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Planning a Round-the-World Trip: 15 Things NOT to Forget

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Planning a RTW Trip: 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!

1. 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 compartment 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, airline tickets info, important phone numbers in case of emergency.

2. 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!

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Get Travel Insurance

Don’t be that person! 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.

8. 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.

9. 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, 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.

10. Get a Living Will made

I know it sounds a overly dramatic, but you never know when it’s your time and if you have a house or lots of money in the bank, it’s best to be protected.

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.

11. Transfer your incoming mail

You never know what will come up while you are away. While we were traveling, there was a phone bill we thought was settled that apparently was not. Because we didn’t respond to our mail for over 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.

12. Notify your bank and credit card company

Inform your credit card company and bank where you are going, when you will be there, 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 (read the story here) and it can be a nightmare trying to communicate with banks while overseas.

Consider getting a backup card if your bank will allow it.

13. Get a Skype account

Embrace the Internet! Skype is the easiest and cheapest way to keep in touch with family 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 (and cheaper) than using land lines and phone booths.

**Keep in mind, this post was written in 2010 – a lot has changed since then**

14. Buy a mini laptop, notebook or tablet

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 device will save you a lot of time and money. It’s also great for holding your photos, watching movies (you may need an external DVD drive) and calling home using Skype.

15. Get a quality camera

There is nothing worse than coming home from your trip to faraway lands and looking at crappy, fuzzy photos. You don’t have to get an expensive DSLR, 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 a few popular posts from our Around the World Trip:

Do you have travel advice or recommendations for soon to be world travelers?
Share your feedback and experiences in the comments section below!

 

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Related posts:

50 Travel Quotes that will inspire you to pack your bags 20 Things to do in Victoria, British Columbia Riding the overnight train from Vancouver to Jasper with VIA Rail 10 Common Family Travel Mistakes (and how to avoid them) Holiday gift ideas for the traveling family (or you!)

Comments

  1. 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.

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  4. Notify the banks!! I knew I forgot something, other than that I’m good to go, I’ll ring the banks in the morning.

    Reply

  5. 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.

    Reply

  7. 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!”

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

  8. 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.

    Reply

    • 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!

      Reply

    • Rater than cut your trip options I suggest that you look up where one of the embassies for your home country is located that is on your route. Look up the requirements online, and you should be able to get a replacement passport. You may be able to get it quickly if you are prepared to pay an additional fee.

      It will be a small amount of mucking around but with 4 months to go it means that you will get your flexibility back!!

      Reply

  9. 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.

    Reply

    • 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.

      Reply

  12. 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.

    Reply

    • 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

      Reply

  13. @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.

    Reply

  14. really useful tips guys! thanks =) the camera is especially important, in 20 years u; wish u forked out the extra cash!

    Reply

  15. 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!

    Reply

  16. 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

    Reply

  17. 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.

    Reply

  22. This was the best RTW list I have ever come across, I am for sure saving this list when it comes time for our RTW trip next year. Thanks for this awesome post 🙂

    Reply

  23. I attempted to go to Tobago without a visa. Luckily there was no problem checking in for the flight and they let us in without the visa. I made the same wrong assumption about not needing a visa due to being commonwealth cousins. Duh! #beginnermistakes

    Reply

  24. I think this is a good advice for anyone going for an extended trip. I’m going for 3 months, and I’ve already done most of the things you listed 🙂 So proud of myself 🙂

    Reply

  25. Great list! As for number 1, I have scanned copies of the important docs saved in a file on my laptop. I also have a copy of my passport emailed to my google account so I can access it from anywhere I can find internet. It was an old way of storing things. I guess now, it could just be saved in Google docs!

    Reply

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