Planning a Round-the-World Adventure: 15 Things NOT to Forget
This is Part Two in a Series dedicated to travel tips and lessons learned while planning for an extended Round-the-World (RTW) Adventure.
Planning for extended travel around the world can be a daunting task. There are so many things to consider, so many things that must be completed before the exciting departure.
To help you plan your trip, we’ve reflected on our recent Round-the-World Adventure and come up with a checklist of 15 things you should NOT forget!
- Photocopy your travel documentation and ID
Make 4 copies and give a copy to family, a trustworthy friend, your travel companion (if you have one) and keep one for yourself. Hide your copy in an area not easily accessible, like a hidden comparment in your backpack.
Items to copy – passport, drivers license and/or birth certificate, health card, marriage certificate (required in some Muslim countries), bank number, credit card, flight info, important phone numbers in case of emergency. - Do you need a Visa?
Check EVERY country you plan to visit. Sound too obvious? You can imagine our surprise standing in a New Zealand airport on our way to Australia, only to learn that we needed a visa to enter. We assumed that because Canada is a Commonwealth sister country that we’d have no issue. We won’t make that mistake twice! - Get your Vaccinations.
Consult your travel clinic or physician regarding the destinations you will be traveling to. This should be done at least 3 months in advance as some vaccinations require more than one shot. Getting ill overseas is not fun and can ruin your trip. In some cases, the disease risk can be life threatening – take it seriously. - Make sure your Passport is Valid.
Sound like another no brainer? Well, that’s because it is! Some countries require that you have a minimum of 6 months remaining before expiration. If you’re cutting it close, get a new passport before you leave. Extended travel and RTW trips have a funny way of being unpredictable, you may want to extend your stay - so plan ahead. - Get a Passport with the Maximum number of pages
This point is directed towards fellow Canadians. You have the option to get a 40 page passport instead of the standard 24 page – get the 40 pager! We got dangerously close to running out of room with all of the full page visas we collected. You’ll be amazed how quickly it fills up. If you are forced to get a new passport this can ground you for at least a week, sometimes longer. - Get an International Driving Permit
Even if you don’t plan on renting a vehicle or driving, getting an international permit is a good idea. Plans change, things happen. There may be a situation where you need to take the wheel. They are fairly easy to acquire and not very expense. Again, it’s simply a matter of preparation
- Get Travel Insurance
Don’t skip this! Yes, it can be an annoying expense that you’ll likely never end up using, but if you get very ill or hurt you’ll be thankful that you did (especially if you’re traveling through the US). Travel Insurance really isn’t as expensive as you think – Get a Quote - Carry US dollars and/or Euros
Both currencies are very useful and accepted in most countries. Unexpected expenses WILL happen. Many airports (especially in South America) require arrival and departure fees which can be only paid in cash. You may also find yourself in a city or country that doesn’t have ATM’s – this happened to us in Bolivia and we were glad we had a secret stash of $US. - Stock up on Medication
Go to the pharmacy and get all the pills you need; such as altitude sickness, fear of flying, sever upset stomach, birth control, sea sickness, back pain, headaches, water purification, first aid kit, etc. You can get cheap drugs overseas, but in some cases you don’t know what you’re taking or the source may not be trustworthy. - Get a Living Will made
Obviously this is not necessary if you have no possessions, but if you do, this is an important piece of paper. Without a will, if you die there is no guarantee that your assets will go to your family. I know it sounds a little dramatic, but you never know when it’s your time. - Transfer your incoming mail
You never know what could come up while you are away. While we were gone, there was a bill that we thought we settled that apparently was not. Because we didn’t respond to our mail for a year, we could have been sent to collections and had our credit destroyed for a measly phone bill. Luckily we had family checking our mail for us. Disaster averted!
- Notify your bank and credit card company
Inform your credit card company and bank where you are going, when you going, and for how long. We’ve heard horror stories of credit cards and bank cards being cancelled because the activity looked suspicious. Can you imagine if these cards are your sole source of getting cash? A simple call will prevent a lot of complications.
The bank/credit card company may think the account has been compromised if it is used in multiple countries in a short period of time. Cameron was pick pocketed in Thailand in 2004 and it can be a nightmare trying to communicate with banks while overseas. Consider getting an extra backup card if your bank will allow it. - Get a Skype account
Embrace the Internet! It is the easiest and cheapest way to keep in touch with loved ones while away. Many internet cafes have headphones but it can’t hurt to buy a decent set with a good microphone. It is so much easier than using land lines and phone booths - Buy a mini laptop or notebook
There are so many inexpensive models to choose from that it will pay for itself in no time. In most parts of the world Wifi is free, or at least very cheap. Having your own laptop will save you a lot of time and money. It is also great for holding your photos, watching movies (you may need an external DVD drive) and calling home using Skype. - Get a quality camera
There is nothing worse than coming home from your trip to faraway lands and looking at fuzzy photos. You don’t have to get an expensive SLR but definitely don’t cheap out on your camera. Spend the extra $300, you’ll be glad you did! Consider getting an underwater camera – we had multiple cameras that served different purposes. Here are some photos taken with our underwater camera.
Here are some popular posts from our RTW Adventure:
- Photo Blog: Snorkeling the Red Sea in Dahab, Egypt
- Pictures of Machu Picchu, the Lost Incan City in Peru
- The Mysterious Moai of Easter Island
- Pictures from the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia
- From Backpackers to Bollywood Actors: A Day in Mumbai, India
- 15 Weird & Interesting Photos from Japan
Do you have travel advice or recommendations for soon to be world travellers?
Share your feedback and experiences in the comments section below!
Share your feedback and experiences in the comments section below!
Related posts:
The Traveling Canucks are Nicole and Cameron Wears, a Canadian married couple that live in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. A passion for travel and outdoor adventure has lead them to over 50 countries on 6 continents in the past 7 years. Consider following us via 
Great list! I never thought about the Living will, but that make sense.
About the passport page, sometimes I wish that those border people will stamp it in page order and don’t mind sharing with other countries. At least, combine those from the same countries! (*rant*)
So true about camera.
One thing that I might be adding here is universal adapter, especially for travelers that moving between countries a lot.
It’s so funny that you add the universal adapter Dina!
That was actually on the original list, as was “create a travel blog to update family and friends”, but “17″ didn’t have quite the same ring as 15.
I’m glad you added it! I agree, it is ESSENTIAL to have an adapter, especially this day and age.
As for Living Will, not for everyone, but we’ve heard some horror stories and thought “better safe than sorry”.
Cheers!
I am making my final to do list for my big trip today, so this was crazy helpful! Thanks.
Exciting times ahead! We look forward to following your journey. Glad the tips were helpful.
Great tips, I completely forgot about the living will!
It’s not always top of mind when planning extended travel, but better safe than sorry!
Notify the banks!! I knew I forgot something, other than that I’m good to go, I’ll ring the banks in the morning.
Get on it Poi!
Suggestion for a good camera: Canon just released their S95.
I’ll be buying one shortly. Very great camera, follow up to their success, the S90.
Thanks for the suggestion. We’re also Canon people. We like using the G10 on the road.
In the infancy of planning our round the world adventure but this list will be helpful! Thanks for making it!
You’re welcome! Glad you’ve found it helpful
Excellent advise. I know some countries you have to have a certain number of blank pages still in your passport.
Oh – and I’m mortified that here in NZ we insisted you have a visa. You should have just said “but we’re the traveling canucks!”
We were actually fine entering NZ (a true Commonwealth sister nation!), it was trying to leave NZ and enter Australia. The Aussies want Canadian visa entry money, it was silly actually. All we had to do was go on a website and pay NZ$60, a total cash grab by Australia. We weren’t too happy about it but at least money talks in Auz!
I couldn’t agree more with the ‘extra passport pages’ tip. Not only did I leave with only 24 pages, but I didn’t even know you could get more. 8 months in and 4 months to go, I am finding myself picking my final destinations based on whether they need a visa and if I will have room. Not fun.
The last 3 months of our RTW was similar. We got so nervous in Eastern Europe because they would stamp you in and out of each country. Getting the 24 pager was probably our biggest error… we left with a brand new passport and thought that would be enough. It got way to close for comfort!
Just a heads up on the first item on the list, carrying a photocopy of your passport, ID etc… this is a felony in a number of countries. You can copy it, just not carry it with you.
Interesting? I’ve never heard of that before? We were told we needed to carry our original in some coutries (south america) but hadn’t heard that a copy was illegal. Thanks for the heads up, definitely worth looking in to.
Wow… I didn’t even know there was a 40 page passport option. Thanks for that tip! (And all the others too!)
Kelly recently posted..Close To Home- Hang Gliding
We didn’t either until afterwards. It’s definitely worh it for the minimum difference in price
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Photo of the Week- Sketchy Cable Car in Banos- Ecuador
Awesome Information, thanks for this fine Post. I will come back later . Great information about modeling: photographers
Thanks for stopping by
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Reflections- International Student Exchange Experience in Malaysia
just a hint for ppl running out of room in passports.
if it ‘accidentally’ gets put through the wash (they are incredibly durable passports) then the stamps wash off leaving u with a bunch of ‘fresh’ pages.
not exactly kosher but it does the trick and is far better than having to miss out on some wonderful countries.
customs may look at you funny wondering how u got into thier country. but just explain and it ends up ok.
has worked for me and a couple ppl i know.
Interesting approach but worthy of consideration if in a jam. We met a couple in Vietnam who wanted to go to Cambodia (which required a large visa sticker) and the woman didn’t have any room left to accomodate. So she carefully peeled off her expired visa from China. Not sure if it worked or not
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Photo of the Week- Sketchy Cable Car in Banos- Ecuador
@admin: I must say your blog is the first I’ve come across today that doesn’t have typos every other sentence. Thanks for taking the time to construct something that doesn’t look like a 5th grader put together. I apologize, just had to vent.
really useful tips guys! thanks =) the camera is especially important, in 20 years u; wish u forked out the extra cash!
johnny recently posted..5 Reasons why Traveling by Boat is Awesome
Thanks for the feedback Johnny. Totally agree on the camera, I’ve just upgraded myself!
Traveling Canucks recently posted..FollowFriday Five – Travel Blog Community Nov 5
May be a different term in Canada, but in the US a Living Will tells healthcare providers your wishes about life-sustaining measures should you be unable to communicate or make decisions yourself, assigns someone to make those decisions in that event, etc. So a living will may still be important even if you have no real possessions.
On your will note, I’d also say if you have children make sure you have a will so that you can appoint a guardian should the unthinkable happen to one or both of you (depending on your circumstance, obviously).
Thanks for the great list. I like how you point about what may seem obvious isn’t always. Could be quite the problem getting stuck somewhere w/o a visa! OY!
Talon recently posted..Doing a Dry Run
Thanks for your feedback Talon. Always better to be safe than sorry!
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Photo of the Week- Giant Sand Dunes of Huacachina- Peru
Another suggestion on the keeping copies of your travelling documents – photograph them or scan them, and then email themselves to yourself (or upload to flickr, or send to friends back home) – that way even if you lose the photocopies you can just download them and print them out in an emergency
Geoff recently posted..Getting away from the Split crowds
Great tips Geoff! Thanks for your feedback
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Photo of the Week- Giant Sand Dunes of Huacachina- Peru
I’m amazed how many travellers consider travel insurance ‘ an annoying fee’
It’s Not! It’s absolutely an essential part of your travel so just cost it in with the other must haves.
We’ve had travel mishaps, blown rental tyres, been taken off a plane sick for hospitalisation… and each time insurance has smoothed the troubled waters.
Best tip on there…put it up top.
Jim recently posted..Terror at the Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum- Ethiopia
Thanks Jim. Couldn’t agree with you more!
Traveling Canucks recently posted..Drinking Beer Around the World – Part Six
great series of tips — and thank you for not making it a “10″ list!!
Michael Hodson recently posted..2011 Travel Plans for… me
haha… I know you’re a huge fan of the Top 10!
Traveling Canucks recently posted..City Spotlight – Brasov- Romania
Read both of the posts guys. There is some very useful advice to be found here. Thanks!
Andrew Murray recently posted..A Proposed Bimble from KLIA to CNX
You’re welcome! Hopefully you found some of the tips helpful
Traveling Canucks recently posted..City Spotlight – Brasov- Romania
thanks for pointing some important issues I would likely have not thought about!
Glad you found this post helpful Jaap
Great list, especially the mail one.
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Nice story.
I wish I have a lot of money. I will choose Paris for my destination.
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