Preparing for the Journey of Lifetime

I will attempt to summarize everything I have done to prepare myself for the way I will live over the next year…this is a work in progress 🙂

INNER WORK:

• Journal, explore & reflect on what is drawing you to engage in this experience
• Determine what you want to get out of your experience – what are your intentions?

PROFESSIONAL:

• Consider your company culture and existing network – you want to give notice in a respectful way that gives ample time to transition
• Go out on a high note
• Consider who you want to tell in person vs. via email (also consider the timing of who you tell when)
• Update your resume before you go

BUDGET:

• How much money do you have to spend? Add up the money you have saved, subtract money you need to put aside to finish paying off any loans, and subtract a cushion of money for yourself when you return
• For me my budget helped inform what part of the world I was going to travel in – my money will get me much further in SE Asia than Europe

$$$ WHILE ABROAD:

• I opened up a Charles Schwab bank account as it is one of the only ones that do not charge ATM fees while withdrawing money aboard
• I researched what credit cards I would benefit the most from while traveling and opened up a Chase Sapphire Reserve card – I was able to buy some of my flights with points, have access to most airport lounges, & got global entry
• I will be obtaining a small amount of cash in the local currency for the first country I am going to

HEALTH:

• Once you have determined the general area where you are traveling, you need to visit the CDC website to see what vaccinations you need. As some shots are two series with 6 months in between – you should start this process early…
• Research travel medical insurance – I am insured with GeoBlue
• Get LASIK/PRK eye surgery! I got corrective eye surgery for this trip and it was one of the best investments I’ve made. Now I am less likely to get an eye infection because I will not be putting my fingers in my eyes twice a date to take out and put in my contacts. I will be safer and ultimately boosted my chances of survival- dramatic yes but in all honesty I can see better now that I ever could, am not depended on anything else to help me see, and will be more ready for anything that comes my way

VISAS:

• Research which countries you need visas for and which ones you need to get ahead of time
• E.g. For my India visa, I had to mail my passport to NYC which required some planning ahead
• Purchase any visas you need for the first month or two of travel

SAFETY:

Thanks to a multitude of friends and good advice, I did the following:

• Researched how to register my travel plans as I go with the local US Embassies
• Took a woman’s self defense class
• Got corrective eye surgery 🙂

GETTING RID OF YOUR MATERIALS THINGS:

• Make an inventory of all of your belongings, make a pile to sell, pile to give, & pile to keep
• My recommendation (thanks to a good friend) would be to make a PPT of all the things you are selling. Each slide should contain a picture, the price, and any relevant descriptions. Once you sell an item you can move it from that PPT to a “sold” PPT – this makes things much easier to keep track of. You can send the PPT to friends & save it as a video file and post it to Facebook.
• I also used craigs list and apps like letgo & OfferUp

TYING UP LOGISTICS AT HOME:

• Tell your landlord you’re leaving
• Put an end date to all of your bills
• Determine how you will file your taxes when you are gone – I worked with an accountant at H&R Block to have him take care of it for me
• Determine what your forwarding address will be while you are gone and update all of your credit cards, last employer, & anywhere else you need to update your address
• Let you’re bank know you are leaving the country
• Discontinue your phone & unlock it so you can get a local sim card

PACKING YOUR BACKPACK:

I spoke with friends who have gone on similar adventures and this is my final list for what I think will work for me:

• Bring your favorite clothes, you want to feel beautiful and confident wherever you go
• Pack sunscreen – its super expensive in SE Asia
• Don’t pack too much or worry about anything else – you can buy anything in SE Asia for cheaper (except sunscreen)