kqb@piggy.UUCP (Kevin Q. Brown) (09/20/85)
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Round-the-World Travel Information (LONG MESSAGE)
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I want to thank the people who have sent to me useful/interesting tips
about the countries that I will be visiting on my Oct. to mid-Feb.
round-the-world trip. Rather than summarize the selection of tips that
I have received on the individual countries, I will wait until I come
back to give country-specific reports.
I have listed below several tips (and a couple of questions) on how to handle
money, health, visas, round-the-world air tickets, U.S. Customs, etc. that I
have had to learn while preparing for this trip. Much of this information
could apply to about any overseas trip, but is most important for a
round-the-world trip because a round-the-world trip (1) takes a long time, and
(2) involves travel to many countries, which gives it a lot of extra complexity.
- Kevin Q. Brown
PS: If any of my information is incorrect or otherwise seriously deficient,
please let me know. (Note: Several phone numbers/addresses will be
useful only for people in the NJ/NY area.)
MONEY
-----
How to carry only a small amount of money on you:
Traveller's checks are, of course, safer than cash, but carrying several
thousand dollars of traveller's checks seems excessive to me. I know of
two mechanisms that help out:
(1) credit cards. The main problem with American Express and most VISA,
MASTERCHARGE, etc. cards is that you still have a monthly bill to pay,
which may be hard to do while you are halfway across the world.
If you can get a credit card that draws directly from a money market
fund (such as the Dean Witter Reynolds Active Assets Account VISA card)
then you don't have to make a large advance payment to your credit
card company to cover the monthly bills. Another option is to give
someone power of attorney to write checks against your checking
account and take care of your bills while you are away.
(2) Cash personal checks at American Express offices.
For each 21 day period you can cash at most a total of $1000. (over one
or more transactions) with your (U.S.A. bank) personal checks.
This is limited to at most $200. cash and remainder in traveller's checks.
(At any particular office, the cash availability may be less than $200.)
If you have an American Express card, call (800) 528-4800 to order
(free-of-charge) the worldwide directory of American Express travel
service offices. (Note: The WorldWide directory does NOT tell which
offices will cash personal checks, which sell traveller's checks, etc.
For that information you need to call American Express information
and ask for the specific offices in each city what services they provide.)
How to protect your money (and valuables) from theft:
In some countries people will try to steal from your luggage (in your hotel
room), but won't be so obvious as to rip open your luggage. To protect
from this, use combination locks on the zippers of your luggage.
Money belts, money pouches, etc. are fairly widely available, but I know of
only one place to get a money vest:
Travel Safvest, Box 576, Cranbury, NJ 08512, (609) 655-4777, $23.15,
four pocket, machine-washable money vest. fabric: light-weight
polyester & cotton, off-white, zipper, velcro on pockets.
Because a round-the-world trip can take a long time, checks received while
gone may be too old to be honored when you return.
Have contingency plans. If someone will not accept one form of payment, have
another available.
RECEIVING MAIL
--------------
Receiving mail: I know of three options: American Express, Poste Restante,
and (in Egypt) the U.S. Consulate. (I'm planning on using American Express.)
Many, though not all, American Express travel offices can be used as
mail drops. (Call American Express information (800) 528-4800 for the
information on the services provided by the offices that you will use.)
They will hold letters for 30 days and then return to sender.
Also, American Express accepts only letters. For packages ("care packages")
use Poste Restante.
Forwarding mail:
American Express will not automatically forward mail from one office to
wherever you go next. Some offices will, for a fee, forward your mail.
HEALTH
------
Insurance:
The best bet is probably continuing your company's medical/dental insurance.
Otherwise, send for a free newsletter from the Health Care Abroad division of
International Underwriters, Inc., 7653 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043
It costs $3.00/day and covers medical and dental.
Vaccinations (information and/or shots) - useful organizations:
- Find what your company can offer for vaccinations. (I could have saved $.)
- Medical Dispensary at Newark Airport, a federal agency, (201) 961-2525.
At Building 5 (North Terminal past People Express and the Sunoco Station).
They give cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, gamma globulin shots, etc. and an
oral polio booster (but nothing for malaria or meningitis). They also give
an International Certificate of Vaccination card that certifies your
vaccinations. Cash Only. No appointment necessary. Open 9 AM - 4 PM
Mon. - Fri. and 9 - 11 AM Sat. (Weekdays may be busy.)
- Field Medical Office at JFK Airport, (718) 656-5344. At the cargo section
150th and South Cargo Rd. No appointment necessary. Open 8 AM - 10 PM
seven days a week. They accept cash, American Express, or MasterCard.
(They do not accept VISA or personal checks.) Vaccinations available
include the Squibb meningitis vaccine MenoMune.
- Center for Disease Control in Atlanta (404) 329-3311, (malaria branch)
(404) 452-4046, (meningitis branch) (404) 329-3687
- World Wide Health Forecast (800) 368-3531
- You can order an International Certificate of Vaccination from:
Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402
Include a $2.00 check for document S/N-017-001-00440-5.
Malaria is a widespread, but preventable, disease. No shots are given, but
pills can be taken for protection. Aralen (500 mg chloroquine phosphate)
is most common. (Take once a week, starting a week before entering the
endemic region through six weeks after leaving.) Amodiaquine (made in
Europe) protects against some chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria.
Fansidar (500 mg sulfadioxine, 25 mg pyrimethamime) can be used (in an
emergency) against chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria, but it can
cause bad allergic side-effects in some people. (Check with your doctor.)
All these anti-malaria drugs require a prescription.
Reports on Food, Sanitation, Climate, and List of English-Speaking Doctors
For the best sanitary reports on water, milk, and food for more than 1400
cities call IAMAT (The International Association for Medical Assistance to
Travellers), 736 Center Street, Lewiston, New York 14092 (716) 754-4883
IAMAT also offers World Climate Charts, Immunization Charts, and a list
of English-speaking doctors.
Dietary Supplements & Devices
Zinc gluconate lozenges - help cure rhinovirus infections (colds)
Compact, electric immersion coil to boil water (with adapter plug for
different electrical systems) ($10., Brookstone in Short Hills Mall, NJ)
ROUND-THE-WORLD AIR FARE
------------------------
Round-the-World passes:
As of a few months ago, most round-the-world fares were good for 6 months
and cost about $2100.00 when bought in the U.S. ($1300.00 in London).
TWA has three options: Singapore, Japan, and Quantas airlines
Pan Am has six options: Cathay Pacific, KLM, Singapore, Swiss Air,
Saudi, and Thai International.
NorthWest Orient has 13 options: Air India, Air France, British Caledonian,
Cathay Pacific, Garuda Indonesian, Gulf Air, KLM, Kuwait Airways,
Malaysian, Pakistan, South African Airways, Sabena Belgian Airlines,
and Thai Airways.
Warning: The fliers that airlines distribute describing their round-the-world
passes list many possible destinations. Unfortunately, because of the
many routing restrictions, these passes will take you to only a few of
these listed destinations without extra charge. These routing restrictions
are not well computerized; the travel or airline agent cannot simply tell
the computer to find the cheapest route through destinations A, B, ..., Z.
Even cheaper round-the-world air travel:
A few cities outside the U.S.A. have "bucket shops" with incredible
bargains in airfare. The greatest discounts are obtained in
Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, and Athens (Greece). Also try
Penang (Malaysia), London (England), and Singapore for cheap fares.
Advantages / Disadvantages of Open vs. Reserved Round-the-World Passes:
My travel agent recommended an open ticket. It, of course, allows you
to change your sheduling on-the-fly, while making you set up your
reservations at each stop. A reserved ticket allows you to make hotel,
etc. reservations far in advance, but it has two disadvantages because:
(1) if you miss a flight (no show), the computer may unreserve all your
subsequent flights, and (2) you can change your schedule just once for
free and must pay $25. for each subsequent change.
Westbound vs. Eastbound:
When travelling west you have two advantages: (1) a flight departing in the
morning arrives during daytime rather than at night, and (2) you get to
sleep later when you arrive.
Buy Tickets with a Credit Card
As mentioned a short while ago on net.travel, tickets bought with a
credit card cannot be cashed; they only be refunded to your credit card
or used. Also, if you buy with American Express, you automatically get
life/baggage insurance.
BOOKS/NEWSLETTERS
-----------------
How to Beat the High Cost of Travel, by Tom Brosnahan, 1984, Frommer.
(Highly recommended.)
AYH International Handbooks I and II:
American Youth Hostels, 1332 "I" Street NW, Suite 800,
Washington, DC 20005 (202) 783-6161
VISA/PASSPORT/PERMIT/DOCUMENTS
------------------------------
Visas
- Get a travel agent to get them for you. (It saves a lot of hassles.)
- Visa expiration "gotcha". If you get all your visas before starting a
long trip, some may expire before you get to use them. (Nepal - 3 months.)
- Get many extra passport photos for visas, permits, etc. (Black-and-white
is cheaper and, in some cases, preferred because it photocopies better.)
- Your passport should have lots of extra pages for visas. (If you run
out of pages they won't let you in the country.)
To add pages to my passport I mailed the passport, with a letter of
explanation (and return address) to:
Philadelphia Passport Agency, Federal Building, 600 Arch St., Room 4426,
Philadelphia, PA 19106, Attn: Suspense
Phone: (215) 597-7480. No fee required. It took about two weeks.
Note: Any U.S. Consulate can add pages to your passport.
International Drivers License
Available from AAA for $5.00 and is processed on-the-spot. (Membership
in AAA is not required.) You need a valid U.S. driver's license and two
passport photos. It is good for one year, starting at any given date
between the date you get it and six months later.
An International Drivers License can be useful not only when renting a car
but also as an alternate source of identification, such as when renting a
bicycle. (It is better to leave your International Driver's license with
the bicycle rental outfit than your passport.)
Other Cards / Documents
International Student Identity Card
American Youth Hostel (AYH) Card (You don't have to be a youth for this.)
International Certificate of Vaccination (see Health)
LANGUAGES
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A round-the-world trip involves too many countries to learn all the
languages well. What is the bare minimum proficiency needed?
Learn how to count in the language and how to handle the money?
U.S. CUSTOMS
------------
Order the "Travel Pack", including the booklet "Know Before You Go" and
a booklet on GSP (Generalized System of Preferences) information, from:
Department of the Treasury, U.S. Customs Service, Room 6316,
1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20229 (202) 566-2475
You can ship, free of duty and tax, an item worth no more than $50.00
(where shipped), provided the person receiving it does not receive
more than $50.00 of items in any day. The package must be marked
"UNSOLICITED GIFT" and indicate the contents and fair retail value.
You may bring $400. (of dutiable goods) into the U.S. duty free. The
next $1000.00 is taxed at a flat 10% rate. The GSP (Generalized
System of Preferences) lists a complicated set of exceptions.
Bring receipts of foreign-made items bought in the U.S. that you are
taking with you (so that you don't get charged duty on them
when you return to the U.S.).
TAKING CARE OF HOME
-------------------
This may be the hardest part:
job - leave of absence
Home/apt - rent/mortgage, or moving & storage, insurance
Car - insurance, storage, registration, inspection
Mail (change-of-address notifications), newspapers, utilities, pets, plants.
Get an extension for 1985 income tax filing?ken@rochester.UUCP (De onbekende kat) (09/24/85)
In article <382@piggy.UUCP> kqb@piggy.UUCP (Kevin Q. Brown) writes: >Westbound vs. Eastbound: > When travelling west you have two advantages: (1) a flight departing in the > morning arrives during daytime rather than at night, and (2) you get to > sleep later when you arrive. Also, (I don't remember where I got this info) westward jet-lag is easier to recover from, and my personal experience supports this. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Mail please, and I will post if there is sufficient interest. Ken -- UUCP: ..!{allegra,decvax,seismo}!rochester!ken ARPA: ken@rochester.arpa USnail: Dept. of Comp. Sci., U. of Rochester, NY 14627. Voice: Ken!