat bananas, oranges. Basically avoid anything that's not cooked.
And ice. Steer clear of the ice or any tap water. A lot of places don't pasteurize, at least not the way we do. They're maybe not at the same heat temperature to kill all the bacteria. And refrigeration doesn't so much exist.
3. Stay entertained on the plane.
On the plane ride, get up, walk around, try to stay entertained. It's recommended that you don't sleep when you're heading that far west like we will be to China. We're leaving San Francisco around noon and we get there around 2 or 3 p.m. the next day, Beijing time. We've received numerous materials, and of course these are geared more toward athletes who have to get there and start training, but we have to get there and start working. Our days are real long as well, although maybe not as physically demanding. There are no breaks; we don't take a nap in the middle of the day.
So they say to stay awake on the plane. Read, watch movies, move around so you don't get a blood clot. Conversely when traveling to Europe it is advised to sleep since most flights are overnight and you will want to make the most out of your first day. And remember to avoid dehydration. Your body will feel much better if you keep up on your water intake. It also helps to avoid too much caffeine as well as alcoholic beverages.
4. Be prepared to do some laundry.
Being able to do a little bit of laundry is key, especially during an extended trip. Bring a small container of liquid laundry detergent and clothing that is easily washed in the sink. For the heat and humidity in Beijing, it's almost pointless to bring anything that's cotton because you're just gonna soak right through it. I'm trying to bring high-tech fabrics.
We received a list just last week of our issued gear. From Nike there'll be something like three polo shirts, a couple T-shirts, shoes, flip-flops, a pair of shorts, a jacket and a rain jacket. And then Ralph Lauren is doing the opening and closing ceremonies garb. Nobody has seen the opening ceremony's gear yet. And then for the closing, the men and women will have white shorts, white sneakers, a white polo shirt and a sweater vest. You can get a preview of the uniforms here.
5. Pack the electrical converters.
Really, the only thing you might bring is a hair dryer because I want to blow hot air on my head while I'm in China. The hair will never dry. I don't take a lot of electrical things with me. Many folks will travel with laptops, phones, etc. We will be issued a phone at processing for internal use. It will, however, be able to accept international calls free of charge so if you want, I can get you that number! I'm counting on there being a computer center or a nice delegate who will let me check my e-mail a few times during the trip. A laptop can get really heavy when lugging everything around. And charge your batteries because really, number six is ...
6. Make sure you bring your camera.
Bring a camera and have your batteries charged and ready to go. You never know what you're going to get a cool picture of. Hopefully something. And have an extra memory card. I like to take lots of photos, especially with a digital camera. Most of the photos aren't great, but you get 3-4 good ones.
While at the closing ceremonies of the Pan American Games last summer in Rio De Janiero the participating delegations were invited to go onto the field following the official program to celebrate the experience. There were a few thousand people out there and wouldn't you know I ran into Debbie, one of the Brazilian athletes I had traded backpacks with earlier that week in the village. We talked earlier that week as she was in physical therapy school and had a lot of questions about how we treat different injuries here in the states. It was fun to see her down there as well as meet her husband, who was also on the team. At that time we swapped flags and had a photo taken.
7. Don't overpack.
How do you pack for 30 days You're obviously going to have to wear everything you bring multiple times. So that goes hand in hand with the whole laundry thing. I'm anticipating having to change clothes three times a day while I'm there because we'll be out in the heat. So for the practice week I'm hoping to bring eight or nine shorts and T-shirts that I can keep washing over and over.
Try to pack items that do not need ironing and are easily hand washed for multiple wearings. Take a couple of clothing items and shoes that you wouldn't mind ditching at the end of your trip. Bring your other essentials such as shampoo and plan on using them and leaving the containers behind. This will allow extra room for any purchases. It is not a bad idea to pack one night's worth of essentials in your carry-on luggage. I missed my flight to Italy from Newark in 2003 and was thankful I had a toothbrush, clean socks and underwear in my bag. I had to stay overnight in a hotel and was able to feel somewhat changed the next day even if I had to wear the same outer clothes!
8. Bring things to trade.
Usually it ends up being your issued gear, but I'm also bringing some small American flags, and then the USOC will supply us with probably 20 or 30 trading pins. Some people are crazy about pin-trading. To me it's not that big of a deal, but there'll be people outside the venues with these blankets that are just loaded with pins from different types of games, every country you can imagine.
The trading usually takes place at the end of the event since the most coveted items are issued team attire which are in use till the very end. At the rowing events this area is called the trading pit, but the trading will take place all over the village as well. Sometimes deals are made in advance in order to secure the "good stuff." One man's trash is truly another's treasure. I think some of the best stuff I got is still hanging in my closet! I have quite a few shirts. They are official team gear from Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Poland and France. I have a Belarussian jacket, a cap from Argentina and two bags, one messenger bag from Germany and one backpack from Brazil.
Bring things to give the housekeepers and laundry people. Because I'm anticipating in the village there'll be a laundry and they love meeting all the people when they come down. And that would be a tip too ...
9. Try to get a cultural experience.
Enjoy the different culture, and meet and visit with the local people. You'll remember that more than the stupid T-shirt you bought at the Great Wall or whatever. But I think that kind of comes with age too. What you want to take away from a trip is a lot different than it was like 20 years ago when you're worried about getting souvenirs.
Meeting new friends is probably the best part of any trip. Whether they are fellow Americans or folks from other countries this can be the highlight of the experience. I had the opportunity to work with some great peers and colleagues last summer on the Pan Am trip. We were there working together for three weeks. I lived with four other people and have kept in touch with several from the trip. One of those friends will be working this Olympics, and we have decided to stay on a couple extra days in order to see some of the sights before we leave.
Also last summer I got to know a few of the Brazilian volunteers throughout the weeks. There was a young man named Glaucio who wanted to practice his novice English so he'd come and talk with me every day. I asked him one day where he got his socks as they had the Brazilian flag on them. He didn't really understand my question but a couple days later he came and sat next to me, reached in his pocket and gave me his socks that he had gone home and washed. I still have and wear those socks. I gave him a T-shirt in exchange.
Another volunteer, Anna, spoke English quite well and I utilized her as a translator when I needed to. The final day of the rowing events I asked her if she'd like to go to lunch. She took me to a restaurant and when I picked up the bill she nearly cried. These memories are vivid and will last longer than any T-shirt.
10. Relax and have fun.
Enjoy the experience because there's going to be controversial things to get really uptight about, whether it's how long transportation takes or waiting for athletes to show up for treatment and they're late. There'll be a lot of things to get uptight about and you have to try not to. I still will, I'm sure, but have fun and hopefully take back some good memories.
Lisa's USA Rowing Travel Log
2002 -- Seville, Spain: Rowing World Championships
2003 -- Milan, Italy: Rowing World Championships
2005 -- Colorado Springs, Colo.: Two-week volunteer program at training center
2006 -- Eton, England: World Championships
2007 -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Pan-American Games
