Preparation

If you are also planning a trip then maybe these pages might be useful.
A trip like the one we are undertaking takes time to prepare: money that you need to save, visas to obtain, doctors appointments, equipment to buy….

Below is our countdown. Have a look also at the subsections.

6 months before

• Save, save, save
• Browse plane tickets

Four months before

• Buy plane tickets (we booked ours with Trailfinders, good service and good price)

Three months before

• give notice at work (Julie’s notice was a month but she wanted to give them enough time to recruit)
• buy equipment

Two months before

• buy assurance (Julie got it from AVI International in France and Kwasi got it from insureandgo) 
• talk to your bank to get a “Premier” card for more services and also ask for the “international option” to limit the fees 
• buy more equipment
• get Chinese visa (if you’re French you need to give a lot of documents – passport, application form, return ticket, accommodation bookings, itinerary)
• get Australian visa 
• get Vietnamese visa
• sell furniture 

A month before

• medical check-up (doctor, vaccination and dentist)
• give notice for flat
• buy more equipment
• get the hosteling international discount card
• cancel all utility bills (electricity, gas, water, landline phone, mobile phone, internet, TV)
• give work clothes to charity

Two weeks before

• visit friends and families (Julie went back to France for 2 weeks)
• send a friend or member of family photocopies of important documents (passport, bank card, insurance policy…)
• buy more equipment

One week before

• check one last time you have all the documents
• organise drinks with friends in London

Two days before

• pack
• give keys back to landlord