One Month Out - Final Prep

The days are coming very fast now, and we have a mix of pure excitement and stress as we are in hyper-prep mode. Several friends and strangers have asked how we have prepared, so we wanted to take a moment to share!

House: We finalized moving out of our home, confirmed the closeout of all our residential bills, and ensured our household items are securely in long-term storage. Prior to moving, we spent the past six months systematically going through our home to downsize. We stopped to really evaluate: if something goes into storage for a year, will we actually use it when we get back? Most of the kids’ clothes, for example, were donated because they will be too small when we return.

Mail: Besides stopping mail at our old home through the postal service, we set up a virtual mailbox to serve as our new address. This service provides us with a physical address, and they scan our envelopes for us. We then determine which pieces are forwarded to our parents to open, and the service recycles the junk mail. Additionally, we went through all of our banking systems and switched everything to electronic delivery.

Cars: Our cars are paid off, so we are not paying off a loan while we are gone. Fortunately, both sides of our family are keeping a car for us. They will start them periodically and ensure they stay covered. We have also changed our auto insurance to storage mode.

Unnecessary Expenses: About a year ago, we took stock of our monthly bills and made a plan to minimize them while traveling. Fortunately, we were able to pay off our car loan and sell our house. Joel went through our cell-phone bill and monthly streaming subscriptions. We used T-Mobile while living in Italy, and liked the plan because they have an affordable international plan for most countries. We will keep T-Moblie and we will supplement with local SIM cards upon arrival for any countries the plan does not cover. We are downsizing our streaming services because they do not all work the same overseas. Plus, we looked at our credit cards to see if they offer bundled packages to reduce prices.

Electronics: This is where I need a guest blogger! Joel has been researching in detail how we can minimize the number of chargers, electrical plugs, and various electronics we bring. We each have only a backpack to take, so extra weight adds up quickly. This is what we have decided on:

• Family: Canon EOS R camera, Garmin GPSMAP H1 Plus (with inReach), Tough Tested 15,000 mAh power bank, and Anker Prime 6-in-1 charging station with miscellaneous country adapters.

• Michelle: Apple laptop, iPhone.

• Joel: iPad, iPhone, Garmin Fenix 8 watch (for diving and hiking).

• Ava: iPad with keyboard and mouse, iPhone.

• Natale: iPad with keyboard and mouse, iPhone.

You will see a theme - we like Apple products and chose to get the kids iPads so everything can interface easily. Instead of thick laptops for the kids, we plan for them to do most of their schoolwork on their iPads. We have already tested them out to ensure they can type on Word, develop Excel documents, and store their pictures easily.

Note:  Be careful taking certain electronics abroad.  One issue we ran into was that in certain countries (India, Thailand, and Vietnam, etc) it is illegal to possess a 2-way capable satellite communication device (Garmin GPS or watch with inReach technology).  At the very least, the device will be confiscated at the border, at worst, you risk hefty fines and possible incarceration.  Garmin’s website has a comprehensive list of countries where devices with their inReach technology are illegal.  We got the Garmin GPS with inReach in case we get stranded somewhere with no cellphone coverage in Africa.  Unfortunately, we’ll have to mail it back to the States before we continue on with the rest of our trip to India and SE Asia.

Clothes: One of the first questions we always receive when we tell people that we’re traveling for a year with only a backpack is, “How are you going to pack your clothes for a year?”

Starting about eight months out, we began purchasing very specific pieces of clothing as they went on sale at REI or online. We have made a real effort to buy quality items that will last, can easily be washed by hand, and air-dry quickly. Additionally, we tried to pick out a palette of colors that each of us can easily coordinate with our sets of clothes. For example, I have a series of plain merino wool t-shirts that I can dress up with a scarf and sweater if we want to go to a nice dinner, or wear as activewear.

Each of us is bringing the following:

• 3 Pants

• 2–3 Shorts

• 5 Short-sleeve shirts (merino wool or dry-fit)

• 1–2 Long-sleeve shirts

• 2 Pullovers or sweaters

• 1 Puffy jacket

• 1 Rain jacket

• 7 Pairs of merino wool socks

• 7 Pairs of underwear

• 1 Swimsuit

• 1 Pair of walking/hiking shoes

• 1 Pair of sandals (waterproof)

• 1 Pair of nice sandals (for Michelle to wear to dinner)

• 2 Light dresses or skirts (Michelle and Ava)

As we travel we will see how this combo works, we can always leave behind or buy additional items as needed. 

Healthcare: Each of us went in for a routine yearly physical and a dental cleaning. We checked our health insurance plan to understand what it covers overseas and how to receive approval from the provider if we do need to visit a doctor. Because we are going on a few adventurous tours (hiking and scuba diving) that require additional coverage, we are getting a simple repatriation package to meet those requirements.

Vaccines: We were very fortunate to have randomly met a doctor who is the head of the travel clinic in our hospital system. About 10 weeks out, we provided her with a comprehensive list of all the continents and countries we plan to visit. She systematically looked up the health precautions and recommended vaccines for each country, then conducted a meeting with Joel and I to review our options. Joel and I believe deeply in the value of vaccines, especially for the rare diseases we may encounter while traveling.

All together, each of us received about 6 to 8 additional vaccines, which our doctor spread out over a four-week series. A few of our vaccines had very strict initial and follow-up dosages — for example, Japanese encephalitis or Rabies, which we marked on our calendars to strictly follow the schedule. Additionally, she was able to prescribe us anti-malaria pills and high-altitude pills just in case we need them.

International Driving Permit (IDP): We have driven and rented cars all throughout Europe using our American driver's licenses, but as a precaution, we got an IDP just in case. We plan to drive in areas of South America and Africa where having an IDP is highly recommended. If you already have a valid driver's license, you can get an IDP through AAA for around 35 dollars as a walk-in service or online.

Miscellaneous Documents:

• Passports: We renewed our passports four months out and chose the book with extra pages in case we need them for visas. A lot of countries require you to have at least six months of validity remaining on your passport to allow entry. I also keep an electronic copy of our passports on our phones.

• Visas: I have a spreadsheet of all our planned countries with simple notes indicating visa or entry requirements. Visas often require passport photos, which can add up quickly for a family of four! To save money, I downloaded a passport photo app on my iPhone and took pictures of the entire family. The app allowed me to place six photos into a 4x6 grid. I then simply printed out three copies for each person using an online photo service. This should be enough to start the trip.

• Vaccine Records: All of us have hard copies and electronic versions of our vaccine records, as well as our yellow fever vaccine books.

• Birth Certificates: I brought copies of the kids’ birth certificates.

Credit Cards: Joel and I each have a couple of credit cards that provide excellent travel perks (lounge access, travel points, and partner discounts). I also like the peace of mind that comes with having a backup in case anything happens to one of our primary cards. Some travel cards carry a high annual fee if you don’t take advantage of the perks, but we really appreciate being able to access an airport lounge as a family of four to get food and drinks while we wait. Airport meals add up fast!

Although we have done a mountain of research and preparation for our adventure, we realize that things can change quickly. Building flexible time into our schedule allows room for the unknown. Having a strong friend and family network back home has provided us with a lot of freedom when coordinating logistics, and spreading out our pre-purchases nine-plus months in advance has kept the trip affordable.

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Over to You: When you have a big trip or event, how do you prepare? Do you meticulously plan out every detail, or are you a last-minute organizer? For anyone else who has taken a long-term trip or made a huge life change, what advice do you have?

Let us know in the comments below.

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