Are you about to go on a trip? It seems that the best way to make sure that you haven’t forgotten anything is to pack your suitcase two days before your departure – за два дня до отъезда (za dva dyna do at’yesda). Other small, useful things to do in advance – заранее(zaraneye):
- Download a city map on your phone or tablet – Скачать на телефон / планшет карту города (skatchat‘ na telefon / planshet kartu gorada), or buy a paper map- купить бумажную карту (kupit‘ bumazhnuyu kartu) of the city of your destination.
- Write down a list of the telephone numbers of taxis – номера телефонов местных такси (nomera telefon mestnykh taksi) or bus numbers – номера маршрутов автобусов (nomera marshrutov avtobussov) available at the place of your arrival.
- Print out your train or plane tickets – распечатать билеты на поезд или на самолет (raspechatat’ biletu na poyezd ili na samalet).
- Print out your hotel voucher – распечатать купон о брони в гостинице (raspechatat’ kupon a broni v gastinitse).
- Put your mini-pharmacy – мини-аптека (mini-apteka) together: tablets to relieve headaches – таблетки от головной боли (tabletki ot galovnoy ot boli), remedies for the stomach – от расстройства желудка (at rasstroystva zheludka) that alleviates diarrhea – от поноса (ot panoss, but diarrhea works, too), anti-inflammatory – обезболивающее (abezbolivayushcheye) dressings – пластыри (plastyri) and pills against air- or sea-sickness – от укачивания (at ukachivaniya) if you suffer from such conditions.
- Put an extra set of clothes – сменное белье (smennoye bel’ye) in your hand luggage – ручная кладь (ruchnaya klad), which will come in handy in case of lost luggage.
- Make sure to take your camera – Фотоаппарат (fotoapparat) or video-camera – видеокамера (videokamera) for those required selfies – селфи (selfi).
Some important advice – совет (savet): make sure that you put everything you need in your luggage – багаж (bagazh) immediately. Nothing is more frustrating than to know that the copies of your reservations are sitting on your desk, next to the printer – принтер (printer) while you are already at the airport– аэропорт (aeroport), or standing at the reception desk of your hotel – гостиница (gastinitsa)…
Things you can do the day before your departure – накануне(nakanune):
- Fully charge your mobile phone and tablet – зарядить мобильный телефон (zaryadit mobil‘nyy telefon) или планшет (planshet).
- Then put all of the chargers – зарядные устройства (zaryadnyye ustroystva) for your electronic devices in your luggage.
- Confier votre animal domestique – домашний питомец (damashny pitomets) to someone you trust – доверенное лицо (daverennomu litsu) to take care of Rover or Kitty while you are gone.
On the day of your departure:
- Water the plants – полить цветы (palit‘ tsvety).
- Turn off the gas / electricity / water /the iron – выключить газ / свет / вода / утюг (vyklyuchit’ gaz / svet / vada / utyug).
- Make sure you take the original identity documents you used when you purchased your ticket – oригинал документа, указанного при оформлении билета (original dokumenta, ukazannogo pri oformlenii bileta).
Now, all that there is left to do is to sit quietly for a few minutes before hitting the road, in accordance with Russian traditions (see our article on superstitions). Have a good trip – счастливого пути (schastlivava puti)!