Traveling Deliberately: Minimizing Stress and Maximizing Fulfillment During Your Journey

By Steve Bannow

Name a place on the planet, and theres a pretty good chance that Steve Bannow has been there.

He regularly leaves home for at least a month at a time, visiting more than one country during each trip. This type of travel is complicated and challenging, and too many people try it without knowing what theyre getting intoand their experiences suffer as a result.

Bannow walks you through how to get the most out of your travel, providing expert advice on:

finding suitable accommodations at a reasonable price;

dealing with unexpected problems while traveling;

overcoming communication barriers;

picking the right traveling companion.

Youll also get practical advice on other basics, such as packing, staying safe and secure, and making friends with diverse groups of people.

In many ways, the most important task you need to complete before setting off on an adventure is to plan. Learn from the experiences of others, make the most of your money, and enjoy truly life-altering journeys by Traveling Deliberately.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781480810419

Steve Bannow

Steve Bannow is a retired US Navy attorney, college administrator, and instructor who is committed to living an active, healthy life. He is a world traveler who remains involved with academics, the arts, volunteering, writing, fitness, and social activism. Bannow and his life partner, Barbara, live in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Copyright © 2014 Steve Bannow.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system

without the written permission of the publisher except in the case

of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or

links contained in this book may have changed since publication and

may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those

of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher,

and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1040-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-1041-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014950331

Archway Publishing rev. date: 10/03/2014

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1    Getting Started

Chapter 2    Traveling Companions

Chapter 3    Fitness

Chapter 4    Travel Documents

Chapter 5    Packing—Less Is More

Chapter 6    Staying Healthy

Chapter 7    Eating and Drinking

Chapter 8    Security

Chapter 9    Pay Attention!

Chapter 10    When in Rome

Chapter 11    Weather

Chapter 12    Communication— Language and the (Almost) Constant Fog Surrounding Foreign Travel

Chapter 13    Pace

Chapter 14    $

Chapter 15    Bang for Your Buck

Chapter 16    Consistency and Flexibility—Reflections on the Beauty of Balance

Chapter 17    Keeping Track

Chapter 18    Keeping in Touch

Chapter 19    Don’t Be Stupid— Some Tough Words about Important Stuff

Chapter 20    And What About …?

Conclusion

Appendix I    Countries Visited between October 2010 and March 2014

Appendix II    Checklists

Appendix III    Reading List and Research Resources

End Notes

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Henry David Thoreau

From Walden; or, Life in the Woods

Acknowledgements

To: Barbara, Aenea, Andrew, Bounkhain, Braham, Brenda, Charles, Chris, Deb, Debbie, Di, Elissa, Gilda, Harry, Jack, Jeannette, Josh, Karen, Kay, Kit, Margarita, Mark, Maryann, Mehtap, Mike, Pete, Ricky, Rob, Santiago, Stacy, Stewart, Sue, Susan, Tang, and Wachinton.

My sincere thanks to each of you for having a hand in this project.

With Love,

s

Preface

This book represents the collective advice and wisdom that I have gained from some very bright folks, many of whom have quite literally been all over the world, as well as from a fair amount of reading and research and plenty of on-the-road experience.

For those of you who are contemplating significant international travel for the first time, dive in! There is much to discover and plan for, and there is a lot of fun to be had in doing so. Those of you who have already been around a bit will have given some time and attention to a number of the subjects that I address in my book. I would bet, however, that taking the opportunity to have a close look at what I have to say will also serve you well as you plan and then take your next trip.

In any case, for just about everyone the greatest challenge of long-term, multi-country travel is having some idea of how to create a general plan that prevents problems from occurring in the first place and how to live a regimen that will keep major hassles, stress, and unwelcome spikes in blood pressure to a minimum. Believe me, long-term, multi-country travel is about as good as life can be, but it is not as easy as it looks.

Give me a chance in these pages to help you get the most out of your journey.

Introduction

F irst, let’s be clear about what this book is not. What you are about to read is not quite a few things. It is not a guide to the finest museums of Europe, the most compelling antiquities of Asia, the most captivating wildlife viewing in Africa, the finest beaches in Australia, the greatest restaurants in the Americas, or the most spectacular views in Antarctica. These things I leave for you to research on your own or discuss with your travel agent, or (better yet) both. (And then you can have a good look in person and decide for yourself!) No, this book is not about what to see. The focus of this book is on how to prepare for and then go about seeing it. My purpose is to help make long-term travel as crisis-free and uncomplicated as possible—to keep your anxiety and stress level down and your spirits and fulfillment level up.

While we’re at it, let’s clarify something else: my intended audience. While I think anyone planning virtually any international trip can benefit by spending some time with this small book, my real target readers are adults—not necessarily Americans—on an extended holiday who plan to be away from home for at least a month and to visit more than one or a handful of countries during their travels. The type of travel that I am addressing in these pages is, frankly, challenging and complicated. It should certainly not be feared, but long-term, multi-country travel must be approached with thoughtful consideration and respect. I am hopeful that what I have learned through research, observations, and my own experience (including my share of mistakes) will lessen your physical and, especially, your emotional load and help you to get as much as possible from your journey. After all, what experience (other than having a family and possibly work) can offer more fulfillment than the perspective-enlarging, jaw-dropping, life-altering wonders of travel?

Now, I think it’s only fair to tell you a bit about me. This should help with important things like perspective, motive, and purpose. As I write this, I am a sixty-two year old, physically fit (except for two screaming knees), arthritic (neck, shoulders, lower back, knees, and wrists) nonsmoker. I have a solid retirement from the US Navy after over twenty-four years of service as a JAG. I receive a monthly VA check, I have a small retirement income from the State of Florida, and I decided to draw social security as soon as I could—starting last June. I am certainly not rich, but my point in mentioning my finances is to be upfront about what can be done without being a millionaire. If you are a millionaire, congratulations! I am going to assume, however, that wasting money is stressful for all of us no matter what our financial situations may be and should be avoided.

Extensive travel has not been a life-long ambition for me. I certainly had my share of international travel during my years with the navy, but it did not become a passion until just a few years ago—before my first visit to New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. I have found that three things are very important, if not vital, for those of us who wish to travel over an extended period of time to a variety of countries: good health, few significant ties to the home front, and financial independence. These things are all relative, of course, but they are all applicable in my case. Although I have significant issues with arthritis (which I deal with by staying in motion, plenty of glucosamine and MSM supplements, and meditative channeling), my health and fitness are excellent. I no longer run, but I can walk all day. I am single but blessed with having a loving, patient woman in my life. I have no children, but I do have a terrific sister and several nieces and nephews, as well as grandnieces and grandnephews, who love me but do not need me. Oh yes, I sold my house and my car and either sold or gave away just about all of my other stuff. This was liberating, I assure you. And, for now, I am on a hiatus from work.

Additionally, I think it is well to note that while I have certainly been around, you probably know people who have been to more countries than I have. Not many folks have had the opportunity, however, to stay on the road for as long as I did during my last trip. (Please take a look at my list of countries visited in Appendix I.) I think the key to understanding this list—especially considering my purpose and my audience—is how I planned for and then actually went about my travels during my last journey. For several important reasons that I hope will make sense in the pages that follow, the places I planned to visit and ultimately did visit were grouped together geographically for periods that ranged from a few weeks to several months in duration.

I will also offer a word here about the structure of this book. I have worked hard