World Travel FAQ

I've been meaning to put together a FAQ list since before I even left the country in 2006. I'm always meaning to do lots of things that never actually happen, but I'm following through this time so that I don't have to keep answering the same email question five times a day. Enjoy!

Q: Who are you, and why did you spend a year traveling the world?

A: My name is Sarah Lane. I had been working in television for about ten years when I decided I needed a break. My husband (who also had been working in television for about ten years) needed a break too. So we both quit our jobs as television hosts (most recently, on the same show), put our belongings in storage, stuffed our backpacks, and headed out in search of the meaning of life.

Q: Did you buy one of those round-the-world plane tickets?

A: No, although a lot of other travelers do. We had specific locations in mind before the trip started, and it just made sense for us to go through a travel agent and get exactly what we wanted, rather than have restrictions such as only moving east-->west, or using a certain airport as a hub. We used a company called Airtreks, which specializes in world travel. I'd recommend them to those who have specific itineraries, but it's definitely not your cheapest option. Airtreks will also allow you to change the date of your plane travel (either for free or for a low sum, depending on the airline), which is great for flexibility, but in my experience doing so is a huge hassle and best avoided if possible.

Q: What did you pack for a year on the road?

A: As little as I could. We were visiting mostly warm climates (or at least warm for that time of year), so I got away with a few t-shirts, a couple of tank tops, one pair of shorts, two skirts (one long and modest, one short and beachy), one pair of jeans, one pair of non-denim pants, a hoodie, two pairs of socks, a pair of flip-flops, and a pair of hiking boots. When I got cold, I bought cheap hats and scarves and left them behind when I got warm again. As for undergarmets, I packed what I would normally need to get through a week, and I'd recommend that to anyone else too. Getting your clothes washed throughout the world isn't difficult, but realistically you're not going to want to do it more than once a week, especially if you're moving around a lot. And it goes without saying that nobody should have to recycle their underwear.

Q: What about washing your own clothing? Couldn't you do that if you had to?

A: Depends. In some areas of the world, water shortages are a real problem, and hotels often forbid you from washing your own clothes in the bathrooms because it drains their supply. I'm sure you could sneak around them, but it's not really worth getting into a fight with the manager if you get caught. Also, you'll be hard-pressed to find Woolite or an equivalent anywhere, so you better bring a lot of it with you from home. However, getting your clothes washed, dried, and pressed is usually extremely cheap, and I always found it more satisfying than trying to do it myself, plus I didn't want to lug around my own detergent.

Q: You updated blogs, photos, and video podcasts from the road. How did you do all that? What equipment did you use?

A: 1 15" Macbook Pro
    1 Sony HDR HC1 video camera
    1 shotgun mic camera add-on
    1 wireless lavalier mic
    1 tripod
    1 Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
    1 Nikon Coolpix 5200
    1 USB memory card reader

-How we maintained our blogs:

We wrote out everything on the Macbook first. Not only does this keep you from having to spend a lot of time and money composing your blog entry while sitting at an internet cafe, but you also have local copies of all your stories for reference. When the blogs were finished, I'd transfer them to the memory card, along with any accompanying photos, and do the rest online from within Typepad at an internet cafe. Once in a while I'd find wifi and be able to skip the memory card step, but not very often. Connection speeds were often slow, which made uploading the photos extremely cumbersome either way.

-How we created our videos:

We shot all our video onto miniDV tapes (which were easy to find when we needed more). We shared the wireless mic for our two-shots, but we could usually get away with just using the shotgun mic around town. We then imported our footage into the Macbook, and edited our podcast episodes within iMovie.

Once edited, we'd import the podcast file into Garageband and add music tracks. Some of the music we used came from pre-bundled tracks, and some of it we composed ourselves pretty easily.

When the podcast episode was completely finished and compressed, I'd FTP the file to my website using Transmit (my fave FTP client for the Mac). This was tricky at times because I'd have to go looking for a way to get the Macbook online, and outside of metropolitan areas, internet access can be very archaic. In theory, I could have just transfer the compressed video file and updated webpage data onto my memory card and used any old Windows machine to upload everything, but I preferred to use my Macbook as a hub whenever possible to keep everything straight.

As for photos, the Canon obviously took better pictures, but sometimes we didn't feel like carrying it around in a backpack. The Nikon was small enough to fit inside my purse, and I never left home without it. Between the two cameras, we were totally covered and managed to take about 10,000 photos.

Q: Wasn't it dangerous to bring all that expensive equipment with you across the world?

A: Yes, but we felt that we needed all of it, so we were careful. Nothing of value ever went into checked baggage on a plane, or baggage that was out of our sight during bus/train rides. When we left the equipment behind in a hotel room, we put everything into one bag, sealed it with a wire mesh and a lock, and then attached it to something heavy, like a bedframe or an armoire. The equipment could still have been stolen if someone was determined enough, but it would have been a big project.

The laptop came in handy in a bunch of other ways. If we were tired or sick, we could watch DVDs in our hotel room. I could adjust the levels of my photos before uploading. All our notes could be jotted down in one place. I could answer all my email off-line and then send it all in a bundle when I found an internet connection. Many backpackers consider carrying a laptop kind of unnecessary and over-the-top, but I wouldn't do it any other way.

*Full disclosure: on our second-to-last day of the entire trip, our video camera was stolen out from under our nose at a busy cafe in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This was completely our own fault. We were close to the finish line, we felt safe, and we let our guard down. Never let your guard down. It can happen anywhere.

**The video camera was insured, so we really didn't lose any money. Don't even think about taking a big trip with a lot of expensive equipment without covering it under travel insurance. Murphy's Law is global.

Q: What was your favorite place from the entire trip?

A: If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that... But seriously, I don't have a single "favorite" spot that stands way apart from the rest. I've seen too many places that were fabulous in their own unique ways. I couldn't possibly compare Moscow with Phnom Penh. However, I obviously have some highlights: St. Petersburg was wonderful. My favorite beaches were in Vietnam and Lombok, Indonesia. I loved the entire country of Laos. I adored the town of Bundi in Rajasthan, India. I think Santorini is world's best honeymoon spot.

Q: Was there anywhere you didn't like, or somewhere you wouldn't recommend?

A: No, but that's just because I never consider a place a failure if I end up not enjoying myself. The experience of having been there and knowing first-hand that I don't like it makes it worthwhile for me. Without getting too preachy, I think that's the attitude you need to adopt when you're doing a world trip, or else you'll get bogged down in all those inevitable cultural differences and drive yourself crazy.

That said, I think if I had to warn anyone about a destination, it would be India. I both loved and hated the place for a million different reasons, and although I'd definitely go back someday, I just don't think it's for everyone. The culture shock is pretty strong. So, there's that. Do your research beforehand and don't let me scare you away!

Q: How much money did you spend altogether?

A: For two people, we spent about $25k over 11 months. The biggest chunk of that went toward plane tickets (about $16k door-to-door). We stayed in budget accommodation, but always spent more than the absolute cheapest option. For example, we never shared a dorm room or shared a bathroom with anyone else. For us, the privacy was worth the extra few dollars spent. I also opted for air-conditioning if we were in a very hot, humid place, but you'll often pay double for that luxury. Most non A/C rooms come with ceiling fans, but even then the temperature can be uncomfortably hot, depending on windows and air flow. Also, you get more for your accommodation money if you're in a pair, since double rooms are never twice as much as singles. Food isn't a huge money concern. You can always get cheap food if you're not a stickler for culinary excellence, and sometimes it's still really yummy.

Q: Did you ever get sick?

A: Yes. Both of us were ill in India on a few separate occasions, but only for a day here and there. Ours were the typical stomach issues where you have to stay near a bathroom, but aren't going to die. We did meet several other travelers in India who had contracted more serious illnesses, some requiring hospitalization, so we consider ourselves very lucky. My advice is to always drink bottled water, never eat any food that looks dirty, has been sitting out for a long time, or might have been washed with contaminated water, and apply hand sanitizer liberally.

Q: What about medication?

A: We bought along a year's supply of Doxycycline, an antibiotic that can be used as an anti-malarial. About five months into the trip, I developed a terrible skin reaction and abandoned the Doxy. I opted not to replace it with another malaria medication because I was having pretty good success not being bitten by dutifully applying mosquito repellent every day. However, some doctors advise against this because malaria is such a serious disease. I'm not a doctor, and I can't tell you what's best for you. I can tell you that an anti-malarial called Malarone seemed to be the favorite among travelers because of its lack of side effects. I had never heard of it beforehand. It definitely wasn't recommended by my former doctor. I'm not sure why.

As for other drugs, we had a small supply of Ambien that came in handy for sleeping on long, uncomfortable, overnight bus rides. Once that bottle was tapped, we roughed it with earplugs and pleasant thoughts, which didn't always work.

We also brought along an antibiotic called Ciproflaxin for general ailments. Our doctor recommended taking it along, just in case, but we never really used it.

Q: What about souvenirs? Did you carry them along, or ship them home?

A: Some travelers end up buying an extra duffle bag as a place to put all of their purchases, and carry that around with them until their trip is over. We opted to ship everything we bought and spare ourselves the inconvenience of extra luggage, which was often mandatory (we couldn't have carried along the living room rug we bought in Turkey even we had wanted to). However, shipping cargo can be sketchy. We sent home a package from Vietnam that had to be destroyed upon arrival in Oakland, CA, after the company demanded over $1000 in customs import fees. We had no way of knowing that would happen beforehand, and didn't get our money back. My advice is to avoid any private shipping company that isn't Federal Express or DHL. You'll pay a lot more to ship through a big name, but the peace of mind is worth it. You can also just stick with post offices, but your package may take months to get home. If expediency isn't important to you, this is usually a cheap and safe bet.

Q: Anything else you want to tell us?

A: Um, not really. But please remind me if I missed an obvious question, and I'll be happy to add the answer to this post.

Comments

[Liana]

Wow, thanx for the FAQ, Sarah! I know I've been one of those five emails a day a couple times before! ;) Glad you made it home safely!

[John]

Perfect... I tried to think of things you may have missed but I can't. 'Spose I'll leave that to every one else, they'll do a better job than me. Don't feel bad about not doing something like this sooner, you guys have more important things to do, but this is a great addition to all the other content you and Brendan have provided us with. I hope, and I'm pretty sure, this isn't the end of you two's crazy adventures. The past 11 months have been an eye opener for me, and I thank you two for that.

-John-

[Dave]

I was curious about how much the whole trip cost you two. I was guessing quite a bit more than 25k. A year of adventure for the price of a car is pretty good. Some day ...

Thanks for all the great pictures and stories.

[Anonymous]

Hey, we have the same camera Sarah. I just bought mine because I want to try my hand at stock photography. :)

[Roxanne]

Thank you for posting this information. This will be helpful in arranging a trip we hope to take in the near future. I feel you answered all the obvious quite well, so I've nothing else to ask.

[Yolanda]

Awesome post. Very informative. I had one more question that wasn't answered, though. Did you buy any keepsakes while you were away (art, furniture, chochtkes, etc.)? I presume, yes. Did you ship these items home? Did you carry them with you to future destinations? In other words, how was all the inevitable collecting that happens during travel handled?

Oh, and welcome home :-)

[Claudine]

Where do you wish you had gone, if you were given more time? I remember at AOTS that you really seemed offended that you did not go on the trip to Japan, I thought for sure you and B would have book passage to Japan. But it never happened. If you had another 2 months on the road where would have you gone?

[sarah]

@Yolanda
I added some shipping info to the bottom of my FAQ. Good call!

@Claudine
We didn't go to Japan for financial reasons more than anything. Japan is an expensive country to fly into and to stay in, and also one that I think I'd prefer to do separately, rather than as part of a large backpacker experience.

If I had two more months, I'd go to Peru and Bolivia. That was our original plan, but time and money unfortunately got away from us.

[Liz]

Now that the end of the world, trip is coming, heehee, do you have any plans for life back in the USofA?

[David]

This is not really worthy of your FAQ, but I do have a question.

Possibly because of events while I was growing up (as in "the war"), I've always been fascinated by Vietnam and Laos, and hope to travel there myself. While you were there, did you experience or feel any animosity towards yourselves by the people because of America's past history with that area? Or were you welcomed with open arms?

And I've really enjoyed following your travels, so much so that I'm sorry to see it end. But everyone has to return to the daily grind sooner or later!

Hi Sara,
I don't know you but I think I met Brendan years ago. This site was referred to me by a former co-worker who used to work with us. I just wanted to say that I think you are awesome, even though I don't know you. It's so refreshing to see or read about intelligent, kind people who would take the time to write about your travels and help others interested in doing the same. You guys make a beautiful couple and I wish you all the best.

[mandy]

Welcome home! Thanks for taking us all "along" with you. I hope your and Brendan's adventure together is only just beginning :)

[Ashlea]

Welcome Home B and S!!

[Paul Enski]

I watch all your travel pictures. I know now that you are the most beautiful thing in this world Sarah.

[Jeff]

Nerd question:

How was your MBP configured?

[Mark]

Wonderful trip! I very far behind in reading your entries... hopefully I can find a weekend in the near future and read them all in one sitting. If you're ever in new york city, please send me a note, I'd love to hear about some of your experiences in person!

[Brian]

I can't believe this wasn't asked.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Are you going to go back to TV? Or something else? We sure miss seeing you on AOTS.

[blahblah]

yea can you hurry up and get this abomination known as olivia munn off my television, i can literally get through about 2 minutes before that show is unwatchable, you built up so much good will that i keep giving it a try, but it is so far from entertaining due to 0 chemistry and a host that is so incompetant she cant conduct a fking interview, im still a huge pereira supporter even though what he does now is oversell every stupid video they play where someone falls down a set of stairs, and then discuss whats on OLIVIAS RACK OMG I SAID RACk BUGT I WAS TALKING ABOUT MAGAZINES ZOMG!!! IRONY,bottom line us simple americans are begging for you to come back.

[Ross Wirth]

Great post Sarah!. I enjoyed skimming the posts you guys put up, I can't believe it's been over a year already. As a IT consultant who travels every week, I've got tons of miles saved up, and am contemplating an around the world trip to use some. Hopefully Marriott comes through and I can use some of those points along the way too =)

[Juno888]

This must be nice travel if i would make it happen.

[Adam]

Awesome blog & FAQ! My wife & I just quit our jobs and will be leaving on our 6-12 month around the world in September. I was wondering if you would give us some practical tips. For instance, how did you find accomodation, like your little apartment in Rio? Did you have accomodation reserved ahead of time, or find it upon arrival? Did you stay entirely in one city for long periods and just make day trips, or did you move around every few days? However you did it, it looks like you found nice places for little money! Also, for food, would you usually just get groceries and make your own?

I was also wondering about packing. I was trying to pack light (45 liters and under 30 pounds), but I want to bring an SLR camera with lenses, a laptop, etc, similar to the load you two brought. What bags did you bring, and how big were they? Were they difficult to haul around with all that gear? Were they rollers, or backpacks?

Also, we are webdesign novices. How would we go about learning to make a website similar to yours?

[Free iPhone]

Wow, thanks for the info. Good luck in your travels.

[sus]

Hi, friend

Bundi is a small town near Kota. Bundi was the capital of Hadoti region. Bundi is 36

km from Kota is and is one of the unexplored cities with a rich historical wealth. Once

a part of Kota, it was ruled by the Had Chauhans- an offshoots of the famous

Chauhan clan who ruled Delhi and Ajmer.

http://desidirectory.com/india-travel-guide/

[sharon]

hey there. i'm an old friend of josh firstenberg's and he just told me about you and your page. my husband and i (who also live in the bay area) are planning a very similar trip, so i'm looking forward to reading all about yours! tips and advice will be pulled wherever i can find them!

[Al de Leon]

Wow. This is a very cool way to inform other travelers. This post just provides almost everything, if not all, from travel tips to medication suggestions. How can I not love this post? This is amazing, especially now that my friends and I are planning to have a yearly travel. Well it is not as grand as an almost-a-year trip, but I really find this post ultimately helpful. We plan to start our journey next year and I know it’s too early for me to think about stuff like plane tickets, accommodation, and backpacker insurance, but I just can’t help it. This post certainly excites me. This is worth sharing.