Preparing for a long adventure involves more than packing your bags. You need to make travel plans, prepare your home, and select your take-alongs with care. Packing light is always a good idea, especially when backpacking.
Prepare for travel
Develop the itinerary. Unless you are having a free-style adventure, you need to pay attention to schedules and meetings. Once you’ve completed the traveling plans, give a copy to a family member or trusted friend.
On this trip, we are going to museums for research, meeting with friends in three different cities, attending the 70th Anniversary Commemorations of D-Day in Normandy, France, and then walking The Ridgeway National Path in England at a time when many other people are doing so. To insure accommodations in small towns or along hiking trails, we made reservations at hostels and inns. Many were already full. Since we are traveling on foot, knowing that we have a place to stay in the evening is comforting. Making the reservations took days. In the larger cities, the hotels, inns, and B&Bs have an on-line presence and booking is easy. In the smaller towns and near hiking paths, it is not so simple. Many one-to-three room facilities only list a phone number or, at best, an email. Some only accept cash or checks for reservation deposits. Since sending money electronically internationally would cost me $40.00, I avoided establishments with these requirements.Purchase travel insurance.
Having been hurt in a previous adventure, I realize how important it is to have medical insurance and, if needed, evacuation insurance. It’s a gamble, but not one I would like to lose.Contact your credit card company to tell them you are traveling and the countries you will be visiting. You don’t want to have your credit card denied until you can prove who you are.
If you are planning on renting a car in another country, find out what documentation is required and what the driving rules are for that particular country. Also, call your credit card company to see if you need to purchase additional vehicular insurance or, if by renting the vehicle using the credit card, you are already insured.
On a trip to Puerto Rico, I purchased car insurance only to find out that I would have had better coverage had I not done so. When a coconut fell onto the roof of the rental car and then bounced onto the hood leaving large dents, I had to pay a $500 dollar deductible, which I would not have had to if I had not elected to purchase that insurance. It would have been covered in full with the credit card guarantee.Familiarize yourself with the local money and customs. Knowing what to expect eliminates nasty surprises.
Prepare the clothing
Pack light. If you can, coordinate your outfits to extend your look with fewer pieces of clothing. Since I am backpacking, I try to have at least two uses for everything. I developed a travel packing list that I revise after each trip. Experience helps eliminate the unnecessary and ensures that I have what I need.
On this trip, I must bring clothes for two weeks on the transatlantic crossing. Since in on-board ship attire is different from what I’ll need when backpacking, I am bringing clothes that I can discard at the end of the cruise. Once I laid out my clothing for the trip, I reevaluated each item to see if it was absolutely necessary. Fortunately, I will not be in the wilderness and will have access to stores if I forget something.Prepare the house
When you prepare for a long trip, don’t forget to prep the house for when you are away. You don’t want to return to a house damaged in your absence. My Camino Tips provides lists of things you need to do starting three weeks before departure.
In preparation, I mowed the yard, trimmed the trees and bushes, cleared out the gutters, and put things away in case of a tornado or hurricane. My neighbor will watch over the house, mow the lawn, and make a weekly pass-through to verify that everything is fine inside the house. I don’t want burst pipes or malfunctioning air-conditioning damage.Stop the paper and the mail. Call the utility companies to make payment arrangements while you are away.
On the day of departure, I will:
- Add bleach to the toilets and cover with plastic wrap.
- Lock all windows and doors.
- Turn off the hot water heater
- Put out the trash.
- Set the thermostat
- Set the light timers; these help discourage house break-ins.
- Shut off water to the inside of the house.
- Stop the water processor.
- Tape up water drains and overflow drains on sinks and showers to prevent bugs from entering the house.
- Unplug the TV and other appliances, lights, etc. Don’t forget to unplug the electric stove. Unplugging can prevent damage from electrical storms.
