Plane Tickets, Vaccinations & Packing - oh my!

We have plane tickets! Friday, January 14th about 3:00pm begins our journey. First Madison to Chicago with a reasonable layover and then the 15-hour direct flight to Abu Dhabi!! YIKES!

So, this week's focus has been on getting an appointment with the Travel Medical Desk to ensure all vaccinations are cared for, getting more information on what it will take to ship over our cat, Rogue, getting the smaller of our two cars sold and continuing to pack, sort, store and sell.

Travel Doctor
What an interesting job, huh? This guy handles all the requests at GHC for patients traveling to foreign countries. He researches the vaccinations and anything else needed for the country and then sets you up to travel. So, let's talk about what you'll need if when you come over to visit us... not too bad actually. First, schedule an appointment with the Travel Dr. through your insurance at least one month prior to your departure date as some vaccinations require a certain period of time prior to travel to get into your system. Here's what you'll most likely need if you don't already have it:

• tetanus
• typhoid (pills, no shot)
• hepatitis
• flu shot (you don't need it for Abu Dhabi, but you will be in a plane or airport for a while!)

Shipping the Kitty
Actually, this is proving to be a little easier than I first expected. First, there is a ton of information on the Internet and most vets have dealt with this more than you might imagine. While our vet hasn't shipped any animals to Abu Dhabi, they do have experience with Japan, Hawaii (one of the most restrictive) and Europe. Luckily, there is no quarantine period for Abu Dhabi, which may have been a show stopper for us. Mostly it's about having updated vaccinations and having a microchip embedded under the skin. Then it's about the paperwork and making sure you have the right crate for the airline. I'm currently working with my vet, a vet in Abu Dhabi and a pet shipping company to get it all to come together.

Sorting, Selling & Storing
We are not pack rats by any means, but boy it sure seems like we have a lot of stuff. The hardest part is trying to figure out what we should take the trouble to ship over. It's a slow process, but one we want to make sure we get right. And, if anyone is interested in a car or a house, please let me know! :)