Travel Tips
Trip Planning
We first planned to go to Hamamatsu, Japan, and the kite festival. We wanted to take our grandchildren to share this wonderful event with them, but they were not able to go and our trip evolved from there. If we were going to go to Japan anyway, we couldn't go all that way and not see our special friends. If we were going to go to Japan, we could hardly go there without going to see our friends in Korea. If we were going to be on the other side of the world, then we might as well go to Australia, since Tom had never been there and it is so expensive to take a trip to Australia by itself. Besides, we wanted to see our friend, Emma. So you can see how our trip developed.
We knew that we could get a round-the-world airline ticket that would allow us to travel in one direction - either east or west - for which we would pay one fee and would be able to visit many places without paying extra airfare. We also knew that the ticket would be good for a year but weren't certain what all the conditions were. With that we started checking around.
About five months in advance we searched the Internet, called our travel agent, contacted other outfits, and called airlines. After careful research we discovered that two airlines offered that kind of ticket, United and American. Both were part of consortiums that offered deals on round-the-world flights. However, after numerous calls to both, checking on different types of tickets and pricing the packages we chose American for several reasons. The people we dealt with were much more helpful and friendly, we liked the airlines which were part of their One World Alliance (British Air, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Iberia) and the price was significantly cheaper. We arranged for a trip that included 35,000 miles for a little over $3,000 and ordered tickets in November -- four months in advance, with the understanding that our money would be refunded in full if we cancelled within a week of beginning our trip.
Next we had to get the actual tickets. We found out that they could be issued directly through American Airlines but it would mean going to an American Airline office or counter and waiting a great deal of time for the tickets to be physically produced. Another option was to go to a travel agent who could secure the tickets for us. We chose to do the latter and gave our AAA agent a call. The charge was only $20 for each of us and it was well worth it. Unfortunately for our agent, it turned out that the limit for printed tickets per packet is 16. At that time we had 17 tickets per person which meant she had to hand-write each one. Quite a cumbersome task, but done efficiently and without error, and without complaint. The only problem was that, with all the carbons involved, the tickets became difficult to read with all the handling. However, it never became a real problem. We also secured a computer printout from American so that we would have a complete record of our itinerary that would be easy to read and a handy reference as we traveled.
After securing our airline tickets we needed to make provisions for our other transportation. We arranged for 2-week Japan Rail passes. These are passes that can be bought up to 2 months before a trip, have to be purchased before going to Japan, must be obtained through a travel agent, and allow one to travel anywhere on Japan Rail transportation. In addition to trains, they cover buses and other transportation that is owned by Japan Rail. We paid about $900 for the two of us for two weeks of unlimited travel, a very good buy if one is going to travel much while in the country. We weren't certain exactly when we would want to activate them but knew that it would be within our time framework and we could decide on the exact dates after arriving in Japan.
WARNING: Be sure that you activate the tickets at one of the places listed on the voucher. We ended up paying about $92 extra to go from Kofu to Tokyo because we couldn't activate the tickets at a closer location. We still can't understand why they can't computerize their system a little -- but then you have to understand the Japanese way.
We needed to arrange for the Spanish part of our trip since we were going to take advantage of an organized tour for that segment. We also did that through our AAA agent and planned the rest of our European visits to fit with that trip. No problem --- We got a list of the hotels where we would be staying in Spain and then checked to see if we could leave our luggage at the first hotel while we were touring by bus, knowing that we were limited to one piece of luggage each on the bus and one small carry-on (which in our case would be our backpacks, of course.)
After arranging for transportation we began looking for accommodations. All of our housing was arranged through the Internet, checking with friends, or from previous visits. Generally we were happy with all accommodations with some much better than others.
As our itinerary evolved and our accommodations were pinned down, we put all of this information on the Internet to make it accessible to friends and family so that they could contact us if necessary. It included emergency contacts and names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of hotels where we would be staying and friends we would be visiting as we traveled. (Since arriving home we have removed the more personal information and kept the information that might be helpful to others planning a similar trip.) This was very useful as it helped people to be able to reach us, but also was a record for us to refer to and included the e-mail addresses we might need when contacting people, as we traveled. It worked very well.
Finally, we considered the topic of travel insurance. After careful consideration, we decided against it for several reasons. We checked with our health insurance company which assured us that our medical bills would be covered if we had an emergency. (That turned out to be "famous last words!") We knew that if we had to cut the trip short there would be no penalties for canceling tickets and returning home early. We also would get a refund on our hotel bills if we cancelled in advance. Considering all of that we decided to take our chances rather than pay the extra $800 or so that insurance would cost. However, if we were to arrange for a very expensive tour where we had to pay most of the money up front or there would be other losses with a cancellation, we probably would have made a different decision.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
We obtained a global calling card to make phone calls from any point on our trip to any place we might want to call. The rates weren't the best we could get but the convenience was worth the cost. It was especially useful in emergencies.
It is vital to make certain that your passport is up to date. Check it several months in advance and give yourself plenty of time to get a new one if necessary.
It was essential to check to see if we needed a visa for any of the countries we would be visiting. For this trip the only place which required one was Australia. We were able to arrange for the visa electronically through our travel agent. No paperwork involved!
We checked with our infectious disease specialist to see if any shots or other special medications were required. In this case they weren't. However, if you are going to countries where you may need special medical precautions you should contact your doctor well in advance. For information regarding specific countries go to www.cdc.gov/travel/blusheet.htm
We made certain that we had a sufficient supply of our regular medications. It is important to take them in their original bottles and it is a good idea to take a copy of the prescriptions with you.
We checked the projected weather conditions at each of our destinations to have an idea of what to pack.
We checked all of the exchange rates and bought a converter for ease in ascertaining how much money we were spending. We found that using foreign currency felt a little like spending Monopoly money from time to time!!
We arranged through our bank to get currency from each of the countries we would be visiting. We got about $100 in foreign currency for each country, except Japan, where we got $300. We would be staying there longer, things are much more expensive and ATM machines are more difficult to find. The exchange rate was not the best we could get but it was better than we would get at airports when we would enter each country. The convenience was great. It was good to have the cash on hand for things that we needed before we arrived at an ATM machine or a bank. (Read the section on money for more about this topic.) We also got a stack of new $1.00 bills for tipping, buying things from street vendors or other small purchases for people who preferred US money. Except for spending money, we kept our money in our money belt or bra purse for security throughout the trip.
If you buy a new camera for your trip be certain to familiarize yourself with it by taking a roll of film and have it developed before leaving for your trip. Make certain that you have plenty of film, fresh batteries, and your manual. A backup camera is also nice. We have had plenty of experiences to underscore this advice. Previously, we had dropped a video camera while filming an active volcano in Aso, Japan; wasted 16 rolls of film in Vietnam because the camera had a malfunctioning lens; put a brand new -- but dead -- battery in our camera in Japan, and had to learn to use our camera as we went on one trip. Make certain that you check all batteries before your trip. Don't assume they are good because they are new!!
Also it is useful to have the leaded bags for film when going through the security checks at airports. Although some say that the procedure is not harmful to unexposed film, the bags make it easy to store and organize the film and you just can't be too careful.
If going on an extended trip it is important to get a very good haircut before you leave. A pair of scissors will be handy for trimming a bit if you want to extend the length of time before your next cut.
Make certain you take only comfortable shoes and break them in before your trip!
We made a list of all the people we wanted to give a gift as we traveled and for our friends and family back home. It was important to think of things that were lightweight, compact, and unbreakable. A challenge...
TAKING CARE OF THE HOME FRONT
Rather than leaving our home empty we arranged through our minister to have someone live in it and take care of the basic maintenance -- the lawn mowing and other chores -- in exchange for a place to stay. Another option would have been finding someone through our travel agent who also had contacts for this kind of help.
We arranged for all of our first class mail to be forwarded to the person who would have power of attorney and would take care of necessary bills while we were gone. We arranged to have most of our bills automatically debited from our account. Other checks we made out in advance for her to mail on specific dates. In addition, many banks offer Internet banking so that many of the transactions can be done while traveling.
Second class mail would still be sent to our home where we could sort through it when we returned home. We also alerted our house sitter that we would be sending packages home from time to time as we bought things that we might not want to lug with us in our travels. That also worked very well.
We made certain that our wills were up to date.
We checked with our insurance agent to arrange for dropping car insurance for the time we would be traveling, making certain that it would be reinstituted when we arrived in Hawaii where we had reserved a rented car. We ascertained that we would be fully covered and would not have to buy the insurance offered at the car rental place -- always at a much higher rate.
We checked to see what arrangements we could make for leaving luggage as we traveled. (See section on luggage.)
Finally, we arranged for our granddaughter to get a globe and atlas for tracking us as we traveled around the world. We anticipated that we would send her a postcard from each place we visited and she could find it on the globe and mark it. Eventually she would have a line the whole way around the globe. We were excited about giving her this geography lesson since she couldn't accompany us in person.
Happy traveling. We hope that you found our meanderings useful and that you have many adventures and unexpected surprises along the road in your own journeys.
Godspeed !
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