Prepare for Long Term Travel

Preparations for Long Term Travel

Traveling abroad is an art. It requires a knowledge that we plan to take the courage and strength to resist. When you plan your dream trip, you (anyone Estate in Sudan?) A thin line between over-analysis and ignorance is not so happy in the course.

There are several things you should consider before booking a trip to consider, and most important will be to decide where and when they leave.

How

After workin a cube, and daydream around the world, many people have a good idea to go wherever they want. It 's a personal choice and there are great places to see and experience around the world. If you pay for their own systems for your travels, the most important factor in deciding where they want to go, your budget.

How much does the world
This data takes a couple of things. First, move slowly (no more than four days).Second, we live in clean, simple rooms. While it is certainly possible to rent a room $ 3 in Cambodia, most of them are mature enough to run a business, that greater comfort. We're talking rooms have private bathrooms, hot water, shower, towels, a bed and a television ... but not much else.

Prices below are for two people and include food, room service, laundry, bathroom, visas and travel by land (especially local):
or south-east Asia: $ 50
or Great Britain and Ireland: $ 100
O Australia and New ZealandNew Zealand: $ 80
or South America: $ 55
O Africa: $ 60
O Western Europe: $ 90
Or Eastern Europe: $ 65
Or the Indian subcontinent: $ 40
O Japan: $ 90
As you can see, can cost very reasonable, much more reasonable than you can pay now to go home. However, you want to travel, make sure your system.

You can run away from home, faster and a better life when they visit third-world areas such as Southeast Asia and India. Although we have visited the UKseveral times, my wife and I are still far from living in London! There is another reason for the stronger to go before the third world: a new perspective. Chances are, if you read this probably triggered in the Western world. If you board this plane, you will no doubt ready for a change, and the transition from first to third world is opening his eyes, as the transition from employee to being an entrepreneur.
All in all, quite close to their calculationsmy personal experiences.

Tips to save money

Here are some tips that work both as a travel agent and personal experiences they have learned. There are many, many ways to create your budget:

sale of tickets or ahead of time, or last minute. So many people complain about rising costs of air travel, if you bought the damn thing months ago and saved a bundle. Here is my rule of travel: tickets in advance if you know you want to go,Purchased at the last minute if they do not. For example, there is currently a special discount flight to Hungary from San Francisco for three hundred dollars last minute. Are you going to go to Hungary? No, but if the opportunity presents itself, you should take.
Slum O, then all out. My wife and I cycled through Ireland without spending too much, but we stayed as B & B (including an ancient Irish castle). How did we do? It 's simple: for every one night in an excellent location,We camped two nights. After we got our room for the night, clean and we had a good time. The next morning, showered and hit the road. Following this approach, you only lose a shower for a day at a time ...
or change your eating habits. One of my biggest complaints with budget travel writers is their silly idea that you should have a cold beer in the name of the victim to save money. There are much better ways to save a buck while traveling. Things to avoid are the bars.You can drink cold beer or liquor bottle at local shops for cheap (or curious, 7-11's). I was thinking of buying a can of Guinness in Thailand for more than they cost back home! Although there was an Irish pub on St. Patrick's Day, but come ...

Health: Avoiding problems

Vaccinations

You have to start some of your vaccinations at least two months before leaving for a trip. Several vaccines require three or four visits at intervals of two-Every three weeks. Here's a short list of required vaccinations most common (or highly recommended) for Global Travel
or hepatitis A and B (if possible, the combined vaccine)
O Japanese encephalitis
or polio, diphtheria and tuberculosis
or anger
O tetanus
or typhoid
or yellow fever

Malaria

Although there is no vaccine against malaria, there are a number of anti-malaria tablets can be taken to combat the disease (but not one of them is 100%effective). Ask your doctor to see the recipe for you. You can even www.malaria.org.

These vaccinations, visit the local travel clinic or talk to your doctor. If you are currently employed, check whether your benefits cover vaccinations. I could save more than $ 700 made to vaccination by health insurance from my former employer. Talking about a solution!

Food
When it comes to food, Ifollow some simple rules:

1. Eating in restaurants with a lot of people and the great change. Does this mean the food is fresh.
2. Eating cooked foods. Try to avoid raw vegetables and raw fish. Fruits and vegetables that you peel is a safer option. Consider vitamin supplements if you're not getting enough fruits and vegetables.
3. Do not eat. If your face with contaminated food, you feel the hell of a lot worse if you ate a smaller portion. The onlyI was sick twice abroad, it was shortly after three or four courses in a high-end steakhouse.

Water

Depending on where you travel, you have to bring a water treatment plant. I use the SteriPEN Adventurer UV air purifier. The same size as a screwdriver, you can clean this miracle tool in one liter of water a minute with a UV lamp and lithium batteries. The SteriPEN is simple and effective - Although it is not cheap retail for about $ 130. Keep inRealized that does not work with ice, a common cause of travelers always sick.

If you have used for the purchase of bottled water over oceans planning, keep in mind that many retailers charge the cylinders with water and sell it locally. If the plastic seal is broken and often - you probably do not want to drink.

Diarrhea

TD says 30-50% of foreign tourists in the first two weeks and is often accompanied by vomiting. In other words, do not beWondering if you run out of both ends ... And 'natural. The best thing to do? Take up against anti-diarrhea medicine or antibiotics (and not as something that only brings you up), drink plenty of water, lay low and allow the flow of good times or bad. The symptoms should clear within a few days. More than this, consult a doctor.

Binding Loose Ends
Before you hit the road out of business. While most of these steps are not necessary for the short termTo travel is essential to the long-term journey.

or three - six months out:
or obtain a passport (if you have not).
Book your flight or.
or visit your doctor or travel clinic to get vaccinated. Check if your employer health insurance benefits before you count on!
or determine how to treat a new home. Consider renting a furnished apartment. This saves you the trouble of storing your things and take you from one step to give moreA mortgage. Most people interested in vacation rentals are working abroad for a year or more, perfect for your intentions.
o A book, dentist and optometrist appointment for a month before going to do so, you have a clean bill of health. This gives you time to manage all empty before leaving.

or One-on-month:
o Set the dates of all cancellation insurance, credit cards and various other terms.
o Close all unnecessary accounts(For example, bank accounts and book store).
Or Sign up for online banking (if you have not already).
or Create a forwarding order at the post office of a friend or a box in your name.
Looking for someone to rent the car or while you are away. Make sure you get insurance, and for the design of a lease car.
Or the dentist, doctor and optometrist appointments Go
o Get travel insurance.

o Two weeks out:
Give your two orWeeks in advance with your employer.
or e-mail you copies of your passport, driving license, insurance, credit cards and other important information you need while you are away.
Get or travelers checks and E-numbers are different from those presented.
or Inform your bank, you are making purchases in a foreign country with your credit card.
Or you have a garage sale. If you can not sell most of your assets, other flea marketafter week. My wife and I have to sell about $ 1500 for two days our work over the value of more than a month of travel in Southeast Asia. If you can sell your things, look into a storage unit.
Or to get a visa, if the first one for your country.

Remember, you do half of what you might think of you, it is obvious that a decisive step is the preparation: the packaging of travel for the long term.

What (not) Pack
Before departure: creating a list of items you need to take you. In aat most you should include:
Passport
Driver's license (international, if possible)
Airline / train tickets
Credit cards, travelers checks and U.S. dollars
Photocopies of important documents
Youth Hostel Card
Scuba diving certification (if applicable)
photo ID (1 or 2 per country)
Money belt
A small day pack
Sunglasses
A good book
Pen and notepad
Laptop and Headset for Skype
Two pairs of lightweight pants
A pairShorts
Three shirts (one for exit)
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of shoes or boots
Underwear
Swimsuit (if applicable)
Personal Care
Silk sleeping bag (no sleeping bag)
Repair Kit
Nail Clippers
Headsets
First aid kit
Swiss Army Knives

Possession will only draw down. For example, suppose you buy a new digital camera before the trip (the odds are you). Sure, it's a great way to document their experiences, but you weighmuch more than you think.

You have to think twice before stealing the swim, for fear that someone there. cross a river could destroy. Strangers become potential threats.

And these are just the property. The worst and most common is that prevents you from living a real place before reaching the camera. This makes you win your environment, you never really prevent anything.

Why was EinsteinWrong - Directions
The theory of relativity says that time slows down when the speed increases. Suppose a friend or fly a spacecraft in the solar system during your stay here on Earth. Einstein has shown that your friend seems Clock ticks slower than them.

Unfortunately, the opposite is the case when traveling. People who do not seem to get near the speed of light, or at least healthy-conscious at home, where you are visiting. Locationsused as a check box on its journey, an experience not enjoyed, but others are being no more. They develop the classic "If on Tuesday, this must be Rome" syndrome. The speed is not better, then should not try to travel at the speed of light.
My advice is to travel at the speed of smell.

As I write this, there is a large Vietnamese market going less than five meters away. Pho to entertain The smell of boiling over and the sounds of localsomething that would not have noticed in a five-day tour of Vietnam storm.
To find out the environment you have to really slow down. While guides may offer tours that day, you can "do" a city in one, it takes much longer to "feel" from them.

Somewhere along the line we have lost the point of the trip. People visit pagodas, temples, churches, museums and galleries, non-interest, but for some misplaced obligation. If you are not interestedin the art skip the Museum of Modern Art, if you do not like sport, you forget the Superdome. Can not bear to experience first hand the poverty? Do not go to India.

This is not to see the most famous sites. It's that experience that most interest you.

Their first night abroad, make a soft landing

His first two days in a new region should be considered a transitional period. Do not join the fray soon, book your hotel before departure and stay there forat least two nights. This will help you get used to your new environment and sleep comfortably for the first few days. Your first night would not be interested in travel plans, budget, logistics or any other ... Just switch off and relax as your body adjusts to the new things, smells, and time zone.

Packed 4 watch? Dealing with Jet Lag
There are many ways for jet lag, a common problem among travelers to fight. There is certainly some people harder than others,leads me to edit more than a week, while my wife is taken into account. Here are some ways to fight jet lag:
oh, do not eat. Studies have shown that the liver takes longer to adapt a new time zone than any other body part. Do not eat for 12 hours or more, your body will adapt much faster. If this seems too much, try to destination, watch a couple of days before going out to eat (the night watch at 10, anyone?).
or Sunshine. The sun will help yourcircadian clock, then the more the better. Exercise helps too.
Or pop some pills. There are more over-the-counter pills that claim to help with jet lag. Even though I have personal experience with them to different people, I talked about the No Jet Lag swear.

Stay in touch
Now that you free your time and place, you should monitor your systems and stay in touch with loved ones. Here are some important tools to get your systemabroad.

General delivery
A good way to get care packages from home. Get the address of the post office in the central city where you are (or soon) and have people send your mail to the following:

Surname, name
Post stock, General Post Office
City, State

If you arrive in the mail, only your passport as identification, and you can ask for your e-mail. In general, post offices around the world, e-mail up to twoYears.

Blog
A great way to keep in touch is a travel blog to get started. You can do this with free services like Blogger.com or WordPress.com, both are free and may take several minutes on a subject. By creating a travel blog, you can avoid sending e-mail group, acting always have to be more general e. So, people who were really interested in your trip, you can check on you whenever they want, leave comments, and othersVisit your blog.

Blogs also allow much more creative freedom than sending email. You can send pictures, videos, surveys, international clocks, maps, and a number of other adjustments, all with a large album as you travel.

Word of the Year: Wireless
Wireless is the name of the game. Over time, a connection to the Internet only becomes more important, so you might as well get used to the internet ranking "free" higherservices such as complimentary breakfast, swimming pool and massages. Let's face it: You are now able to create the systems, the pay for your lifestyle, completely free from all employees. Free fax, cubicles, commuting, and water cooler ... Appointment Sun in your accounts to make sure that money does not seem to get too much of an obstacle, is not it?

He plans to run Internet café at about USD $ 1-2 per hour. Make sure your business is Internet based, you can consider travelwith a laptop, depending on your goals.

Laptop: luxury or necessity?
If you want to develop more on the way, a laptop is necessary. You must upload web pages to your site, do phone interviews with prospective professionals, and keep them with the costs and sources of income. If you monitor only or extend existing systems can not use Internet cafes, even if the working time is in the midst of Chinese computer player does not know what it is cracked up to bebe.

Notebook offers even more security. You do not know what kind of spyware (programs that remember the keystrokes for future use) could be in some random computer. According to Sex Ed teacher, trusting, monogamous relationship is one of the best ways to avoid viruses.

Mobile
Although I personally do not use cell phone service is a better all the time, and saves a lot of time in which people who do not have to make Skype calls. For example,I spent 30 minutes looking for a phone, my bank for a call, the call lasted two minutes.

Skype
You can not go wrong with international telephone calls, and Skype offers just that. Get your friends and family to register at home and you can chat for free with your laptop. More and more companies are jumping on the moving train, when banks and credit card companies are still behind the curve.

Another special way, theSome use the opportunity of calls from a phone number in the United States on the basis of transmitting to your mobile phone abroad. If this is a problem customer service, it is worth a list of national numbers. After all, you want to buy a product from a company I invite you to East Timor, with questions that require?

Dragon Naturally Speaking
If it were not for this software, this book would never have been written. For less than thirty bucks you get a headphones with microphone, and the ability to dictate yourLaptop. I can "write" about 120 words per minute. A further advantage is that you can use the microphone and headset with Skype.

USB Card
An absolute essential. There will be times when you do not have access to a location on the Internet with your laptop, and a handy USB allows you to back up the work.

Other technological marvels for work abroad
O GoToMyPC: This software allows you, in your home computer from any other computer accessthe world. If you ask to travel with a laptop are, this is the right way. Remember, you need to access the Internet in order to pay, making this a better solution for short trips.
O World Electronics USA: Obtain information on mobile phones worldwide. good explanation of what the GSM frequencies and "bands" according to the countries who buy the phone for the trip (and maybe even at home) to be determined.
O Universal Plug Adapter: I have purchased more than one adapterThe countries of various regions of our current digital camera and laptop, although it can be a hassle if you explore. This universal adapter works wonders all over the world.
O World Electric Guide: This site is to save a life when it comes to dealing with the electronics come from abroad. It breaks the tension, performance, and a number of other technical conditions from country to country.
Use what you have learned and on the road!