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British Mensa Travel Special Interest Group |
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The
A-Z to RTW We travelled between 1 November 2004 - 31 October 2005 and covered 15 countries and 17 American states. South East Asian highlights included Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia. Australia & New Zealand featured, as did much of South America (Easter Island, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands), Western & Southern USA and Chicago. Planning such a massive trip can be daunting, so here are some things to consider. Where to go? Where have you always dreamed of going? Don't try to squeeze in too many countries in the time you have. Research using books such as The Traveller's Atlas and websites (Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum is very useful). You don't need to decide where to go within a country at this stage - just to know that there are enough things you want to see to make you want to visit it. Do you have friends/family abroad you want to visit? What is your budget? Ours was
€80/£55 per day after paying for our RTW ticket, insurance,
visas, vaccinations & equipment. This allowed us to spend 6 months
in developed countries and 6 months in less developed countries doing
everything we wanted to do, staying in private rooms rather than dorms
and almost always eating out rather than cooking for ourselves. You could
manage on a lot less if you stuck to less developed countries (€40/£27
per day doing it well), or stayed in dorms and ate in markets/cooked for
yourself. The lowest budget we came across was $6 per day - for a climber
in Thailand. Research these from books and websites e.g. www.weather.co.uk so you can avoid monsoon seasons, very hot/humid weather etc. Special events/public holidays Are there festivals/events you particularly want to see? You can time your visit to a place to coincide with these. Just be aware that prices will be high and travel may be difficult so you don't want to run from one festival to another or your budget will quickly disappear. Be selective. Be aware that there may no public transport running on public holidays or buses/trains may be full so you may not be able to move around a country, even if there is nothing special for you to see or do. Flights Round the world flights allow you to travel the world in one direction only. Price varies according to departure date. You can buy these 'off the shelf' with set stopovers, or do as we did and tailor your own itinerary. Incredible value overall. Different airline alliances have better coverage in different continents. Rules for the tickets are incredibly complex so use a travel agent such as Trailfinders - making sure you talk to an agent who knows what they're talking about! How on earth did we afford it? Stewart sold his apartment in Glasgow. I got a top up mortgage, rented a room in my apartment (tax free in both the UK & Ireland) and saved from my salary for several years. Our wedding list helped too! I got a formal career break with a guaranteed job to go back to at the same salary (if you don't ask, you don't get). We got a capital and interest moratorium on our mortgage for 12 months (again, if you don't ask, you don't get). My brother lived in our house while we were away, paying enough to cover all the ongoing bills. Or we could have rented the house out at a market rate. It did not adversely affect our careers - we both got promotions with our original employers when we went back to work! What to do before you go Research what visas and vaccinations you need - from guidebooks, websites (e.g. www.fco.gov.uk) or your local travel clinic. Many visas can be obtained on entry to a country - you will need a supply of passport photos for these. Buy travel insurance appropriate for the length of your trip, the countries you are visiting and the activities you are likely to undertake. Shop around and read the small print. Make copies of important documents - better to carry (lose?) a photocopy of your passport that the original. Be aware of the laws regarding carrying ID documents in the countries you are visiting. Ensure your passport and credit/bank cards will not expire during your trip. You will probably need to have 6 months remaining on your passport at the time you enter the last country you plan to visit. Make sure you know the PIN numbers of all your credit/bank cards. Work out the cheapest way for you take cash out while abroad. Is it worth applying for a new credit card to save on charges? Set up internet banking. Do you need an international driving licence for any of the countries you plan to visit? Check. Have dental and medical check ups just before you go. Stock up on any medications you need to take regularly including anti-malarial drugs if appropriate (very important). Don't buy too many though - it may well be cheaper to buy medications when abroad. Draw up a list of important info - card numbers, card loss telephone numbers, document details, glasses prescription, addresses/phone numbers of family, friends, contacts etc. Keep a paper copy and also keep an encrypted copy on your email account. Make arrangements for when you're away - tax returns, home insurance, switch as many bills as possible to direct debit. Arrange for someone you trust to open your post and pay bills, making that person a 3rd party signatory on your bank account if appropriate. Let them know what bills to expect and what cheques will need to be paid during your time away. Set up an email account and the associated address book. What to take with you * Rucksack and daybag - Invest in a good quality rucksack that fits you comfortably (some can be adjusted to fit perfectly). You should be carrying the weight on your hips not your shoulders. Buy one which allows you easily to stow away straps etc when flying and which has a waterproof cover which can quickly and easily be pulled out - rucksacks have too many seams to keep your stuff dry without one of these. * Documents - round the world ticket, passport, visas, vaccination certificates, travel insurance policy/certificate, driving licence, credit/bank cards, passport sized photos, copies of important documents, Important Information sheet, cash * For long journeys - neck pillow, ear plugs if you will use them (also useful for shared dorms), MP3 player, mini travel games, books (use book exchanges common in hostels to change your reading material) * Medical kit - including thermometer, tweezers, bandages, sun screen (Irish made Parasol is the business), anti malarial tablets, contraception, antibiotics, anti allergy medicines if you suffer from allergies, headache tablets, mosquito repellent (try Avon's Skin So Soft), cream for insect bites, anti-fungal cream, plasters (anti blister), diarrhoea / nausea remedies, temporary fillings, mini Travellers' First Aid kit if it contains things not already in your medical kit. Dispose of surplus packaging, put items in tiny sealable plastic bags with sticky labels showing key info from the information leaflet (max tablets per day, take with a meal etc). Then place all in a big zip lock freezer bag, double bagged. * Digital camera with rechargeable batteries, charger & cable - maybe a normal 35ml camera & film also * Mobile
phone and charger * Belt wallet to wear under your clothes - I ended up not using a wallet at all but splitting up my cash and credit cards between various trouser pockets, with one pocket only ever having a small amount of cash, which I could hand over in case of robbery. * Water pouch - we found the Platypus invaluable in hot countries as it holds plenty of water and was easier to carry & use than water bottles. * Lightweight
mini umbrella * Padlock for pack and for locker/room - not a combination lock as you'll never be able to open it in the dark if you're sharing a dorm and are trying not to wake up your room-mates * Compass What to bring - clothes * Trousers such as Craghoppers, which can unzipped into shorts - very useful when going in and out of temples where you have to keep your legs covered. These are suitable for different weather conditions. Do not bother bringing jeans which are too hot in warm weather, will chill you if they get wet and take for ever to dry. * Lightweight waterproof jacket with a hood - perhaps with a removable lining for different weather conditions. Make sure this can fold/roll up into a small space and is not too heavy. * Comfortable,
breathable, water proof walking shoes you have broken in - remember, the
secret of a happy life is comfy shoes * Flip-flops
or sandals - something you can get wet and which can give you a break
from your walking shoes * Swimwear and sarong - the latter for women, to meet cultural norms in certain countries * A number of short and long sleeved good quality lightweight tops which should dry quickly and wrinkle free (you do not want to be ironing clothes). It is possible to buy tops which repel mosquitoes for up to 30 washes and provide SPF 30 protection The ones we bought from outdoor shops are still going strong after a year. Cotton tops are to be avoided - not breathable and don't last long in hot countries. * Something dressy - I brought a smart top which would never wrinkle, which I could wear with trousers, plus a great reversible dress from a shop in Penrith (thanks to Maria Thomson). These plus some dressy flip-flops, jewellery and a silk scarf bought in Vietnam made me feel comfortable when eating out in a nice restaurant. Don't forget - once you are seated, most people can only see your top half! * Nightwear
- you are likely to be staying somewhere with shared facilities, at least
from time to time! * Don’t
bother with...a mossie net - the single most useless thing we took with
us! * Asia - hotels and guesthouses. Our fellow guests tended to be other travellers rather than tourists on short term holidays. Stayed in a family home arranged by ultra-friendly, helpful SIGHT host in Singapore. * Australia and New Zealand - hostels mainly, as hotels were outside our budget, but occasionally we used farm stay/cabin style places. We also stayed with a friend in Melbourne. Only in Oz and NZ was it really practical to cook for ourselves, especially NZ as we had a car and it was relatively cool so food did not spoil if we carried it from place to place. * South America - mixture of hostels, hotels and guesthouses. Again, other guests tended to be travellers rather than tourists. Remote camp for tour of the Brazilian Pantanal. * USA - a few hostels on the West Coast (no hostels once we left California). We splashed out on a posh B&B to celebrate our birthdays, posh hotels a couple of times such as for a Mensa event, and we stayed with a friend in Chicago whom we met on a tour in Australia. We used hotels or motels the rest of the time. We found it saved money not to opt for the cheapest motels as mid range motels provided good filling breakfasts. This not only saved money on having to buy breakfast elsewhere (remembering you have to pay sales tax and tip on top of the menu price), but also time spent looking for somewhere, finding parking, waiting to be served etc. We used special price vouchers from widely available accommodation brochures. Choice Hotels ran a promotion while we were there which effectively gave us a free night for every 2 nights we spent in one of their hotels/motels. * Don't spend a fortune on where you sleep, so long as it's clean and comfortable - where you stay is not what you tend to remember. * From time to time, treat yourself to somewhere a bit more special, especially to celebrate a birthday/Christmas etc. Most memorable places * Vietnam - Hotel 64 in Ho Chi Minh City, Dreams Hotel in Dalat, Hotel Tin Tin in Hanoi, beach camp in Halong Bay * Laos -
Orchid guesthouse in Vang Vieng (huge balcony with fab river views, only
$7 a night), candle-lit room with bamboo walls in Pak Beng, on Mekong
during river boat journey out of Laos (cheapest in 12 months at $2.50) * New Zealand - Onuku Farm Hostel on Banks Peninsula (oldest hostel in NZ), Hilltop Cottage in the Catlins, Globe Backpackers & Bar in Riverton (comfiest bed in 12 months), Freestone Backpackers in Manapouri (lovely wooden cabins) * Brazil
- Villa Carioca in Rio de Janeiro * The Grand
Palace, Bangkok What we missed while we were away: Cara the dog...plus 2 family weddings and 2 babies born Favourite country - a toss up between New Zealand and Peru Useful websites * www.fco.gov.uk - travel advice inc. visa info, dangers of travel, health advice, country guides * www.cdc.gov - health info * www.artoftravel.com - lots of useful info on a host of topics for long term travellers, especially those on a tight budget * www.weather.co.uk - forecasts & climate stats *http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com - travellers’ forum, you can ask online questions * www.hostelworld.com - we used this to rate hostels but didn't generally use it to make bookings (despite being friends with one of the founders) First
published in VISA issue 70 (Dec 2006) |