What I'm glad I brought--a six week traveling perspective

I haven't talked about trip practicals in a while, but as I've gone through this journey I think it's a good idea to share some information as my vacation wraps up. I'll compile a list on this post (possibly to be added to later) with some of the things that were essential to making this trip easy. Lonely Planet and other guides have similar lists and, who knows, they may be essentially the same. That's for you to find out, because I have no reason to look back at them again :)

• Torch/flashlight/headlamp
• Earplugs and Eye mask (especially for sleeping on night trains/buses and hostel dorm beds)
• A small towel or sarong (in case your hostel doesn't have one or other unexpected times you need to dry off)
• A plug adapter
• Two of EACH: credit cards and debit cards (I will explain why in another post--but basically just have your bases covered)
• Some cash in US$ (sorry, people from other countries, but USD is almost universal)
• Lots and lots of ziplock bags and a couple trash bags
• Quick drying clothes
• Liquid detergent for doing your laundry in the sink in a pinch
• Laundry line that can be put up anywhere (lots of places have drying contraptions, but not everywhere)
• Lots of DEET lotion for bugs--it really is miraculous
• A medical kit--used it the second day all the way up to yesterday for myself and other people
• Good sunscreen that will stay on with water, time, and sweat--don't cheap out on this
• Shoes or sandals with arch support--you will be walking a lot! I have Chaco's (below) and they were fantastic. I mixed them up with flip flops every few days--it's nice to give your feet variety, and avoids weird tan lines :)

         

• A backup camera (mine was my iPhone)
• iPhone or similar (Skype is cheap, FaceTime is free, backup camera, watch and alarm, computer for when your hotel has wifi but no desktops--which happens frequently, it has pictures of home and family to show curious locals... Should I keep going?) 
• If you do bring your iPhone or iPod touch, back it up on iCloud and make sure you can find it with the "find my iPhone" app. That way, if it does get stolen, you still have your pictures and you can lock it and wipe it remotely (and locate it if you're lucky) so none of your information is in a thief's hands.
• Clothes that are temple worthy (pants and sleeves for men, skirt covering knees or pants and sleeves for women)
• Long pants, though they sound impractical for the heat, are helpful because they keep bugs and sun at bay, help you blend in more (people here don't wear shorts) and are generally better accepted at nice restaurants with dress codes. And I don't even think there's that much of a temperature difference anyway.

And for the random things:

It's a good idea to memorize your passport # and expiration date. You'll need to recall it so much that saving the hassle of taking it out will be a huge relief.

Knowing hello, goodbye, and thank you in every language you encounter is really probably all you need--and it works wonders

Why I'm bringing my iPhone 4

I already posted about bringing a global phone with me in case of emergency or lack of available internet. But I also decided to bring my Verizon iPhone 4. Even though it seems mostly pointless (Verizon gets no international service) there are a couple benefits to bringing a smart phone, and they all have to do with its wifi capability. The iPhone 4 will be able to connect to the internet when there is wifi around (for example, when I'm in a coffee shop in Singapore) so I don't always have to find an internet cafe to shoot a quick text, email, or Facebook post. But the best part is that I can still use FaceTime, as long as I can get wifi. This is an amazing piece of technology because it enables me to see the faces of friends and family for free, without a computer, any time I can get wifi. No laptop, no ethernet, no roaming. All I have to do (to ensure I don't pay roaming) is go into airplane mode in Asia and turn wifi on to connect to whatever hotspot I have access to. For more info, see here. I feel like I am really going to enjoy using FaceTime--finally, the Apple commercials are living up to the hype!

Vaccines and Health Abroad

Introduction

I recently had my appointment at a travel clinic to discuss vaccines and other medical issues, and learned a lot that I can impart to future travelers. Obviously, don't use this information as a substitute for actual medical advice--it is only a guide for what to expect when you do your own research.

First and foremost, make sure you get travel insurance any time you are going out of the country for a few weeks or travelling far enough away that an emergency wouldn't be covered by your insurance. There are many places to purchase travel insurance, but I was really satisfied with STA Travel's international traveler's insurance. It can be found here. The benefits include covering trip cancellation/interruption, travel delay, lost/damaged baggage and personal effects, baggage delay, medical and dental expenses, emergency medical transportation (for adventure traveler types med-evac is super important), air flight death and dismemberment (ew), and travel accident death and dismemberment. You also can work through them to consult a doctor when you are abroad and they take care of most out-of-pocket medical expenses when you need acute care.

With all the big stuff out of the way, now there is the question of vaccines. Get into a clinic with at least a month to go--you need to give your body time to build up immunity to these diseases before you leave. Make sure that you have your vaccines on record if you go to a travel consult. You'll need all of your regular vaccines (MMR, DTP, Tdap, Hep A and B, varicella or proof of chickenpox, etc.) and those should be covered by your insurance if you haven't had them all already. The other ones that are not required are generally paid out of pocket. A consult should cost between $50 to $75, so make sure you plan on shelling out some cash even before you get your vaccines.

In SE Asia, the "common" ailments you will run into are:

1. Traveler's diarrhea (more info)
2. Typhoid (more info)
3. Malaria (more info)
4. Dengue Fever (more info)
5. Rabies (more info)
6. Japanese Encephalitis (more info)
7. Sexually Transmitted Infections (I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but if it does apply to you it is absolutely important you keep it in mind) There's a good list here.

Transmission and Prevention Straegies

Malaria, Dengue, and Japanese Encephalitis are all transmitted by mosquitoes. For all three diseases, then, effective prevention is key. Yes, DEET is not fun--but that stuff works wonders. The most recommended product is a sort of DEET lotion that is 34% DEET and lasts 12 hours. It comes in 2 oz. tubes so it can be carried on planes. You can (and probably should) also treat your clothing with permethrin, which lasts for about 6 washes or one month. There's also a possibility that mosquito nets will be beneficial, especially if you plan on spending a lot of time outdoors or in malaria-rampant countries.

Luckily, the specific locations I am going in my countries have a pretty low incidence of malaria, so my recommended strategy is prevention only. If your risk is higher, you may be prescribed anti-malarials. Beware--they can cause hallucinations. Also, keep in mind that some areas in the world have malaria strains that are resistant to major treatments. You'll need to consult an expert to get information specific to where you are travelling.

Dengue has no specific treatment or vaccine. Prevention is key, because it's all you have.

Japanese encephalitis does have a vaccine, but it costs about $600 (depending on location) with both doses. My Nurse Practitioner said that only 11 Americans have gotten J.E. since 1981. So, even though the symptoms can be very bad and there is a medical prevention strategy, the odds against getting it and the sorry state of my wallet voted in favor of general mosquito protection.

image from: http://www.hdmicablescheap.net/malaria/ 

How do I stay in contact with friends and family?

Emergencies, gossip, check-ins: there are a plethora of reasons to want to stay in contact with friends and family members while you travel abroad. A good rule of thumb is that the more immediate and direct the contact, the more it will ultimately cost. Can you wait to update your travel blog until you are at a hostel with included internet, or do you need to send an email right away? Do you need to call and talk to someone, or will a text message do? These are good things to consider and they'll all have a financial impact while you travel abroad.

Although I like to be an unfettered traveler, I do recognize the need to keep in contact with friends and family. I want them to see what  my travels are like, and I tend to favor typing to hand-writing anyway. So for me, a blog is a great way to keep in touch while also recording my travels. But what if it is more immediate? I don't know where I'll be every night, so it would be hard for my parents or friends to call a hotel that I'm staying at if there were an urgent matter to discuss. If it's not completely urgent, they can email. But if it is in fact a real emergency, it's comforting to know that I could be reached more immediately. That's why I am going with an international phone that is cheap on the front-end and more expensive after. I don't plan on using my phone often, if at all. But, if an emergency did indeed crop up, it's good to know that my friends and family can contact me almost instantaneously.

Source

The phone that I chose cost me only $40 and has no monthly fees. I just get charged what I use while I travel. There are certain countries you can't call out of (the US being an obvious one, and then some other countries including ones in Central America), but all countries I plan to visit are included. What I like is that receiving texts is completely free (so my dad texting to say "Brooke--haven't heard from you in a while. Please send an email update by tomorrow so we know you're OK" doesn't cost me anything to read and is cheap to answer if I just use internet). Sending a text costs $0.80 per message, which really isn't that bad. A call costs anywhere from $1.50 to $3.95 per minute depending on which country I'm in. Yes, it's pricey--but I honestly don't plan on using the calling feature of the phone except in true emergency situations. So, if you're like me and just need a phone for emergencies, check out Mobal's website. However, if you are closer to friends and family than I am or are just chatty person, you should read a blog post about the "true" costs of Mobal vs.other users. Hopefully, once I'm done with my trip, I'll remember to write a review and let readers know what I think of the service after actually using it.

Bought my ticket!

I am officially going, people! I purchased my ticket. I depart for Hanoi, Vietnam on June 3rd and leave from Bali, Indonesia on July 19th. That's about 7 weeks away from the US. The flight cost a whopping $1800--yikes! I've narrowed down the places I definitely want to go, but still need to flesh out some of the details-- like will I rely on buses, planes, or ferries to get to all the countries?

I plan on spending about a week in Hanoi, before I fly to Bangkok to meet up with my wonderful and adventurous companion. We'll explore and then head through Thailand to Cambodia, where we will experience Angkor Wat. After that we will bus or boat to HCMC, or Saigon. He'll probably leave before there's time to explore the Mekong Delta, so I'll stay there a few more days before I fly to Singapore. Singapore is small and I still have a lot to accomplish, so I'll probably only be there a couple of days. After that, I'll fly to Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia. There I definitely want to go to Bukit Lawang to make friends with some orangutans. I also want to get to Lake Toba and Pulau Weh, but I'm not sure I will have time for both. Once I've completed my Medan excursions, I'm off on a plane to Bali where I plan to explore ruins, beaches, and dive some great sites. I also want to explore a volcano on Lambok, the neighboring island, and lounge/dive a few days on the Gili Islands. Needless to say, it's looking to be a packed trip even with the generous amount of time I gave myself.

But it will all be worth it when I'm here:


I also just got a Capitol One Venture Rewards credit card for the trip, which can be found here. Why? The only cards I have now charge foreign transaction fees (which would definitely add up), none of them give me airline miles, and none of them have the perks I can get with Visa Signature. More perks on the card can be found at Nerd Wallet, along with information about other good cards to use when you're travelling abroad. I wish I had known about the travel accident insurance before I bought the ticket with another card. However, with Visa Signature I can still use other resources, like translation services or emergency message delivery. I can also get a replacement card/cash advance right away anywhere, any time if my card is lost or stolen. That is definitely comforting. The catch? You need excellent credit, so make sure you check your credit score before you apply.

My next adventure will be to get all needed vaccinations. I'll post more updates on the preparation as I go.