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Here's what we need:-
(i) Clothes
(ii) Documentation and Money
(iii) Miscellaneous Items
Within each section you will find a rough run down of necessary
items with associated tips - tips gathered not through research but
from years on the road.
Ok, we've covered clothes, so let's get on to (ii) Documentation and Money:-
Passport – Self explanatory, although there are
still a few factors to consider. Many countries require you to have at
least 6 months remaining on your passport before they will allow entry,
so ensure that your passport remains valid well beyond the perceived
length of time that assume your travels will take.
Secondly, ensure that you have sufficient empty pages remaining in your
passport for stamps and visas. Rest assured, once you hit the road your
passport will fill up quickly. Visas can take several forms. Some may
be a simple stamp on a page, but others can be sticky affairs that take
up a whole page. If you realise during your time away that you probably
have more trip left than blank passport pages, you may have to start
paying closer attention where immigration stamps are being put into
your passport.
If push comes to shove and you are tight for space, respectfully
encourage officials to fill in the gaps on already used pages – thus
leaving whole blank pages for the space munching, sticky visas.
Credit and Debit cards – Take at least two forms of
plastic, but preferably three. They can be a lifeline. By carrying a
mixture of credit and debit cards, each associated with different bank
accounts, you will better your odds of being able to withdraw money in
the majority of countries that you wish to visit. If all cards
originate from the same account then all it needs is for your bank to
freeze your transactions and you could be in a tight spot.
You may want to halt further transactions on an account if a card gets
lost or stolen, but banks may also freeze accounts without this
happening. For example, if they see lots of withdrawals from overseas
it may raise a flag, or even worse, if someone attempts to clone a card
you have used then, for your security, it is likely they will freeze
your account. Banks will generally air on the side of caution, so you
must also.
With several accounts active, you can still use your other plastic
while sorting out the problem, which can sometimes be a lengthy or
expensive process from abroad. In addition, with three carefully
selected cards it is possible to cover most of the major networks –
Cirrus, Plus, Visa, and MasterCard. Remember that a major player in one
country may not be in another.Obtaining online accounts prior to
leaving can also assist in keeping track of what’s happening with your
new fistful of accounts. I highly recommend it, but only use it from
internet cafes when totally necessary, thus reducing the risk of
security issues. In addition, always restart the PC when you are done
using online accounts. The internet cafes may sometimes get the hump
about this, but we are talking about you’re money and security at the
end of the day.
Cold, Hard Cash – The US dollar is king. Take some
as a back up in case of emergency – and no, a bargain carpet in an
Istanbul Bazaar does not qualify as an emergency! $200 should be more
than sufficient. Keep it in small bills as some places may not be able
to change larger ones, or simply may not accept them for risk of
winning a dud. In most circumstances, $5, $10, and $20s should be fine.
One more note on Fancy Yankee Dollars – inspect them carefully. If they
are torn or defaced then ask to exchange them for others, the bigger
the denomination, the more important it is that you do this. You may
feel like a prince with a hundred bucks in your pocket, but you’ll be
eating like a pauper - or not at all - if no one is willing to accept
it! Also check the serial number. This is not important on small bills,
but on $20 bills and upwards it becomes more so. Due to the slightly
higher possibility of them being counterfeit or ‘Black Money’, 1996 and
older series bills (particularly $100s) can be difficult to get rid of.
I found this especially true in Indonesia and Cambodia. Even if you can
find places to break or change these, the money men may give you a
poorer exchange rate for this very reason. Tssk, any excuse…
USD Travellers Cheques – Not everyone’s cup of tea,
but a highly underrated method of obtaining cash. My advice is to carry
a few, even if you only have them as a back up. They are an extremely
low risk form of virtual cash. What if they get stolen? Hey, replace
them. Easy.
Not only are they widely accepted, in some places you may even find
that cashing Travellers Cheques works out cheaper than withdrawing
money or, thanks to hefty surcharges, paying with plastic. In other
places it may be the only viable option of getting cash at all. I can’t
rate them highly enough.
One word of advice however, keep them dry and in good condition. If
badly crumpled or otherwise damaged (i.e. having been washed by their
own daft owner), most banks won’t touch them with a shitty stick…Trust
me on that one.Remember to also take the receipt for the cheques with
you as evidence of purchase in case of loss/theft…or damage!
Birth Certificate – Just one more form of identification if necessary.
International Drivers License – Who knows where
your adventure will take you? If drivers ensure that they apply for an
IDP before they leave then all doors remain open. It’s also a good form
of recognised ID in some countries for those concerned about carrying
their passport everywhere.
Vaccination Card/Booklet – Carrying this is one
less reason to be turned around at immigration, and can be a necessity
when transiting through certain countries. Ensure all recent
vaccinations have been recorded, both to serve as a reminder to you
when they expire and to present to officials when necessary. Nothing
has the potential to screw up certain travel plans like an expired
Yellow Fever Certificate.
Coded Data Sheet – Before I set off I make up a
data sheet of information that I may be required to use whilst on the
road (how very organised…) I included:-
Traveller Cheque Serial Numbers (which I cross off as I use – so I know which ones to claim for immediately if I lose them).
Bank Account/Internet Account Details (all coded with an easy to remember key incase they fall into someone else’s hands).
Lost and Stolen phone numbers for my banks and Travellers Cheque issuers.
Emergency contact details for my country’s Embassy for countries I plan to visit.Travel Insurance policy number and insurer’s email/phone number.
This crib sheet is really for piece of mind; above all, it allows me
to think that if and when I get in the shit, I will get back out of it
a little more easily and quickly.
Equipping yourself with necessary cash and documentation is just
half the story. It’s essential to then duplicate and distribute these
possessions effectively. A suggestion is to photocopy your main
passport page, Traveller Cheque purchase receipts, Birth Certificate,
Driving Permit, and important Vaccination records, and put them in an
A5 Ziploc bag for protection. Also put 1 Credit/Debit card, the Coded
Data Sheet, half your emergency Dollars, and half your Travellers
cheques in this bag.
Stash this in your rucksack. I suggest in an obscure, homemade
Velcro pocket somewhere on the inside of your pack (if your pack goes
missing then the bag might not be found).
The other A5 Ziploc bag can then hold your original documentation
and the other half of the cash etc. These are your crown jewels, and as
such should generally go where you go, or be left somewhere deemed
secure if not.
If you opt to carry 3 pieces of plastic then the remaining card can
be separated from the others. Two good options are to sew it into your
backpack and forget about it, or keep it in a hidden pocket in your
clothing. Personally, I have a small, credit card sized Velcro pocket
sewn into the bottom of the leg of whatever pair of trousers/jeans I
travel with. I keep a card and $100 in it, just incase I’m unlucky
enough to lose everything between a bus station and accommodation, for
example.
One word of caution though. I once tried to take my trousers off
while rather inebriated (using the famed ‘tread on the bottom of one
leg while pulling the other one out of it, so I can use both hands to
hold myself upright’ routine) and managed to tread on, and subsequently
break, my precious plastic. So it’s not completely ‘foolproof’ as this fool proved.
Also consider creating a ‘Cyber Wallet’ or ‘E-pouch’ (I just made
those phrases up. Cool huh?) Scan (or digitally photograph) at least
your passport, Vaccination and Birth Certificates. Electronically
attach the image/images to your Coded Data Sheet, and send it to your
email account. Hey presto, an online version of the main contents of
your Ziploc bags. If you lose everything, you will still have these.
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