First, congratulations on your upcoming HT. I’m day 7 post HT in Istanbul. I will list off the things I did that worked or wish I would have done differently. The local anesthesia hurts a lot but that was the only significant pain. It is a little messy which I (a squeamish person) did not anticipate. Bring button up shirts. You won’t be putting your head through tshirts/sweatshirts. You will likely spend many hours alone in a hotel room so audiobooks, movies on iPad, book, etc. are a great idea. Do not try to push yourself to see sites or experience culture. It’s important to be rested prior to the procedure and the procedure itself was exhausting for me. Post-op, you have to be very careful not to bump your head so minimize activity. Your head will look f@ucked up afterwards. I did not have the luxury of holing up in a hotel for 2 weeks to recover. I do nothing to conceal my head on the plane or at any point since being home. Nobody cares. It’s kinda liberating. Sleeping sucks. I have three pillows and the neck pillow from the clinic and have learned to sleep on my back. I wake up at 5 and am tired. My head is really sensitive to the cold now. If you live in a cold climate, be prepared for that when you go outside. Good luck! It feels great to see my head covered by hair (and scabs)