San Jose, Costa Rica
I am, by no means, an expert in this travel thing. But, after six months of being on the road, I
have learned some things that might help you out if you are planning your own
trip. In no particular order of importance
…
I can’t recommend enough the Charles Schwab debit card. When
you open an account with them you have access to a high yield checking account,
the card, and the brokerage firm. This
allows you to place trades, buy t-bills, and get financial advice while giving
you a card that is insanely easy to use overseas. You can place travel alerts online even on
the day you are headed to a new country, use the card on any ATM or tap to pay
machine, AND instead of paying fees for foreign transactions, you actually get
money back. It’s a great card, so go get
you one.
I bought a new phone for this adventure, not only because my old phone was getting on in years, but because I wanted one that traveled well. After looking up international plans with several companies, including my own carrier Verizon, I decided to buy a Google Pixel 6a. The Google Fi plan gives you a good international roaming rate and works in every country I’ve been in without fail. I am still not a big phone person. I’m not streaming video or using a lot of data. I mostly just use Google Maps, WhatsApp, and a few other occasional apps, so my monthly bill is usually $55 or less.
The only issue with the phone plan is that Google Fi is designed to be primarily used in the U.S. After two months of travel, I got an email from them saying that they will cut off my roaming service in thirty days if I don’t get back to the states. The first time I got that email, I was in Dublin and about to head back to the states anyway so there was no interruption of service. The second time I got the email, I was in Thailand and not even ready to return stateside. They shut off my service the first week I was in Istanbul (the second trip) leaving me with no internet and emergency calls only. Well, that wouldn’t do. Hooking the phone up with the wi-fi in my apartment, I ended up purchasing an eSIM through a company called Airalo that was specific for Türkiye. For about $6.50, I got 2mb of data for two weeks. Once I followed the detailed instructions to turn off Google Fi (they give you the option to turn it back on later) and install the new eSIM, I was up and running like nothing had happened. When I got back to the states, I turned Google Fi back on and service continued as usual. No more roaming, though. I guess I overused it because once I got to Costa Rica, I had to purchase another eSIM. Oh well. It was good while it lasted.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Do yourself a favor; take pictures of everything. All your documentation (passport, vaccine
card, driver’s license), your luggage, everything in the luggage – have a
picture of it stored somewhere you can access it. I gave a copy of my IDs to my stepmom for
safekeeping, but also keep a copy on my computer just in case. Also, and I learned this the hard way, snap a
shot of the luggage tag on your checked baggage the moment you get it. You have no idea how easy it is to misplace
that little ticket stub when you really need it. Only had to misplace my bag once to hammer
that one into my head.
My company offered me a very nice severance package that
included COBRA insurance. They paid 80%
for the first six months of this year leaving me with a $100 co-pay. Starting in July, I was expected to pay the
full amount of $630 to be insured in a country that I wasn’t even living in. I declined.
I take my chances coming to the U.S. with no insurance which only helps
to increase my stress while there. When
traveling, I have a policy with a company called Safety Wing for
insurance. It’s $100 a month and they
cover most injuries as long as I travel outside of the U.S. No company with such a cheap co-pay would cover
me in the U.S. So far, I haven’t had to
use the insurance, but I feel secure with it when out of the country.
WhatsApp is an amazing thing. I don’t think many Americans use this
particular messaging system, but it is used extensively in Europe. A free app that allows you to text and have
voice and video calls across the miles.
It’s how I’ve stayed in touch with my stepmom in real time, how most
AirBNB hosts chose to communicate (if they don’t use the AirBNB site), and it’s
how I get to see my man’s face on a regular basis even when he’s in Türkiye and
I’m in??? I don’t know how you could do
a long-distance relationship without it.
Jet lag has never been an issue for me. I’m not sure why. The only thing I can think of is that planes
put me immediately to sleep. There have
been times when I’ve literally been asleep before the plane has taken off. Getting as much sleep on the plane, as well
as having a consistent sleep schedule once I get to a new destination has kept
my body clock on a pretty even keel.
Slow travel and lots of water also help.
I couldn’t imagine flying to Singapore from the U.S. in one shot without
completely throwing your body out of whack.
Two questions you should always ask when in a new
country. Can I drink the tap water? Can
I flush the toilet paper? AirBNB hosts
won’t always remember to let you know beforehand, so to avoid any issues with
the water that may have you on the toilet for most of your trip, be sure to
ask. At this point, I just assume the
water is undrinkable wherever I go. I
buy a bag of ice and a big jug of water as a matter of course. The toilet issue varies. I didn’t have any problem in Turkey, but the
first place I rented in Costa Rica specifically said not to flush. I figured it best to continue that practice
in the rest of the country.
Save yourself some money and travel with as little as
possible. I carry three bags: my rolling
luggage, computer bag, and a large carpet bag for everything else. Checking the roll-on is way too expensive (particularly
at Thai Asia Air – and they make the process as annoying as possible) and there
is always the chance of losing it in transit.
I consider myself too old to do the backpacking thing, but I have seen
how others have done it. I appreciate
the fortitude and discipline required for that style of travel but … nah.
Speaking of which, there are much cheaper ways of doing this
than the one I chose. You could go the
hostel/backpacking/couchsurfing route and there are websites to help you do
that. Volunteer work is a wonderful way
to contribute to an environment, exchanging work for room and board while meeting
other travelers at the same time.
Housesitting is another option that I seriously considered. Through the website www.trustedhousesitters.com you pay
an annual fee and can chose non-paying jobs in homes all over the world. You get a free place to stay while taking
care of someone’s pets. The point is not so much how you do it. If travel is something you want to do, you
have options to make the most out of it and personalize it for your tastes, budget,
and comfort level.
I highly recommend an adult gap year, a sabbatical, a
mini-retirement – whatever you want to call it.
This type of long-term travel has been a life-long dream of mine. I am
thrilled to have the privilege and freedom to just chuck everything and wander for
a while. I hope my experiences give you some
insight or even inspiration for your own journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment