Pre-trip

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Steph48

Two Years Later: Keep Calm & Travel On

It’s been a week of milestones here at 20 Years Hence: Thursday marked six weeks back home following our Big Trip (How did that happen???), and today is the two year anniversary of the date we first left on our travels (How did that happen?!?). Given that we’re celebrating...
MusingsPre-trip
Steph5

Intermission

One of the things Tony and I hope to do on our RTW trip is see a Bollywood movie while we are actually in India. I am on the record as being staunchly pro-musicals, so it is no surprise that the melodrama and numerous singing and dancing routines that...
MusingsPre-trip
Steph13

What Not To Do With Your Car When Traveling

I can’t be entirely certain, but I have read enough savings and pre-trip posts on enough blogs to assert that Tony and I may be the very first long-term travel bloggers who decided NOT to sell our car on the path to our travel dreams. I know most people...
MoneyMusingsPre-trip
Tony2

Choosing the Right Travel Camera Part 2: Major Components

In my last post I waxed a little poetic and dealt with the more esoteric considerations of choosing a camera. This time around we need to tackle some of the actual nuts and bolts of a camera purchase. Some of the jargon can seem overwhelming at first, but don’t...
GearPhotographyPre-tripTips & Tricks
Steph10

Better Safe than Sorry: Health Insurance for Canadian & U.S. Travelers

There are no two ways about it: RTW travelers tend to be a thrifty bunch, always looking for ways to cut costs and keep our travel funds as much in the black as possible. With the knowledge that a few dollars culled from one thing could easily equal an...
MoneyPre-trip
Steph22

Just a Couple of Pricks: The Vaccination Post

One of life’s unfailing maxims is that there can be no pleasure without pain. This is true even when it comes to planning a RTW trip: it’s not just fun and games, gazing longingly at photos of white sand beaches and hot air balloon rides. No, because our trip...
MoneyPre-trip
Tony5

Choosing the Right Travel Camera Part 1: Basics

The camera you choose is more about your travel style than anything else. It’s also about just how much you are willing to put up with to get the photos you want. It’s not true to say that there are unlimited options when it comes to choosing a camera,...
GearPhotographyPre-tripTips & Tricks
Steph28

Introducing our Dealbreakers

I think that anyone who has ever set off on a RTW trip has had some kind of dealbreaker – one thing that, should it happen (or not happen), would take the prospect of traveling off the table. Maybe it’s failing to sell your house, getting offered a life-changing...
MusingsPre-trip
Steph20

Our Japan Itinerary

With just under three weeks to go (!) before we get on a plane bound for Tokyo, Tony & I figured it was probably a good idea to finally decide on some kind of an itinerary for Japan. I know many travel veterans subscribe to the whole “don’t plan...
JapanPre-trip
Steph11

The Best Laid Plans

I think if there’s any lesson I need to learn prior to our trip, it’s to stop planning so very much. Over the past few months, without fail, whenever I draw up elaborate schemes and plan, life has a way of completely buggering them up. Back in May, the...
MusingsPre-trip
Tony11

The Best World Communication Device Ever?

On a day to day basis it’s easy to be overwhelmed by communication options. G-chat, cell phones, texts, e-mails, Skype, land-line phones (gasp!), even face-to-face conversations. When you’re going about your daily business all of this can be a bit much to deal with, but when facing the prospect...
GearPre-tripReviews
Steph27

Scanning the Skies for New Japan Exit Plans

When last I posted, I was lamenting the recent change in the policy for applying for a China tourist visa while in Canada. The plan has always been to travel to China via ferry, and I am not exaggerating when I say that this new prospect of not having...
ChinaPre-tripTips & TricksVisas
Steph39

China Visa Woes, Oh Noes!

Ironic as it may sound, ever since Tony and I decided that we would start our RTW trip in Japan, I’ve been trying to figure out just how we’d get out of that country. It turns out that Japan is not just expensive when you’re on its soil, but...
ChinaPre-tripVisas
Steph16

Sometimes “quit” is a four-letter word

When Tony quit his job a few weeks ago, I expected there to be an immediate shift in his mood. After being unhappy and feeling burnt out by his job for several years, I thought that making a concerted effort to remove a source of stress and anguish would...
InspirationMusingsPre-trip
Tony22

A Tale of Two Backpacks

Welcome to our backpack resource. It’s safe to assume that you’re reading this post for one of a few select reasons: In any case, I’m going to outline what Steph and I were looking for in a pack, give a brief(ish) rundown of our trip down the travel gear...
GearPre-tripTips & Tricks