Gypsy Journal Blog

Leaving Home

Thu, 06 Sep 2018 18:05:00 GMT

Leaving

Leaving home is probably the scariest thing I have ever done. It involves leaving everything you know and love behind, knowing that not all of it will be there for you when you get back. As the day of departure grew nearer I suffered from the most anxiety I have ever experienced. Evenings alone were the worst, and helping in preparations made everything feel much more real.

I think that following your dreams is one of the hardest things to do, but is also one of the most rewarding things you can do. I have never felt such strong, overwhelming, and diverse emotions regarding anything. Crying for reasons I still have yet to figure out, and watching my friends cry over my departure definitely caused me to get cold feet. I had thought that on the plane leaving Boise I would've been in tears, but, sitting on the 11-hour flight to Beijing, I have never felt more relieved.

Saying goodbye is the worst part, and being that you see people you love often, you end up doing again and again. Getting on the plane meant I couldn’t turn back, and it was the easiest thing to go along with.

Landing will be liberating, it will mean that what all my loved ones have all worked towards is a reality. I can’t wait to learn, love, and experience. Life is scary, but learning how to dive in is the most important lesson, (of which I am only barely learning).

Packing our Travel Gear

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 19:36:00 GMT

So Many Options, So Little Room

After writing a few lists and checking them twice, here is what we finally came up with. Including a Chromebook for online classes, we were able to keep the 'essentials' to around 20 pounds each AND TSA approved for carry on. Remember - you can always buy something on the road, if you do really need it. Shopping in Bali can't be that painful. The bags we chose have extra room and will allow us to pack or strap on a coat, sleeping bag, pad and tarp if needed later in the trip.

Personal Identification

LastPass Password Manager
Money Belt
Passport
Drivers License
Credit / Debit Cards (Simone had her own Debit card)
$150 in Cash each (in case we are separated)
Vaccination Card
Digital images of Passports and Vaccination Cards. Email to self for backup.
Notify Bank of Travel Plans for Credit Card Utilization (this can often be done and updated online)

General

Backpacks designed for travel
Note: Simone traveled with the Osprey pictured but we were very disappointed. The main bag did not have any internal storage options (zipper pockets, etc) and the day bag was too small to be useful. Also, if you really needed to stuff the main pack, the day bag could not zip on. Look for a separate travel bag, with useful compartments - an expand mode can be helpful as well.
Backpack Zipper Locks
Day bags - lightweight is more important than padded
Stuff sacks
Sunglasses
Reading Glasses (for the old man!)
Water bottles
Headlamps
Small box of laundry detergent (or not - we found washing services everywhere)
Parachute cord for clothesline and small set of clothes pins
Back Pack tie down straps if you need to strap on a jacket
Mosquito net w/ screw in hooks to hold up net (or not - all of our lodging had adequate netting)
Notebook, pens & pencils
Playing Cards
Combination Lock to secure our room (or not - all of our rooms were reasonable well secured and did not have a padlockable door)

Clothing

Rain jacket
Sandals
Sneakers / walking shoes
Socks
Sun Hats
Lightweight Gloves and Warm Hat - light weight but can make a big difference
Long sleeve shirt
Sweater or Fleece
T-shirts
Swimsuit & Swim Top/Shirt (modest)
Light weight pants and / or skirt
Note: we started the trip with synthetic travel pants that could zip into shorts. These were hot and sticky and made us look fresh off the plane. Be real - take some cotton pants.
Shorts
Underwear
Bandana or handkerchief
Sarongs for casual wrap around and towel

Electronics

Google Fi - worldwide service provider
Chromebook & charger
Kindle
Note: consider Amazon Kindle Unlimited for $10/month. You can access over a million books including ALL of the Lonely Planet series. This was a real money saver for us since we visited so many countries.
Smartphones
Note: consider where is my phone app. Install on both phones for mutual tracking / location finding if needed.
Sony a6000 camera & case
International power adapter w/ 4 USB ports
http://a.co/hjjVBzK
Various USB charging cords
Make sure all of your adapters support both US (120 V) and International (240 V) voltages

Toilet Kit

Tooth Brushes
Tooth Paste (3.4 oz. / 100 ml)
Dental Floss
Deodorant
Feminine Hygiene / Diva Cup
Hair Brush
Disposible Razors
Electric Razor (check for International (240 V) voltage support)
Bar Soap w/ Container
Bar Shampoo w/ Container
Skin Moisturizer
Bug spray
Sunscreen

Medical Kit

40 Assorted Bandages
10 Butterfly Bandages
5 Gauze Pad
3 Moleskin Sheets
2 PVC Gloves
First Aid Tape
Scissors (less than 4 inches from pivot point)
Tweezers
Toenail Clippers
Sewing Kit w/ Safety Pins
Thermometer
Lighter
Earplugs
Chapstick
Green Goo - skin moisturizer
Eye Wash / Tears
Hand Sanitizer
2% Iodine Tincture - infections and water purification
Antibiotic Ointment
Role of Antacid
Benadryl - allergic reactions
Loratadine - hayfever and allergies
Imodium - diarrhea symptoms
Magnesium Oxide - constipation symptoms
Ibuprofen and Tylenol

Resources

https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/all
https://fi.google.com/about/coverage/ - Seamless coverage in 170 countries and territories.
https://expertvagabond.com/travel-gear-guide/
https://cdn.worldnomads.net/Media/Default/SafetyGuides/WorldNomads-GapYear-InsidersGuide.pdf
https://www.worldnomads.com/explore/guides/ultimate-gap-year

Preparing for Our Trip

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 14:07:00 GMT

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

Planning our Big Adventure

Fri, 20 Jul 2018 12:42:00 GMT

Why?

I may not have been born in the backseat of a Greyhound bus, but I’ve been rambling before I could crawl. As a kid, every year or two my family would pack up and follow our dad to the next oil field that needed to be surveyed and charted. I moved at least 10 times before graduating high school. Once I was on my own I went to college part time, worked part time and continued to hit the high road whenever I could. After a stint working on the oil rigs in the Gulf and living out of my car to save money, I traveled overland around the world when I was twenty one. That was forty years ago.

Despite my best intentions, efforts, bargaining and protestations I was thoroughly domesticated for about the last twelve years. An all consuming start up and two girls, now 10 and 14, made for a stressed and dull boy. What’s the point of it all if you’re not having fun? Finally the gods showed some mercy and I was able to slowly wrest control of my life, sanity and time. I was now able to survey my life and prioritize what is really important to me - less stress, more time with family and friends, being of service AND travel!

Simone, our 14 year old, attended a local charter school through 8th grade, the last grade offered. The public high school starts in 10th grade, which would require her to attend a public junior high for just her 9th grade. Ah - the perfect opportunity to make a break for it! Her social groups would be in flux and not binding her so tightly; she is old enough to understand there will be some rough times mixed with the good; and she is young enough to still enjoy her father’s company and doesn’t have a boyfriend yet! She is also old enough and organized enough to manage her 9th grade studies independently.

Over a year ago, I could see how the stars would align and proposed we travel the world together during Simone's 9th grade.

Who?

But what about the rest of our family: my wife Helene and our youngest daughter Clara? Helene has a private mental health counseling practice that she did not was to abandon for such a long time and it wouldn't be fair for her to be left alone. She finally decided to take a break from Thanksgiving through New Years and bring Clara to join us. So it was settled: Simone and I would make most of the trip ourselves and Helene and Clara would join us for seven weeks. It was also decided that Clara and I would take a similar trip for her ninth grade, in four years hence. Although I will miss being with my whole family, I also look forward to spending time and celebrating with just Simone. And as a smaller group, we will be able to interact more with the world around us and make fewer compromises.

Where?

After a week layover in Beijing, Simone and I will spend the fall travelling in Indonesia, Thailand and Laos. Helene and Clara will join us for Vietnam and Cambodia. Simone and I will then head to India and Nepal for winter. Spring will take us to Turkey, Greece and some of the capitals of Europe.

When?

We will our home in Boise, Idaho USA on 5 September 2018 and return near the end of May 2019. Helene and Clara will be traveling from 15 November 2018 through 2 January 2019.

How?

To see how our trip came together, please read the Preparing for Our Trip blog post.