21 July 2018by Chris Wylie Preparation Preparation1 Comments Commitment The first and most important preparation in any undertaking is simply making the commitment. For me this was relatively easy: I had already traveled extensively and knew what to expect; I had already begun to create some breathing room at work; and one of my life dreams was to travel with my family. While I do have some physical ‘issues’ I am still in good shape for the road ahead and the cost of overseas travel insurance is cheaper than domestic US. By slowly and patiently introducing my hope to travel with Simone to the rest of my family, they came to share my enthusiasm. World Wide WiFi It’s a new world when it comes to international travel. When I first traveled through Asia in the late ‘70s mail via Poste Restante was how travelers would communicate with their loved ones. I worked like this. Let’s say I was in Kabul and I planned to be in Delhi in 7 weeks. Mail would take approximately 2 weeks to get back to the US, and two weeks to get from the US back to Asia. So I would write letters to my family and let them know they had a 3 week window, once they received my letter, to write to me, via Poste Restante Delhi. When I arrived in Delhi I would go to the main post office and get in queue. When it was my turn, I would hand over my passport and then look through all of the letters - hopefully grouped by the first letter of my last name. Once I found my letters, the clerk would verify they were addressed to me and I was allowed to take them. If I didn’t make it to Delhi, the letters would languish. Nowadays, your loved ones may not even be aware that you are travelling. WiFi allows us to keep up on email and the latest threads on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You can post from anywhere. Work As the owner of a small company, I can work part time and still receive a salary. I have also brought on part time senior level management to help run the company while I’m gone. Ubiquitous WiFi will allow me to keep on top of email communications, communicate with my staff via Skype, monitor my calendar, write, update and share documents, and carry on almost any other activity that I would normally do from my home office. The only real differences will be time zone, I will only be working part time and I may be out of pocket for a week or two. We will each have some study and work time as we travel. School Although travelling will be an incredible learning experience in and of itself, it will not satisfy 9th grade requirements. In addition, since 9th grade is considered the first year of high school, we needed to mindful of Simone’s transcript for when she would be applying to universities. Overall, this was a frustrating and time consuming project as we could not find anyone with all the answers and had to piece together most of the 9th grade program together ourselves. With our home in Boise, Idaho, here are the different Boise School District (BSD) high school requirements and opportunities available for us. BSD 4 year Graduation Plan https://tinyurl.com/y753j7zo BSD Course Descriptions https://tinyurl.com/y7q47gnx BSD 9th Grade Requirements https://tinyurl.com/y73h2e9v English 9 - 2 credits US History - 2 credits Physical Science - 2 credits Math - 2 credits Electives - 4 to 6 credits Total Required - 12 to 14 credits / year Notes: Physical Science can be waived, if the student plans to take both Physics and Chemistry in subsequent years. BSD Summer School Registration 2018 https://tinyurl.com/y9kbdwq4 Registration Fee - $35.00 Boise School District Student - $90.00 per Credit Idaho Digital Learning (IDLA) https://www.idahodigitallearning.org/ IDLA offers two types of courses: Cohort - where the student must access the online courseware and take the exams at a fixed pace. Flex - where the student can access the online courseware and take the exams at any time. Brigham Young University (BYU) Independent Study Courses https://is.byu.edu/ BYU offers an extensive selection of correspondence courses to provide asynchronous education to a multitude of Mormon missionaries. The courses are of reasonable quality and available to the general public. Independent Studies Independent study proposals can be submitted to the BSD. The proposals must include the course syllabus, specific topics to be read or covered and scheduled deliverables. If accepted, BSD will assign a teacher to monitor the student’s progress, proof read drafts and grade the final deliverables. BSD Advanced Opportunities https://www.boiseschools.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=2573728 BSD will pay for supplemental education that accelerates a student’s education. Since Simone would be taking courses just to maintain status quo with other students here age, this program was not available to us. We would need to pay for any summer school, online or extension courses. What’s a Girl to Do? We started planning for this trip over a year in advance. Because Simone was strong in Math she decided to double up on her math curriculum in 8th grade to cover her 9th grade requirements of Algebra 1. For the remaining courses we first considered IDLA’s online courses. Given that our travels would require a flexible schedule, the IDLA flex courses would meet our needs. However, BSD only accepts IDLA cohort classes - so this would not work for us. I also heard the quality of the IDLA courses was not very good. We also considered independent study or correspondence courses while we travelled. We did not want Simone to be taking a full course load while travelling, and BSD only accepts 3 correspondence credits towards high school graduation - so this could meet some, but not all of her requirements. It became clear to us that BSD summer school was the path of least resistance and would satisfy most of our needs: there would be no problem with accreditation and and we would be in Boise for both summers of 2018 and 2019. Simone's Final 9th Grade Curriculum During 8th Grade Math (Algebra 1) - 2 credits Summer School 2018 English 9 - 2 credits Biology - 2 credits During our Travels World’s Religions - http://bit.ly/2Hy0Qz9 - 2 credits (independent study course I put together) Photography - https://is.byu.edu/description/ART-061-S002 - 1 credit (correspondence course through BYU) Google Snap Seed - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.niksoftware.snapseed - Android app that runs on our Chromebook for photo editing Summer School 2019 US History - 2 credits Physical Education - 1 credit Total of 12 credits towards high school requirements PS - Once all of this was settled, Simone was granted early acceptance into https://www.onestone.org for 10th grade. This has resulted in some minor changes in the summer school curriculum that I will not detail in order to minimize confusion. Insurance We were able to get international travel insurance for much less than we pay in the US. Less than $2,000 for the two of us for 9 months. https://www.worldnomads.com/ Vaccinations We consulted with our local Travel Medicine Clinic: https://www.saintalphonsus.org/services/travel-medicine/ These are the vaccinations we made sure were up to date: Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Typhoid Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (TDAP) Polio These are the vaccinations that we did not get: Yellow Fever - not prevalent Malaria - the prophylactic treatment for such a long duration is harsher than the treatment. In addition, the prophylactic does not always work. Japanese Encephalitis - not prevalent and potentially problematic side effects Rabies - not prevalent, except if you get bit by a dog. If you do get bit, you must take the vaccinations BEFORE symptoms appear. There is a lot of discussion about this, here is one thread: http://bit.ly/2uEzt1d Visas Visas can be a bit frustrating to figure out. Requirements can change over time, and there can be a lack of official information. Lonely Planet and Travel Fish are a good place to start, just drill down into the country you’re interested in and then look for the Visa link. Thailand for example: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand - look for Entry and Exit Formalities at bottom of page https://www.travelfish.org/country/thailand - look for Visa link at top of page Often traveler forums provide the most up to date information: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/categories/country-forums In general, most countries offer eVisas that you can apply for online before you arrive or they will grant you a Visa on Arrival. These visas are typically good for 30 days. Some countries still require a more formal application process, at least for longer stays: China and India. Below are listed the countries we plan to visit, in the approximate order, along with anecdotal visa information. China We are basically doing an extended layover in Beijing for 6 days. This qualifies us for the 144 hour (6 day) visa-free transit policy. This is awarded, for free, at several ports of entry. http://en.bcia.com.cn/server/notice/144visafree/144visafree_faq.shtml Notes: The 6 days start at 24:00 on the day you arrive. So you can stay up to six 24 hour periods starting on the first midnight you arrive. This policy is for TRANSIT, so the city you fly into cannot be the city you fly out to. For example, if you fly Seattle > Beijing, and then return Beijing > Seattle you are NOT eligible. If you fly Seattle > Beijing, and then fly Beijing > Bali (in our case) then you ARE eligible. You will need to visit an embassy or work with an Agency to get a proper visa: https://order.mychinavisa.com/OrderVisa3.php Indonesia Visa on Arrival - good for 30 days. https://www.travelfish.org/visas/indonesia We will work with an agency to extend our visa because we plan to visit longer than 30 days: https://www.bali.com/visa-on-arrival-extension.html Thailand Visa-Exempt on Arrival - good for 30 days. https://www.travelfish.org/visas/thailand Laos Visa on Arrival - good for 30 days. https://www.travelfish.org/visas/laos Vietnam Visas must be arranged before arrival. https://www.travelfish.org/visas/vietnam Here are two forums that discuss some of the options: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-south-east-asia-mainland/vietnam/leaving-with-evisa-via-vinh-xuong https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-south-east-asia-mainland/vietnam/visa-for-vietnam-pick-up-at-airport eVisas are available, but only for 30 day and multiple entry. We plan to visit longer than that. https://evisa.immigration.gov.vn Some people use agencies. http://vietnamvisachoice.com https://www.vietnam-visa.com Simone and I plan to get 90 day visas at the Vietnamese Embassy in Bangkok, or at their consulate in Luang Prabang, Laos. Helene contacted the Vietnamese consulate directly for Visas for herself and Clara. http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/content/visa-application-process Cambodia Visa on Arrival - good for 30 days eVisas - good for 90 days https://www.travelfish.org/visas/cambodia https://www.evisa.gov.kh We plan to cross from Vietnam into Cambodia along the coast. There are a few more considerations: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g635529-i13592-k9773705-Prek_Chek_Ha_Tien_Border_crossing_to_Cambodia-Ha_Tien_Kien_Giang_Province.html India Visas must be arranged before arrival. https://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/visas Simone and I plan to get ours at the Indian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. Nepal Visa on Arrival - good for 30 or 90 days https://www.lonelyplanet.com/nepal/visas Turkey eVisa - good for 90 days. Can be obtained before arrival, or at kiosk upon arrival. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/visa-information-for-foreigners.en.mfa www.evisa.gov.tr Greece and EU Not Required for 180 days https://gr.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/residency Greece is a member of the Schengen Zone.** A U.S. citizen may remain in any Schengen country (or travel between various Schengen countries) as a tourist for up to 90 days in a 180-day period without a visa. **Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Note: The ongoing refugee crisis may put an end to the Schengen Zone agreement. United Kingdom Not Required for 6 months https://www.traveldocs.com/expedited-visa-services/united-kingdom-visa-processing-country234 U.S. citizens do not need a visa for tourist or business travel to the United Kingdom for a stay up to 6 months. Air Flights I found Expedia to offer good flights across the Pacific, but not so great for inter-Asia flights. Once in Asia, it is often cheaper to book your flights through a local agency, or to book with the local carrier via their online booking system. Since Helene is coming for 7 weeks, and knows exactly when she is arriving and flying home, she booked all of her flights in advance using Expedia: round trip from Boise to Hanoi, one way from Angor Wat, Cambodia to Hanoi (to connect the end of the trip back to her return roundtrip connection point). I used Expedia to get from Boise to Beijing one way, and then booked directly with local carriers via their online booking system. We have only purchased a few connecting flights, some we will purchase only after we have a better idea of our itinerary and dates. For example, we may fly either Kathmandu to Istanbul, or not. https://www.expedia.com https://www.airasia.com http://www.lionair.co.id https://www.goindigo.in http://www.spicejet.com https://www.ryanair.com Review of the cheapest airlines in the world: https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/245243 Lodging Reservations Wow! Procuring lodging has changed over the years. I used to show up to town with a few suggestions from Lonely Planet, then start walking around knocking on doors to check out rooms. Now the pressure is one to make reservations for the more sought after guest houses months in advance. All I can say so far, is that Agoda and Trip Advisor seem to be popular booking middle men. https://www.agoda.com https://www.tripadvisor.com Comment (1) ned mcdaniel Over the years that I have known you I have always been impressed by your intellect. Now seeing your use of that intellect I have gained a respect for your wisdom. I have a saying (mostly to myself) "wisdom knows knowledge but knowledge doesn't necessarily know wisdom. " you are lucky indeed to have both. 4 years ago Comments are closed.