Advanced World Travel

I went to a great class last night at REI. Enjoyed it so much, I'm posting my notes for you here.

Hope they help!

Notes from the 5/1 Class at REI
“Advanced World Travel”
Aaron Bell Presiding

Important Points

• Pack Light
• Bring Less Stuff and More Money
• Use credit cards with no foreign conversion fees
• Don’t carry cash (well, carry as little as possible)
• Make copies of your passport and hide it in your luggage
• Take pictures of your bags if you check them (you can show these pictures in places where they don’t speak English)
• Use your camera as short term memory. Take a pic of the street your B&B is on.
• http://www.travelerspoint.com/ can track your journey

Resources

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Planning

• Identify the season you want to travel in. Traveling in warmer weather means taking less-bulky clothing. • Budget
• Examine your hobbies
• Don’t dismiss a destination
• Rarely are expectations accurate
• There’s always a bonus

Make Money

• Change your lifestyle
• Sell your junk
• Spend to save
• Look for loopholes
• Peer to peer economy - Peer-to-peer (P2P) eCommerce communities are often established dynamically with peers that are unrelated and unknown to each other.
• Challenge yourself to make money. $1000 a month in extra cash goes a long way!

Peer to Peer

• http://www.guidehop.com/– become a tour guide
• Airbnb.com – rent a spare bedroom
• HourSchool.com – connects people who want to teach anything
• Taskrabbit.com
• Getaround.com

Cheaper Flights

• Orbitz
• Skyscanner.com – shows cheapest place to land in a country
• Check nearby airports
• Be flexible

What to Pack

• Less is best
• All-in-one like an Iphone/smartphone that does lots of things (check your data plans! These can be very expensive overseas).
• USB – large one to download your pictures to
• Multiplug if going to several countries. Don’t forget the converter!
• Visa/Mastercard – remember no conversion fee cards
• Passport – use a ziplock bag to keep it dry
• Clothes that mix and match
• Quality equipment
• Light shoes
• Packing dividers

Tip: Get shorts with lots of zippers rather than a money belt.

Scams

Foreign places (mostly not Europe):

• Ask your hotel about local scams
• Be skeptical

Taxi Service

• Choose – don’t be chosen (don’t let taxi drivers pick you up – don’t let them pick up other people)
• Taxi Tip for England: The typical black cabs are costly. Look in the phone book or ask your hotel for a local privately owned cab service – they’re a lot cheaper. Better yet, take the bus/underground.
• Never put your bag in the trunk. That takes control out of your hands.

Advice from other travelers

• Study the currency
• Learn a few phrases
• Buy a 1-way ticket
• Go with the flow
• Get travel insurance
• Slowing down saves money. (Stay in one place – don’t move around so much)
• Be nice – it pays off
• Keep a positive attitude
• Remember, this is your last life!

For more on Aaron, see: http://guidehop.com/Aaron