Travel Tip

Travel Tips

Smart Packing

To make your trip easier here are a few helpful hints to consider when packing:

Beauty products

Domestic and foreign personal hygiene products can be easily found in all large cities and at reasonable prices, and so can products commonly found in Europe. So, if you are going for a long stay don't worry about filling up your suitcase with deodorants, shampoo, hair spray, or the like. However, if you are used to using a specific product or brand it is wise to bring it with you to be on the safe side.

Note that a good sunscreen and moisturizer should definitely be used..

Personal hygiene products

All personal hygiene products (foreign and domestic) can be readily found in Mashhad, including feminine and baby products. Large supermarkets and grocery stores in uptown parts of the city carry the foreign products as well as pharmacies. Note that the Iranian products are high in quality and much cheaper.

It is wise however to always carry toilet paper or a package of tissues with you though.

Medicines

Of course it is wise to always bring your own prescription meds; however, if you need to refill your prescription then you can do so at government pharmacies (with a doctor's prescription). Therefore, you'd need to first go to the doctor. If you don’t want to do so you may try your luck at a privately own pharmacy - they will give meds without prescriptions unless it's codeine or anything of the sort.

Diarrhea can be a problem in the summer, although its frequency has been reduced over the years due to increased hygiene awareness in larger cities of Iran. Should you get it, it is better to let it run its course; but you should be careful not to get dehydrated. ORS or Oral Rehydration Solution packages can be easily found in almost all pharmacies. Other options are to make your own by mixing 1 liter of purified bottled water, one-half teaspoon of salt, and four teaspoons of honey, sugar, or rock candy. You can also eat bananas to keep up your potassium, dry chips for salt, and drink cola for glucose. For anti-bacterial benefits, taking these daily may reduce your risk of getting diarrhea: mint tonic or Arak-e-Na’nah mixed with purified bottled water and sugar/rock candy to taste is good to drink and yogurt (māst) or yogurt drink (dogh) with or without mint is useful.

Of course, not all cases of diarrhea are caused by bacteria; over eating, too much summer fruit, sun, and/or jet lag can also cause havoc on the stomach.

However, if you feel that you must seek medical help, 24-hour clinics are always ready to serve you.

Water

The local water in Mashhad is safe to shower in, brush your teeth with, wash your dishes in, and so on. Although drinking the water outside of the city is a risk because some places use tanker water to supplement city water.

Traveling with children

Traveling long distance with children anywhere can be an unpleasant experience, especially for the children. Jet lag, language and cultural barriers, heath issues, and lack of entertainment can add to this discomfort. To reduce potential problems, as parents it is wise to plan.

To deal with jet lag, try to allow sufficient time for children to overcome it. The faster all of you get on local time, the better. Waking, eating, playing, and sleeping with the locals is the first step. Of course, during this phase problems such as headaches, crankiness, tiredness, constipation and diarrhea, dehydration, or nausea may trouble your family. But the good thing is that children are usually less bothered with jet lag than adults. During the first days of arriving at your destination, it is best to have a simple schedule that allows your children to rest, eat, and drink and of course play sufficiently.

When taking children to the Holy Shrine or other busy places, children may become overwhelmed by the crowd, and language and cultural barriers may add to the discomfort. To avoid any potential problems try to visit these sites at times when crowds are less, such as between 2 PM to 5 PM. Also, prepping children in case they become separated from you is wise. One way is to give your children a bilingual note with contact information should they become separated from you and teach them what to say and point out whom to ask for help.

Electricity

Electricity in Iran is 220V and they use Europlugs. If you come from a country that uses110V electricity, you will have to bring a converter plus adapter for your plugs.

Weights and measures

Officially, Iran is metric. Temperatures are given in Celsius and road distances and speed limits are in kilometers, with cars calibrated in kilometers as well. Weights are in grams and kilograms. Liquids are in liters.

Custom Regulations

Visitors like to fill their suitcases with eatables including dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. It's wise to check with your country of destination for custom regulations regarding what you can and cannot take in the country, as each country has its own laws.

International Airlines in Mashhad

The following International airlines have flight to Mashhad:

Qatar Airways, Oman Air, flydubai, Air Arabia, Turkish Airlines, Emirates Airline‎

Ticket Agencies

There are many ticket agencies in Mashhad and many are around the Holy Shrine and in larger hotels. There shouldn't be any problem accessing anyone of them.

Useful Persian Phrases

Hello.

Salam

سلام

Hi.

Salam

سلام

Goodbye

Khodahafez/khoda neghahdar

خداحافظ/خدانگهدار

See you later.

Be zoodee meebeenamet

به زودی می بینمت

Here you go.

Befarmaeed

بفرمایید

How are you?

Haletan chetor ast?

حالتان چطور است؟

Fine thanks.

Khoobam/mercee

خوبم/مرسی

What time is it?

Sa’at chand ast ?

ساعت چند است؟

Can you help me?

Meetavaneed komakam koneed?

می توانید کمکم کنید؟

Excuse me.

Bebakhsheed/mazarat meekham

ببخشید/معذرت می خواهم

Where can I find the WC?

Dastshoo’i kojast?

دستشویی کجاست؟

What time do we have to be there?

Saat chand bayad oon ja basheem?

ساعت چند باید آنجا باشیم؟

Good morning.

Sobh bekheyr

صبح بخیر

Good night.

Shab bekheyr

شب بخیر

Good afternoon

Asr bekheyr

عصر بخیر

Thank you

Tashakor/mercee/mamnoon

تشکر/مرسی/ممنون

You’re welcome

Khahesh meekonam

خواهش می کنم

Please.

Lotfan

لطفا

Do you have a tissue?

Dast mal dari?

آیا دستمال دارید؟

Where are the nearest shopping centers?

Naz’deek’tareen markaz-e-kharid kojast?

نزدیکترین مرکز خرید کجاست؟

Please change my room.

Lot’fan, o’tagh’am ra avaz koneed.

می توانید اتاقم را عوض کنید؟

Where is the bus stop?

Est’gha-he- oo’too’boos kojast?

ایستگاه اتوبوس کجاست؟

Do you have a map of Mashhad?

naghshey mashhad darid?

نقشه مشهد دارید؟

Where is the closest grocery store?

Nazdeek tareen super market kojast?

نزدیک ترین سوپر کجاست؟

How much does this cost?

Gheymate een chand’eh?

قیمت این چند است؟

Where is the closest clinic?

Nazdeek tareen darmanghah kojast?

نزدیک ترین درمانگاه کجاست؟

Thanks for your help.

Az komaketoon mamnoonam

از کمکتون ممنونم

How can I get to the airport?

Man chetor meetavanam be fooroodghah beram?

من چطور می توانم به فرودگاه بروم؟

I’d like to make a reservation?

Doost daram rezerv konam.

دوست دارم رزرو کنم

I’m staying here for.... days.

Man baraye...rooz eenja meemanam

من تا .....روز این جا می مونم

Can I have your phone number?

Meetavanam shomarato dashte basham

می توانم شماره شما را داشته باشم؟

....I want

...mee’kham

.......میخواهم؟

A toothbrush

Yek mesvak

مسواک

Toothpaste

Khameer dandan

خمیردندان

Tea/coffee

Chay/Ghahveh

چای/قهوه

Long distance telephone card

Cart-e-telephon’neh rah’he door

کارت تلفن راه دور

SIM card

Seem cart

سیم کارت

Toilet paper

Dast mal’leh toilet

دستمال توالت

Acetaminophen

As’te’me’ne’phen

استامينوفين

Ibuprofen

phro’pen

ايبوپروفين

Shaver

teegh

تیغ

Shampoo

shāmpoo

شامپو

Clean towel/sheets/pillowcase

How’leh ye tameez /malāfeh’ye tameez /roo bāleshti ye tameez

حوله تمیز/ملافه/رو بالشتی تمیز

Bus ticket

Beleet-e-ootooboos

بلیط اتوبوس

Cake/ice cream/chips/

Cake/bas’tani/cheeps

کیک/بستنی/چیپس

Alphabet and numbers in Persian Script and its Equivalents in American English

yek

یک

دو

Seh

سه

Chahār

چهار

Panj

پنج

Sheesh

شیش

Haft

هفت

Hasht

هشت

Noh

نه

Dah

ده

Yāzdah

یازده

Davāzdah

دوازده

Seezdah

سیزده

Chardah

چهارده

Panzdah

پانزده

Shoonzdah

شانزده

Heefdah

هفده

Heejdah

هجده

Noozdah

نوزده

Beest

بیست

Beest-o-yek

بیست و یک

See

سی

Chehel

چهل

Panjāh

پنجاه

Shast

شصت

Haf’tad

هفتاد

Hash’tād

هشتاد

Navad

نود

100

Sad

صد

101

Sad-o-yek

صد و یک

200

Deevest

دویست

300

See-sad

سیصد

400

Chahar-sad

چهارصد

500

Pan-sad

پانصد

600

Shesh-sad

ششصد

700

Haft-sad

هفتصد

800

Hasht-sad

هشتصد

900

Noh-sad

نهصد

1000

hezar

هزار

ein

Ghein: the letter ﻍ is usually transliterated as "gh" or simply "g", e.g. بغداد Baġdād "Baghdad"; which doesn't render the sound [ɣ] accurately. The closest allophone known to most English speakers is the Parisian French r.

Gh: it has a similar base like que. This sound is represented by the letters Gh in this book.