I spent the final 2 weeks of my trip in the ninth country, Thailand. We headed up over the border on the south eastern corner and onwards to Hat Yai. We weren’t really sure once we made it past the border where we’d end up that evening. Having eventually decided on a train out of the border town we were flagged down leaving the station for a bus to Phuket. We ended up arriving at like 1am and were bundled into a hotel by the minibus driver which I’m sure he made handsome commission from.
Planning for 7 Months on the Road
So I have under 3 weeks until I’m off on a 7 month trip around the world on my own, with just a few friends who I’ve met for a few days on past adventures to visit along the way. If you’ve never been travelling alone before I guess that sounds quite daunting, but having spent 2 and half months travelling North America in the summer of 2009 it doesn’t feel like such a big deal. At least not yet anyway.
So how do you go about planning for such a trip? There are various things you need to be aware of and prepare for, the most important are obviously are those that concern money and health. Being properly vaccinated and having the right medication as required is obviously really important, and anyone going on a trip to places which aren’t anything other than the most developed countries you are likely to need some vaccinations. I’ve had to have a Hepatitis A vaccination at the doctors, and also got to go to a private clinic to get a Yellow Fever vaccination for travelling in South America. It’s also not 100% clear if I need malaria tablets for my time in South America, I’ll be getting clarification when I go to get my Yellow Fever vaccination. Additionally good travel insurance is to be blunt a pain in the arse to find. In the end I’ve got mine from Essential Travel and works out at £160 for 7 months, which is pretty reasonable and seems to have good coverage on the key factors. However you only ever find out if these insurance companies are worth while when you need to claim. Here’s hoping I don’t have to find out. Read the rest of this entry »
Flights Booked
So for a while I’ve been planning to do some more serious travelling. Ever since I got back from America last summer I’ve had the urge to get back on a plane at the first possible opportunity. During that time I’ve gone from wanting taking a short break in Europe visiting 3 or 4 cities to a rather ambitious 6 month plus trip across the Southern Hemisphere! Read the rest of this entry »