|
globaltravel101
by Joel Malm
commission[expeditions]
takes young adults around the globe on adventure trips that give them
a chance to experience what God is doing around the world and see how
they can use their talents and abilities to be part of the global
call. Below is some basic travel information that commission[expeditions]
makes available for anyone interested in world travel.
For tips on
raising funds for your summer mission trip click
here.
Pre-trip planning
On the trip
Traveling in country
PRE-TRIP
PREPARATION
- Get a
passport
By the end of 2008 it will be
necessary for anyone leaving their country to have a passport. In the
U.S., passports are issued by the State Department. U.S. passport
Information is available at
http://state.gov/travelandbusiness. Info for Canadian
passports can be found at
http://www.ppt.gc.ca. To acquire a passport for the first
time in the U.S. you will need to go to the post office in your area
that provides the service. You will need to bring your birth
certificate and 2 passport pictures. Passport pictures can be taken
at any Walgreens, CVS, or similar stores – most post offices also
offer photo service, but it costs a little more. Keep in mind that
with the influx of new applications passports are taking 6-10 weeks
for regular processing. If you need it sooner you can pay an
additional fee for expedited processing, the post office clerk will
give you this option.
- Visas
No, in this case a visa is not a
piece of plastic that can get you into big trouble if you overuse it.
A visa is permission from a country to enter and travel there. The
U.S. and Canada have visa agreements with most European and Latin
American countries that allow us to simply arrive in the country and
be granted access. But, there are many countries (China, Russia,
nearly all African countries) that require you obtain prior permission
to enter. A visa must be obtained through either the embassy or the
consulate of that country located in a city near you.
Information about what countries
require a visa for entry can be found at the State Department website
of your country. The site will often have links to the embassies of
the countries that will give you further information and let you
download forms for applying to enter that country.
Keep in mind that processing for
visas can often take up to 4 weeks and cost $50-100 each. So, if you
are traveling to multiple countries make sure you leave plenty of time
for processing visas as you may have to send your passport to multiple
consulates or embassies.
- Shots
Some countries require that you prove
you have had certain vaccinations before you enter (example: most West
African countries require Yellow Fever shots). To find out what shots
are recommended and/or necessary visit
http://cdc.gov/travel for information. After receiving the
necessary vaccinations you will be provided with a yell international
shot record card. You will need to show that upon entry into
countries with mandatory vaccination requirements.
- Travel
insurance
It is a very wise decision to obtain
travel insurance as many North American health insurance companies do
not offer coverage abroad. (All commission[expeditions]
team members receive automatic coverage as part of their program
cost.) You can buy travel insurance that includes coverage for
medical and emergency evacuation and medical care. When traveling in
unstable countries it is highly recommended you obtain political
evacuation insurance as well.
There are companies that offer
insurance for as short a period as one day. One I have found
particularly helpful has been Good Neighbor Insurance run be the
Gullison family, former missionaries who now provide travel insurance
for short-term travel. Their number is (866) 636-9100 or visit
http://gninsurance.com.
- Plane tickets
Where is the best place to buy plane
tickets? If you find out, please tell me! It is becoming more and
more the case that the best airfares are found by looking directly on
the website of the airline. In most cases website fares beat what are
available through travel agencies. So if you find a low fare on
Travelocity, Orbitz, or Expedia there is a good chance it is a bit
cheaper on the airline’s website. But, there are always exceptions.
If you really want to save money it is worth the effort to look around
on different websites and compare prices.
Another way to save money is by
looking for flights out of big cities near you. Sometimes it isn’t
worth the hassle, but often times you will find tickets to be much
cheaper out of big cities where competition is higher for passengers
on particular routes. If you live within a few hours of a big city
like L.A. or Dallas it might be worth it to look up flights from those
cities.
A very cheap alternative,
particularly for travel to Africa and Asia, is the use of a
consolidator. Consolidators pre-purchase seats from airlines and are
able to offer them at very low prices, usually lower than the airlines
even offer. The only drawback is that these tickets offer no
flexibility. If you change your flight in anyway you will have to
purchase a new ticket. Also, these tickets cannot usually be offered
in electronic format, meaning you have to keep track of your ticket
while you travel. And loss of the ticket means no travel.
A word about Hotwire and Priceline.
I have saved hundreds of dollars on Hotwire and similar sites, but
they have their disadvantages. One of them is flexibility. If you
are planning to be gone for a while and there is a possibility you
might need to change to come home early (or maybe later if you love
the place!) then it is best to book tickets directly through the
airline. Hotwire and other discount tickets are non-refundable and
non-changeable. If there is a large space of time between your
arrival and your departure from the country it is best to buy a ticket
that is changeable.
Valuable tip: I have never been able
to figure out why, but often times it is cheaper to fly into one city
(or country) and out of another. I have found this to consistently be
the case when going to Africa. If you plan to visit several
countries, look into the option of flying into one country and out of
another. (Example: Fly into Nairobi, Kenya and out of Johannesburg,
South Africa – I saved over $1,000 doing it) You can book your travel
plans between the two cities by ground or air (more info on that
below) and save lots of money on your plane ticket.
- Packing
Always take essential items
(medications, money, contact lenses, toiletries) and at least one day
worth of clothes in your carry-on. When bags are lost in
international travel it often takes an entire day to get your bag into
your hands. So, wise travelers always pack one day worth of clean
clothes in their carry-on.
I love to use compression bags.
These bags can be filled with clothes and the air can be squeezed out
of them to consolidate space, plus it is great to keep water and
moisture out if you are traveling in wet climates. These bags are
made by samsonite and coleman and can be purchased at most Wal-Marts,
K-Mart, etc.
ON THE TRIP
- Backpacking
Backpacking is the way to go. It’s
cheap and easy. Backpackers typically stay in hostels that are set up
for their type of travel. Hostels are discount hotels that offer beds
and showers at a low price. Hostels are low priced – costing $7-20
per night – depending on where you are and the services they provide –
and they are a great way to meet other travelers from around the
world. A typical hostel set-up would have 6-8 people sharing a room
and a bathroom down the hall. Most hostels provide sheets for the bed
and a towel if you are lucky. You can rent them sometimes for a small
amount.
If you plan on staying in hostels
bring a padlock. Remember you will be sharing a room with complete
strangers. Hostels provide lockers for you to store your bags in
while you are visiting the sights, but you need to bring your own lock
in most cases.
Some hostels also offer private
rooms. These book up quickly, so make sure to book these rooms well
in advance.
The best sites I have found for
booking hostels are British. My favorite is hostelbookers.com.
Hostels.com is also another great sight.
- Backpacks
One of the most asked questions I
hear is: What kind of backpack should I buy? The answer varies. I
always say that the bigger the backpack you get, the heavier you are
likely to make it. The more space you have the more you will be
tempted to fill it. One thing I will tell you for sure is – the
lighter your load, the happier you will be.
On commission[expeditions]
trips all team members are required to have an internal frame backpack
that is at least 65 liters. The main reason for that size is that I
use a 65 liter bag for all my travels. I have lived for 4 months on
what I carried in that bag and always had enough clean clothes.
Typically, I pack all my cloths in compression bags that can be
purchased anywhere. I squeeze all the air out of them and I can fit 2
weeks worth of cloths in my bag very easily with room to spare.
Always leave room for the items you will buy when you are there.
Some of the best backpacks I have
ever owned were made by Arc’teryx and The North Face. Other good
companies are Osprey (a bit pricy, but worth it), Gregory, and
Mountainsmith. Also, always bring a daypack. You don’t want to be
lugging your big backpack around while you are walking the narrow
streets of Tashkent.
Good websites to buy backpacks are:
campmor.com
rei.com (especially the closeouts and outlet section of the site)
sierratradingpost.com
- Money
This is a big issue. The most
important thing to remember is - - don’t take large amounts of cash
with you unless you absolutely have to. I strongly discourage
traveler’s cheques. They are nearly impossible to cash anywhere but
at a bank and many banks won’t even accept them. I always recommend
bringing U.S. dollars. They are one of the most widely accepted forms
of currency in the world.
The world is becoming more and more
connected and now days you can nearly always find ATMs in the country
you are visiting. ATMs work well because they always give you the
best exchange rate of the day and you can get your money in the
currency of the country you are in.
NOTE:
If you plan to use your ATM card
abroad it is very important that you let your bank know before you
leave the country. If your bank has not been advised they will often
put a lock on your account if they see withdrawals in foreign
countries thinking them to be theft or fraud. I have seen it happen
on many occasions and cause some challenging situations for world
travelers. Also, try to use ATM’s that don’t require you insert your
card. In the event of a problem in the transaction the machine may
keep your card. This can cause major problems. When possible use a
machine that you can simply slide your card in and out in one
movement.
- Keeping in
touch
Technology has revolutionized world
communications. It is now easy to acquire a prepaid mobile phone in
any country in which you travel. The costs are minimal ($50 per
phone) and most phones come with pre-paid minutes as part of the
initial set-up. (See GSM info below) Many countries also offer free
incoming calls, making it economical for friends to call you from home
while you travel.
With very few exceptions, internet
cafés now abound around the world, so email is nearly always available
if you will be in any city of size. Another wonderful option for
phone, via the internet, is
http://skype.com. Skype allows you to call the U.S. for .02 cents
per minute. If you call someone else who has skype it is free. You
can also obtain a local number in your country through skype that will
follow you around the world wherever you have internet access, making
it possible for friends to call you for free in Timbuktu with a local
number from your city.
GSM phones – GSM is the system used
by most of the world for mobile phone service. There are 4 GSM bands
850/900/1800/1900. You can buy a GSM chip for compatible phones that
come with prepaid minutes for relatively cheap prices in most
countries. For more info on GSM service coverage around the world
visit gsmworld.com.
If you are purchasing a phone in the
U.S. for use in another country you need to make sure the phone is GSM
compatible (uses a SIM card) and you will probably want a 4 band phone
to ensure it will work anywhere in the world. U.S. companies lock
their phones to make sure you use their services abroad. If the phone
is locked it will keep you from being able to buy pre-paid GSM cards
in the country of your travels. There are two ways to unlock a
phone. The first is through your U.S. service provider. If you have
been with that company for a few years they will often simply give you
the code. But, if they say no – there are other ways. Visit
http://unlockitnow.com.
For about $50 they will give you the code to unlock your phone. My
personal feeling is that it is cheaper to just buy a new phone in the
other country rather than spend all the money to unlock the phone,
plus you are guaranteed to get a phone compatible with that country’s
GSM band.
TRAVEL WITHIN
THE COUNTRY
- Preparing for
in-country travel
Should I pre-arrange my travel plans
or just wing it? This is a question I hear a lot, and I have
personally erred on both ends. There have been times that I should
have planned because I found myself spending much more money than I
had to and other times I pre-planned too much and missed out on some
great opportunities that I could have take advantage of had I not been
obligated to catch a particular train or plane. So, with that said,
here is my practical advice:
Accommodations
If you are traveling with someone
always book your hostels at least one week in advance. It is far
easier to get single beds in a shared room for one person. If you
want to stay with the person you are traveling with you need to book
in advance to save lots of money, especially if you want a private
room. If you are by yourself you can usually just show up and find a
bed available (but, it is still best to book if you know you are
going). In the summer hostels can fill up.
Some great websites for booking your
hostel are
http://hostelbookers.com and
http://hostelworld.com. Both sites give great information about
hostels and allow you to book your room with a minimal deposit. It is
important to book your hostel because in the summer (especially in
Europe) hostels get really full (especially on the weekends). With
that said, it is relatively easy to book your rooms while in country.
All you need to do is find an internet café and book the room. By
booking in country you are able to get a feel for the place you are in
and decide how long you want to stay.
Trains
In regard to train tickets my
experience has been that it is best to book trains once in the
country, especially in Europe. If you plan to take several trains
that are long distance it might be best to purchase a Eurail pass.
Eurail passes allow you to board any train within the prearranged
region of your tickets. (http://eurail.com)
But, there are some instances when it is cheaper to not buy a pass.
For instance, if you are doing all your traveling within one country
and don’t care too much about a plush seat on the train, then it is
usually cheaper to simply show up at the train station and purchase
your ticket from a ticket machine. Locals do it all the time and
prices are set for local commuters that are available to you also.
Buying in advance guarantees a reserved seat, but often times you
don’t need this, especially if you are fine with traveling in second
class coaches.
NOTE:It is very important to be aware
of local holidays in the country you are visiting. In most countries
of the world over the holidays people take public transport. So, you
may find yourself seat-less on a train if you are traveling during a
local holiday (example, Chinese New Year when everyone leaves town and
train tickets are hard to come-by on sold out trains country-wide.)
Airfare
The cost of air travel is relative to
the region you are in. For instance, in European air carriers like
Vueling, EasyJet, and Ryan Air have leveled the playing field and
often give tickets away (literally). If they don’t give them you can
still purchase tickets for as little as $25, making it comparable to
purchasing a train ticket. An example is a plane ticket I recently
purchased from Madrid to Rome for $27 including taxes. The key to
finding these flights is to go to the airline’s website. Several of
them are listed below. The best place to find these low fare
carriers is a website called
http://airninja.com. To get the lowest fares it is generally
recommended that you book about 3-5 weeks in advance. As prices are
so competitive, fares will often go down if you book further out than
that and you will end up paying more for booking in advance. So, when
traveling within a region, don’t write off air travel as a viable
option. It can often times be cheaper and quicker. Some good
European low fare carriers are listed below.
http://vueling.com
http://easyjet.co.uk
http://ryanair.com
http://airberlin.com
When traveling in Asia it is a bit
more difficult to find such low fares. Australia has a similar
situation, mostly due to the number of carriers available in a region;
the more carriers the lower the costs and vice versa. When traveling
in Africa it is my experience that it is best to use a travel agent to
book your flights within the continent. Also, in Africa it is
typically cheaper to fly into one country and out of another. I have
no idea why, but I have found this to consistently be the case.
Central and South America depend greatly on the location you are
flying to. So, do your research before you leave and decide if plane,
bus or train is your best option.
Buses
Buses are the ubiquitous travel
method in all countries of the world and are typically your best
option. My experience in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa
is that the bus (or something resembling one!) is the best way to
travel if you don’t mind being with the locals. That being said, it
can also be the most dangerous. So, here are some practical bus
riding tips if you choose this mode of transport. First of all, make
sure to keep all valuables out of sight. I have heard hundreds of
stories of people having items snatched from them without them even
realizing while standing in the crowded bus. Always keep wallets and
purses close to you. I recommend ladies keep purses with the strap
over your shoulder and across your chest.
In some third world countries I have
heard stories of armed individuals boarding the bus and robbing
everyone on board. This is rare, but if it happens – don’t try to be
a hero! – simply give them your items and let them get off the bus.
As this is always a possibility, it is best to never take valuables
that you aren’t willing to lose on the bus with you. In some cases it
is impossible, but just be aware of the possibility.
In many countries you will have to
put your bag on top of the bus in a luggage rack. I always personally
go up to the top of the bus and make sure my bag is positioned in a
good place. I also always have a padlock I bring to lock the bag in
place if the trip is long and there will be lots of intermediate stops
where someone could take the bag while I am inside the bus.
I hope you have found these tips to
be useful and I hope to see you on a commission[expeditions] trip one day soon!
Reproduction of this material is permitted with prior request from
commission[expeditions]. |
