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Preparations

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides

Preparing A Round The World / Long Term Trip – So Many Things To Think About?

Great Enclosure, Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe

Great Enclosure, Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe

In our opinion, mainly two aspects are important when planning Long Term Travel:

  • Take the decision – This is the only real tough part in the whole process. But be sure of one thing: once the decision is taken, you have accomplished the most difficult part!
  • Stick to this decision – You will experience a lot of headwind while preparing such a trip: people warning you that it is dangerous, the anxiety about your job or your company offering you new possibilities to keep you (we have been through this), your family being not really being amused about this project… All this obstacles are best avoided by communicating your plans widely, so that there is no turning back. That done, when doubt comes up (and it will happen, sooner or later), you will feel compelled to stick to your plans. And you will be happy about it in the end!!!

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Travel Gears – The Less The Better!

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides

Heavily loaded bike, near the Red Fort, Agra, Rajasthan, IndiaBasically, the less you take the better you will feel while traveling. Do not forget that you will have to carry all that stuff, sometimes for quite a while. Besides, you will have to pack and unpack your backpack many, many times! So each piece of “stuff” that you take – no matter if it is clothes, shoes, medicine, electronics, books or whatever…will cost you time, energy and nerves! Continue Reading →

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RTW Tickets Versus One Way Tickets

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides

Sunset over Paris... view from an Airbus A320At first sight “Round The World Tickets” seem to be much cheaper than a string of “One Way Tickets”. But a closer look shows that Round The World Tickets are only cheap if you stick to a very basic route (i.e. London – Bangkok – Auckland – Rarotonga – Los Angeles – London). Each change, especially adding an extra continent, increases the price dramatically. Moreover, those tickets are extremely inflexible. And flexibility is what you will want most! Plans do change while traveling – believe us! On top of that, our route was organized around specific travel hubs – from there we were able to get “One Way Tickets” at a very reasonable price. Continue Reading →

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Health & Insurance

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides
Gilles at the hospital in Leh, Ladakh

Gilles at the hospital in Leh, Ladakh

Be realistic: at some point, on a Round The World, you WILL get sick. Usually it is only a cold or an upset stomach. But accidents happen and sometimes even a trip to the hospital is necessary. A Travel Insurance costs a few hundred Euros, paying for medical care after a nasty accidents can literally cost millions. So do not be stupid: you NEED a Travel Insurance, and a good one at that! Continue Reading →

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Red Tape

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides
Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil

Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil

Red Tape varies from country to country and also largely differs depending of your very nationality. Therefore, we won’t start to be specific here. Do your homework before visiting one place:

  • Is a visa required for your nationality?
  • Where is the last possible place to apply for a visa? You cannot get visas everywhere, sometimes it might even be required that you apply for a visa in your home county or country of residence! This is the case for Iran (at the time of writing, though it might turn much easier in the near future) and for some African countries like both Congos.

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While on the Road: Eating & Sleeping

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides
Niwas Jagat Hotel in Udaipur, India

Niwas Jagat Hotel in Udaipur, India

Believe it or not, Hostels and Guesthouses will tremendously improve – or reduce – your travel experience! After a while on the road, you will discover how important a good hostel can be… Check what we wrote about amazing Hostels: The 10 Best Hostels We Have Discovered – And How They Greatly Enhanced Our Travel Experience! Even more amazing is that excellent hostels are usually not more expensive than poor ones (just fully booked, so plan ahead) – They are just better run. And they are not necessarily those pushed by travel guides like the Lonely Planet. Your fellow travelers are the best source of information while on the road: this is first hand, unbiased information and you can ask detailed questions. Continue Reading →

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Avoid the Overdose

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides

How About A Vacation From Traveling?

South Sea Feelings, Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, Pacific

South Sea Feelings, Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, Pacific

No, we are not kidding! The first time we wrote about this on our website in 2007, people back home feared we had lost our minds. But do not underestimate the overdose of traveling. Traveling can be physically challenging, even frustrating. We often hesitated to spend the money on the kind of accommodation we felt like that night, or maybe it didn’t even exist. More than once we told ourselves “well it’s just for one night”. Spending nights in freezing or cramped busses or in airports takes its toll. Continue Reading →

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How About Communication?

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides
Telecommunications in Leh, Ladakh, India

Telecommunications in Leh, Ladakh, India

First, do not be mistaken: you will not be able to disappear, even somewhere in South Bolivia or Papua New Guinea – We are in a wired world, like it or not! Most travelers are drawn into Internet cafés or hooked to WiFi, now a must in most hostels, or just scream in (or maybe at?) the Smart Phones, even in remote National Parks… Therefore, being connected is not so much the problem than being reachable all the time everywhere! Continue Reading →

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The Re-Entry Shock

By on 3. October 2014 in Long Term Travel Guides

… or Reverse Cultural Experience

Hot Chillis, Jinghong, China

Hot Chillis, Jinghong, China

For those who have not been on a Long Term Trip or a Round The World, this may sound weird. But it is a matter of fact that coming back can be even more difficult than leaving. We all change during a Long Term Trip, see our lives back home differently and judge even the smallest aspects of our life from a very different perspective.

The Reentry Shock is very discomforting and can last quite a while. Heidi moved on quite well, Gilles actually never fully came back. That is maybe why he decided to take a new step mid 2014 and start traveling again. Continue Reading →

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What Type Of Traveler Are You?

By on 1. October 2014 in FAQ
Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil

Heidi crossing the border from Venezuela to Brazil

I am a Flashpacker. Why? I mostly travel with a rucksack; I rather stay in hostels, eat in local restaurants & usually travel by public transport; I mostly choose less conventional destinations, far from the mainstream tourism destinations. But I think that Flashpacking is above all a way of experiencing different cultures and interacting with the country. It is also about respect, allowing me to dive into new, unknown experiences. Continue Reading →

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