Trip Planning
Friday, November 8, 2024
Due to civil unrest, weâre pulling the plug on the Mozambique/Eswatini leg of the trip. Continuing protests of a shady election have closed the roads to the Maputo airport and the border crossing with South Africa.
We quickly devised a substitute visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but that plan is dependent on shifting several daysâ worth of various reservationsâincluding an expensive flight. Weâve inquired on that, but have yet to get a response.
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Monday, November 4, 2024 â
Jen here. So, I was messing around tonight and decided to try ChatGPT. By the end, I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. What do YOU think is the over-under on this question? đŚ đ¨
Monday, November 4, 2024 â
Tonight we finally completed our travel vaccinations for the trip. In addition to our final mpox shot, we also got a shot for choleraâas in, the beverage variety. The vaccine comes as a live-virus liquid you mix with water and quickly drink. Hence, the red solo cups… đđ
Monday, November 4, 2024 â
Ordered some basic business cards we can hand out to people who we meet or to anyone we want to direct to our website. Then they can contact us through the website. Much easier and safer than giving out our contact info to fun people we meet!
Sunday, November 3, 2024
When we travel abroad, we always register our stays/travels with the US Department of State. So, just in case something happens while youâre in-country (conflict, weather disaster, etc.), the DOS knows where you might be and can get to you. Itâs also a great way to get country information straight from the embassy, which would include any disaster/security alerts youâd want to know about. Both of us had to register separately, inputting 28 different places.
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Tuesday, October 29, 2024 â
If things go as planned, we’ll spend time in 11 different time zones on this trip.
Sunday, October 27, 2024 â
Africa definitely has a tipping culture. A recommendation from our Safari company was to start the safari with envelopes containing the tip for each guide to make it easier. You can add more or take away from that amount depending on the level of service. So Iâve created some of our tip envelopes.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 â
One month from today we head out on this huge adventure! Still so much to do to get ready to go. And we both often vacillate between being excited and wondering WTH are we doing!
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 â
In Person: Sat Nov 16
Come say farewell to us at our informal âGoing Awayâ party (aka, we want to see some friends before weâre gone for 3+ months) on Sat Nov 16. Weâve reserved the private room at Wren SĂźdhalle in Ahwatukee from 5-8p. Show up anytime.
Canât make it? No worries, letâs find a time beforehand to get together instead. Contact us soon, as time is getting short and we have a lot left to do. Or…join us the following night:
Virtual: Sun Nov 17
Want to hear more about our trip but can’t meet us for a beverage?
We’ll host an informal “wish us luck before we go” Zoom call on Sun Nov 17 starting at 5pm Arizona/MST time. Pop in for a few minutes if you’d like. Message one of us for details, or check back here before the appointed time.
Saturday, October 12, 2024 â
A 2-week trip rarely requires thought about completing work training deadlines. Jen has had to strategically figure out which online trainings she has to do between now and March to ensure she doesn’t fall out of compliance while we’re gone (since she won’t have access to her government computer).
Thursday, October 10, 2024 â
Want to hang out with us before we leave?
Weâre organizing an informal âgoing away partyâ on Sat 11/16. We’ll start at Wren SĂźdhalle in Ahwatukee from 5-8p, then transition down the street to Tukee’s for karoake, which starts at 9p.
We’re also hosting an “open house” Zoom on Sun 11/7. Deets soon!
Monday, October 7, 2024 â
Welp, it appears that we’ll need to bring five different electrical plug adaptors on our trip: types C, G, D, F, I, and M.
Sunday, October 6, 2024 â
When researching places to go, it’s always interesting to see what is “important” information to provide for travelers. I was amused finding an entire page on Taipei’s metro system dedicated solely to “Metro Etiquette,” including many PDFs on the various individual etiquette points.
Monday, September 23, 2024
One of the big things we need to avoid on this trip is mosquitos, which carry a variety of nasty ailments. We’ve been working on our skeeter-related vaccinations, and will also be on anti-malaria meds for more than half the trip. And we’ll have bug nets covering our beds at night in the most affected areas. Even with those precautions, however, you still need to pay close attention and use bug spray.
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Friday, September 20, 2024 â
(From Jen) - I have spent a lot of time planning out this trip. The flights, the hotel, the visas, the stuff to see/do, etc. I KNOW I have screwed SOMETHING upâlike REALLY screwed it up. But…I have NO idea what that might be. Oh the stress… But that’s what travel looks likeâaccepting that happens.
Friday, September 20, 2024 â
We’re trying to bring minimal things for this trip - 100 days (in multiple climates) of stuff has to fit in a rolling duffle bag and a backpack (each). Jen spent this week figuring out what clothes she has/needs to buy for the trip. Trying to find the 3-4 outfits you wear for 100 days isn’t easy!
Saturday, September 14, 2024 â
Weâre nearly done booking all of our flights, accommodations, and toursâŚand weâre still generally on track with our estimated budget! Not too shabby for estimating booking costs for a 100-day trip! đ
Friday, September 6, 2024
One thing we’ve found about a 100-day trip is how daunting and exhausting it is planning and booking such a trip. When you plan for a 1-2 week trip, you might look up 1-2 countries for things like voltage; what type of plugs; what type of money; do they have Uber (or how to get around); what are the tipping policies for the country; what prescription meds can you bring into the country; do you need a visa, etc.
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Saturday, August 24, 2024
Once we decided that our primary goal with the trip was to see as much stuff as we could on the other side of the globe, we still had to narrow in where weâd target.
Our main considerations: Nearly every place should be new to both of us. Again, the point is to see far-flung places that we couldnât otherwise get to during our normal vacation time.
And our plan was to save most of the âtop tierâ destinations for later, as those worked well as standalone trips that we could pull off during ânormalâ 2-3 week vacations in subsequent years.
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Saturday, August 24, 2024 â
An unexpected concern: make sure any cash you’re bringing to Africa was printed after 2013, as bills printed before then were subject to widespread counterfeiting and often aren’t accepted as payment.
Friday, August 2, 2024
When we first started embarking on a plan for taking a mini-retirement, we naturally started considering where we might go.
The first plan that emerged was a tour around South America. Itâs a continent Iâve never been to, contained a number of âtop tierâ destinations we want to visit, and would pair well with a Dec-Feb trip timeframeâwhich is one we often struggle to fill. Thatâd also allow us to divide vacation time into two calendar years, making things much easier.
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