Lucerne Packing Lists

This is Switzerland and everyone here is generally very well-mannered and WELL-DRESSED. Yes, they DO dress in casually smart outfits. And yes, even in Lucerne! The Swiss are generally known to be one of the best dressed group of citizens in Europe.

(1) If you're intending to wine and dine at those really cool Swiss restaurants (read: EXPENSIVE places with those 1,000 Swiss Francs wines...), DRESS UP please! Ladies, knock 'em dead by dressing up in one of your favorite slinky black outfits and make us proud!! Guys - do bring along your favorite suit (or at least a tie!!) when you're dining at these places.

(2) For those adventurous souls amongst us, if you are intending to visit the mountains, be sure to pack along more woollen outfits. For the benefit of those who are living in the tropics, mountaintops can get VERY cold... esp. in Spring, Autumm and Winter (Summer too!). Temperatures up there can drop to below freezing point. Just remember one thing - mountaintops with peaks above 10,000 feet or so are usually below freezing point, even in the middle of summer.

(3) Remember, the better dressed you are, the better you'll be received and treated in ANY country. Hey, philosopers and society's rebels may chafe but it's generally true (sad, but TRUE!). Dress like Elizabeth Hurley and you'd be given RED CARPET treatment. :-)) Try it! On the other hand, if you dress like an alien from Mars, in the eyes of the beholder, you'd probably be treated like one too.

(4) Oh, and TRY not to dress like a typical tourist too, ya know... with those windbreakers and cameras hanging all over you... and those OBVIOUS waistpouchs hanging around your waist! Why? You are screaming to be noticed and waiting to be pickpocketed, that's why. TRY and BLEND IN. If you're an Asian, like me, you can also TRY and blend in. How? Dress like what a Swiss classy lady would wear. I have since learnt that if you are versatile and learn to blend in quickly, you'd survive VERY well wherever you go. And needless to add, good service from the natives follow you wherever you go. I kid you not.

TOILETRIES: Pour your face lotion, toner, cleanser et al into miniature (travel-sized) bottles. Remember, everything else should be transferred into miniature plastic bottles to save luggage space.

Medicine: VERY, VERY important. Don't forget to bring it along with you.

(a) A box of strong aspirins. I was recovering from a high fever (got it in Germany).... By the time we reached Lucerne, my body temperature had gone back to normal but I was suffering from a running nose AND baaaad sore throat now. So I popped over to a Swiss pharmacy (at the underground shopping complex @ train station) and bought some medicine PLUS their famous 'Fisherman's' lozenges for myself. It was not expensive but trying to find a pharmacy in Lucerne at almost 10PM can be a daunting experience indeed!.

(b) Decolgen Pills to combat the flu bug.

(c) Lozenges. In case your throat gives way mid-way through your trip.... like mine did.

These are the major pills that I usually bring along with me. Most importantly, you must know your body and health condition well. Some of you may be more prone to suffering from stomach ailments, so in that case, you should be packing along pills to combat that. Hope the above info will help you out a little. Happy packing!

For non-photographic buffs like myself, I would recommend a state-of-the-art 'point and shoot' camera. Yeah, like even a dummy would know how to use it. Films are VERY expensive here in Switzerland (oh yes!), so bring what you think you'll need.

DON'T forget to bring along your much-treasured ATM card and.... an open mind.

Remember, if your ATM card is linked to the international networks of 'Cirrus', 'Plus', 'The Exchange' etc, you can withdraw money from any ATM machines in the world!! Really. And what's more, you'd even benefit from the low interbank exchange rates being given to you vis-a-vis the rates your local money-changer charges.

I have survived on this method for ALL my trips abroad and so far, no ATM machines in this world have failed me. Yet. Oh, O.K.... I did face some difficulties trying to get $$$ out of the ATM machine at the Don Muang Airport in Bangkok very recently (June 2000) and I quickly called up the Bank (I'm sure you do know your bank's hotline number, right?) and my problem was immediately rectified. If you haven't tried this method i.e. use your ATM card instead of traveler's checks OR changing your money into Swiss Francs BEFORE your trip, I challenge you to do so today! And be pleasantly surprised at how much you can save at the end of the day using this method.

Good luck!

'Only by going alone in silence, without baggage, can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness. All other travel is mere dust and hotels and baggage and chatter.' - John Muir

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Lucerne Packing Lists

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